tumbling after You

[Update] Rodeo.

It’s been over a year since I posted about Rodeo, the homeless man and brother in Christ whom I met in front of the church of scientology building. I’ve had the pleasure of running into him again several times since then. So here’s an update on his situation.

May 2010 — Near the end of last spring semester, Rodeo mentioned that he wanted to read the Bible that some college students from the Austin Stone gave him, but his vision had deteriorated to the point where he needed reading glasses. Unsure of his prescription, I picked up two pairs from HEB, along with two neckstraps so he wouldn’t lose them. I kept them in my backpack and looked for him every time I walked to and from my apartment. But unfortunately, I never saw him again before leaving Austin for the summer.

October 2010 — It wasn’t until six months later that I ran into Rodeo again. Some former co-workers were visiting from Houston, and we decided to go to dinner at South Congress Cafe. As we were waiting to be seated outside, I noticed a familiar face sitting a few benches away - it was Rodeo. During his six months of absence, I started to fear the worst, but just seeing that he was still alive and okay brought a sigh of relief. He was craving a slice of pepperoni pizza from Hot Slice, so we decided to catch up while waiting in line for it.

Rodeo was ill for most of the summer, and he went up to Oklahoma to stay with his father, who, despite being well into his seventies, still actively deals cocaine from his house. He stayed there for several months, until he was notified that his birth certificate was being mailed to Austin. But after coming back, he discovered that the birth certificate he desperately needed in order to file for social security and had been waiting months for had been returned to the sender due to an address change. So he was back to where he started - homeless and waiting again for his birth certificate. After hearing all this, I rejoined my friends, already seated in the cafe, and guiltily ate my $20 meal…

Portrait taken outside Hot Slice on South Congress, Oct 2010.

December 2010 — A few weeks later, near the end of fall semester, I found Rodeo in his familiar spot in front of the church of scientology building. Remembering his reading glasses still sitting on my bathroom shelf, I ran back to my apartment and finally delivered them. He was shocked that after almost eight months, I still remembered and kept them for him. The glasses ended up fitting pretty well, and he kept both pairs, just in case. It also turned out that I ran into him while he was waiting to be picked up for a doctor’s appointment. He finally received his birth certificate in the mail, this time sent to the University Baptist Church, and he would be screened that afternoon for admittance into alcohol rehabilitation.

February 2011 — It had been a few months since my last run-in with Rodeo, and I had hoped that perhaps he was making progress in rehab during that time. But upon finding him in front of Dobie, I was disappointed to hear that he was denied from the rehab center. They wanted him to claim mental illness and take pills in order to receive help, but he refused to sacrifice his dignity and pride. So what now? He had no place left to turn for help. No next steps. No plans for the future. So we prayed together for direction. At the end, he thought it might soon be time for him to leave Austin for good.

Portrait taken outside Dobie, Feb 2011.

May 2011 — The few months in between each meeting with Rodeo, I always wondered about his whereabouts. I thought that by now, he would be long gone from here, without hope of another rendezvous between us. So I was really surprised to run into him again on South Congress this past weekend. And I was horrified to see his abdomen, bloated to ridiculous proportion. Rodeo has been seriously ill. His liver has begun to fail from a lifetime of alcoholism, and fluid began to fill his abdominal cavity. Two weeks ago, he was admitted to the hospital, where three liters of fluid was pumped out of him. One week ago, another two liters of fluid. And when I ran into him, he was about due for another visit to the hospital. Although numbed by lidocaine when the needle is inserted, he likened the pain felt the morning after to an ice pick being stabbed into his abdomen. He can’t even lean forward anymore to play his guitar, his primary source of income.

Doctors have told him that his liver has not completely failed yet, and that it can be nursed back to relative health. Praise God that for the first time in over 30 years, he is almost completely sober. He has cut down about 80% of his alcohol consumption and now only drinks Smirnoff Ice instead of hard liquor. He is also eating healthier, oftentimes buying fruits and vegetables from the local grocery truck across the street.

Rodeo spoke as if he was preparing to die. He kept repeating that if he could go back and relive his life, he’d do it all over again. He says he’s ready to move on and be with the Lord. But I know that he still wants to keep fighting this thing. And the only thing I could do was reiterate the gospel to him, pray over him, and offer him some change. 

Brothers and sisters, please keep Rodeo in your prayers. Pray boldly for the miraculous healing of his liver. Pray for relief and comfort from the pain. Pray for the assurance of his salvation in Christ’s name.

Picture taken outside Hotel San Jose on South Congress.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.  ~ 2 Cor. 1:3-5