A Chicken Sandwich, a Prayer, and a Zip Tie
It was just one of those UBFM rides that you have to talk about…
We (volunteers) often say that we need to make a book of UBFM stories. Well, this is one for the book. And, it’s not just a singular story, it’s the whole night. Three things happened on this UBFM ride that I want to highlight. They are not connected, aside from the fact that they happened on the same night and they are all UBFM experiences from my perspective.
To preface this story, I want to describe my Monday night volunteers. A few months ago, I connected with a non-profit organization called HUB Youth Cycling. This was founded by a friend of mine from the bike racing community named Cayce Tiesler. HUB Youth Cycling caters to middle school and high school kids in the TN NICA race program. It’s basically an organization to keep the kids engaged in cycling events during the off-season. One of the pillars of the non-profit is service. For their weekly service project, the HUB kids volunteer for UBFM. It has been a delight having them ride with us. We are always looking for capable volunteers and one of the requirements is to be comfortable on a bike. Most of the kids are talented racers. They know how to ride. So, every Monday night, we are blessed with 8-10 kids from HUB Youth Cycling to help us deliver.
On Monday night, June 11th, after everybody loaded up burritos, hotdogs, bottled water, cookies, socks, and some other miscellaneous items, we split up into two groups (North side and South side), and we hit the road.
I went on the South side of town with three regular adult volunteers and three teenagers, all around the age of 15. When I split up groups, I always put my more experienced people on the south side. Honestly, I don’t know why. Perhaps it’s because the traffic is a little more intricate. And, some of the folks on the south side are a little… well, you just have to be prepared for them. But, I was comfortable with the kids in my group on the south side. All of them had ridden this route before.
Incident number one: We started down Broadway toward 6th Ave, where we typically make our first right turn. I was in the back of the group. I noticed on the other side of the road a man sitting on a set of steps beside a wheelchair. I told the group that I would catch up after I checked on this guy. I went over to find out it was one of our regulars, Mark. Mark is in his 60s, he’s very sweet and always happy to see us. He loves the burritos and complements us on how good they are when we deliver to him. It is possible that Mark suffers from a little dementia. I could be wrong, but that’s just my assumption. When I greeted him, he had a sandwich in his hand. I thought someone just gave it to him. But, when I offered him a burrito, he threw the sandwich down. It was, what appeared to be, a fried chicken sandwich on white bread. He said, “I am glad you came over here, I was about to eat that sandwich. You got here just in time!” I said, “Who gave you that sandwich?” He replied, “Oh, I just found it right here on the ground.” As it would seem, I pulled up with dinner right before he took the first bite out of a fried chicken sandwich that had been sitting in the hot sun, on the sidewalk, in downtown Nashville.
Incident number two: I caught up to the group and we carried on with our regular route. When we arrived at one of our stopping points, we were greeted by a crowd of regulars. I am just going to tell it like it is, this group is primarily crack addicts and dealers. Aside from being a little obnoxious and a little loud, this group is harmless. Out of years of delivering to this group, I have never felt threatened. They know us, and we are there for them. But they pair well with the rest of the tourists in the midst of the downtown chaos. While we were at this point, a lady sitting on a concrete ledge pointed at one of the youth volunteers and motioned for him to come over to her. We see this lady at this particular place regularly. She is often loud and yelling at someone else. But, she was a little reserved on this night. However, for some reason, she wanted to speak with this one kid. I am not sure why, but she pointed him out. The young man she wanted to speak to is a little quiet, but he’s a wonderful volunteer. He interacts with this community like he’s been doing it for years. He walked over to her, she reached out for his hands and he took her hands. She said, “You have powerful words. I want you to pray for me.” They both bowed their heads and he started praying. I couldn’t quite hear him, but he was speaking with confidence. When he finished his prayer, she nodded to thank him. He turned around, picked up his bike, and we carried on. There’s no preacher, priest, or religious leader that could have responded better to that person’s request. In that moment, I witnessed a lot. I felt a lot of emotions. I am still unpacking it. But, one thing is for certain, I witnessed God, and it felt good.
Incident number three: When we all arrived back at the parking lot from delivering, we started loading up our bikes. A few people stopped by to see if we had anything left. We did have a few burritos left so we distributed them. One of the people that stopped by was on a bike. It was an old “beater”. I don’t know if it had functional brakes. But, that is the nature of a good ole street franken-bike. Coach Cayce greeted the guy to offer him some food. At the same time, he assessed his bike. He noticed that the chain was broken and the guy was unable to make a full pedal stroke. As it would seem, the chain was held together by a zip tie. Cayce told the guy to hold on for a minute. He went to his van, looked in the toolbox, pulled out a brand-new chain and tools, replaced the chain, and adjusted the tension so the guy could ride easier. He then aired up his tires and sent him on his way.
Sometimes I get tired and a little burned out. Sometimes I have to drag myself to food prep and then, downtown. But often, it’s those times that God shows me something to revive my spirit. It’s a reminder of why we do this. It’s not just the food and supplies, it’s the connection. It’s caring and sharing. When we participate in it or just witness it, it feels good and I think we need that.