a man called "Sam" came to our church

VortecJeep

VortecJeep

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Joined
Aug 24, 2005
Location
Concord, NC
Last Sunday a man who called himself "Sam" stood up in our church near the end of the service and told us he was homeless and had accepted Christ and wanted to get back to his mother in Oklahoma. His story went on for probably 5 minutes at least. There were many teary eyes as he spoke. This was the first time anyone to my knowledge had just stood up and started talking.
I just read our pastor's blog, and it turns out this may have been a scam.
Please read his blog. Sam could come to your church next.
http://loveloud.blogspot.com/2008/05/sunday-and-man-called-sam.html
I'm not saying to throw him out of your church, just be aware. After reading the blog and how they handled it after the fact, I think our church did the right thing. Unfortunately, we can't always determine someone's intentions, but fortunately the Man Upstairs knows.
 
Yeah thats sad, just had a guy come into my car lot, saying he needed money to get back to South Carolina, then he said he wanted to sell cars for me. So I asked how he was going to sell cars for me while he was in South Carolina? He did not really have an answer and then asked if he could buy a newport from me. gotta love it:beer:
 
I stoppped at a rest area on I-95, then this guy comes up to me, asks for a few bucks for gas. He claimed he ran out of gas, really needed to get home to his mothers blah-blah-blah... When he pointed to his car, he had the hood up, trunk open and the spare tire on the ground. I offered to fill him up on my credit card, he talked his way around it. I asked if I was on candid camera or something. :lol:
 
Last year had a girl come up to me at a gas station. Was standing there talking to Rob (Rockcity) for 30min.. Said she needed to get to the Hospital in Lousiburg to see he critically ill mom... So I went on for 2 mins with directions about how to get there etc.. To the point she was getting pissed.. So when I paused she said she only needed gas money. I politly declined saying I spent it all on gas..
 
IN college we lived a block off Hillsborough St near NCSU...used to get bums all the time. We kept a few cans of food by the door, and it was amazing how many would decline...we even made up a handout listing all the local shelters, ministries, etc, and most of them declined that...
the funniest though was a guy asking for money to buy some ATF for his car...the look on his face when I grabbed a bottle off the porch and offered it to him was priceless, as he stammered into an excuse of why all of a sudden now he didn't actually need it...
 
i only gave money to a bum once, and it was because of his reasoning. He stopped me and said, sir I am not going to bullshit you. I would like some money to buy some beer. Plain and simple i just want to get drunk tonight, can you spare any change. So I gave him a dollar and told him to enjoy the 40. I guess he learned it is always better to be honest. :)
 
Many years ago, I used to run fast food joints. This one time when I was on at an Interstate location, I was approached by a man saying he was hungry. I had been asked this so many times I decided to see how hungry. I told him I would feed him all he could eat, if he would sweep my parking lot. No, not the whole thing, just the cig butts and so on. HE said Ok. I give him my brand new dust pan, and a broom. Told him to have them get me when he was done. I have never seen the dust pan and broom since!
 
upnover said:
I have never seen the dust pan and broom since!
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maybe he really needed a dust pan and broom and it was his lucky day! :lol:


A Buddy I used to work with, Big ole Marine boy had a bum walking his bike come up and ask for money. My buddy looked at the guys bike and said "Nice Bike, Give me your bike!" and proceeded to chase the guy down the street telling him to give him the bike!!!

Absolutely hilarious to hear him tell it!
 
happened to us last year. Said he was traveling to lousiana to see his family because he felt a deep regret for what he did. We fed him alot (ate a bunch of porkchops during the get-together) gave him a shower, and a good amount of money. he said he was going to walk to the station so Dad gave him a lift. once there the church was going to pay for his ticket, he asked for the money said he will get it (dad was already on the scam) He went to the counter and could not remember a phone number to give the lady who was asking... I think he made one up. Anyway he told dad he was set... dad said no, I will wait with you. The entire time he was trying to get away. Dad waited till the bus came, put him on the bus and waited for it to leave. I doupt he wanted to go there, but we made sure he was sent.
 
I always try to lend a helping hand, and i would have reacted the same as all of you. I wish I had some good stories to tell, but when i was younger and always falling victim to the sob stories given, now anytime someone walks up to me and says "Excuse me sir...." I already say I dont have time. I feel bad, but I dont like people taking advantage either.

There was one story at this gas station a few months back this black lady approaches me and asks for my help. Im like ok, she says follow me to my car, should it be doing this? She was done pumping gas, had the nozzle out and hung up, but gas was somehow cyphoning (sp?) itself out of the car. I wiped it off with a papertowel and said good to go! ha ha sometimes I cant be of help.
 
I do get bums all the time at the store, I got to the point when a bum comes in an gives me the puppy eyes I always beat them to the punch and say "Can I borrow a dollar, maybe 50 cents.. just something to get me by" they get soooooo angry
 
it happens alot at the beach specificlly myrtle they say they need money for gas to get to columbia even if they have a full tank in honda.
 
I have had a few good ones....

One time there was a bum on the Carowinds BLVD exit ramp at I77. He walked up to my window and gave me one of the better sob stories I had heard. "Sir I have screwed my life up, my wife left me, took my kids, I am homeless, broke, and humiliated to be asking for help, but I am starving" (he actually started crying while saying this) and ask for anything I could spare. Having been ripped off too may times I declined. As I drove off I kinda felt bad, so I stopped at the Bojangles a mile or so away bought a 8 piece meal or similar and a gallon of tea and returned. I flagged him over and handed it to him, he thanked me and I pulled off. I watched him in the rear view open the box look in and sling the food through the grass....

I have also given a $5 to a guy who told me he wanted to buy beer.

The best though are the 3 bums that work the hwy 49 at I485 ramp. When I worked in Charlotte I have seen them many times park in Whitehall (we used to eat lunch there every day) and get out and walk across the road to set up shop. One of them drove a lexus
 
864rNr said:
i only gave money to a bum once, and it was because of his reasoning. He stopped me and said, sir I am not going to bullshit you. I would like some money to buy some beer. Plain and simple i just want to get drunk tonight, can you spare any change. So I gave him a dollar and told him to enjoy the 40. I guess he learned it is always better to be honest. :)
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catfishblues said:
I had a bum come up to me in NYC and ask for a donation to the "United Negro Pizza Fund." I think I gave him $5 and a smile. :D
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I would've given money to both of them!

I did have a guy come up to me in Greenville while my wife was in the hospital after surgery asking for money to get a prescription filled. I figured at first, okay, b.s. whatever. But as he talked to me he was telling me how much it was going to be and so on and so forth and how he was only short by $2.18. He showed me the prescription with a current date on it for an antibiotic and a freshly dressed gaping wound on his leg. I walked to the pharmacy next door and picked it up with him, and paid his extra $2.18 He may have looked like a crackhead, but he was a greatful crackhead at least.

I was really suprised that his eyes actually lit up when I offered to go with him and help him out, whereas most get pissy if you won't just give them money and leave.
 
Y'all, I lived in Philly, for 34 years.

I have heard more tales, Been asked for food, smokes, $$$, bus tokens, A ride, & every other thing known to mankind. One morning, I guess I just had enough. 5am got off subway, asked by 8 or 9 different people ( I use the term, people loosely ) for a smoke. A homeless guy held the door to Mc D's open for me then asked me to buy breakfast for him. ( years of this makes a person jaded ) while leaving , yet another guy, in A voice barely audible, asked if I had A cigarette. I turned, looked him dead in the eye, & said loudly, no thanks I've got plenty!!! Walking rapidly away from him, across the street. From the other side, I looked back.Total bewilderment. That was the day, I told my boss I would relocate, to S.C. Don't think I will ever regret this choice, love the south!
 
A buddy of mine bought a couple of biscuits & coffe for a begger saying that he was starving......dude threw it on the ground & Jerome chased him off threatning to beat his ass.

I rarely get approached because of my looks (6'7", shaved head, wear a lot of black for work, cross-eyed, & generally look pissed) but a lady in San Diego asked me for a quarter & she was pissed when I gave her one.....crazy people.

There are many people out there who genuinely need help, but most seem to be just scamming.
 
another one... but this one worked out for the better. guys here at my office had bums that lives all around the office building (outside of course). They had one bum in particular that they started tossing a pack of smokes to and told him to tell his buddies to leave them alone. so every now and then they'd toss him a pack and low and behold, that bum would run all the others off and tell them not to bother these guys. Kinda like paying for a service. :D
 
There was a hippie girl I went to college with in Myrtle Beach. She worked the corner of 544 and 17 business 3 days a week. When she was done begging (her story was that her friends left her there and she needed a bus ticket to get back to Ohio), she would come into the Mr. Sub I worked at (on the same corner) and pull out a wad of money for some food. When she was done eating, she would get in her 2 year old Chevy Tahoe and drive off. I would see her later at school, all dressed up and hot and just shake my head.

After a few months of this, my manager and I at work had had enough. We waited until she was there again and made our own signs that read "She is full of Sh!t" with an arrow and stood on either side of her until she left.
 
Me and my wife were at Zaxby's the other evening in Lexington. We had just gotten our food, but I went back up there to get some ketchup. A man walked in and stopped me before I could get up to the counter telling me some story about how he needed to get back to Hickory. I had $2 in my pocket and handed it to him so he'd leave me alone. When I sat back down, my wife told me she'd seen that man somewhere else in Lexington before asking for money. After thinking about it for a minute, I realized that if he was going to Hickory he shouldn't have even been near Lexington. At least not right there by I-85.

I was also in Garner last summer and as I was unloading my newspapers into the van and a guy walked up and helped me out for a minute. I didn't have any cash and he gave me some story about how he had been sleeping in the woods but someone stole his camping gear and the Lowe's manager wouldn't let him help unload the trucks or some crap. I went to the McDonald's right there and bought him a cheeseburger and drink. He did wait for me outside and I watched him walk off with the food. I dunno if he ate it or waited for me to be gone and tossed it.
 
Personally, I like to help, but like to do so on my terms, randomly. I usually pay for someone's restaurant check, the person behind me in the fast food line, or the person in front of me a the grocery check out. I like getting someone's check at a diner anonamously best.

Figure some of the busy intersections in Greensboro have in excess of 80,000 cars a day. I ONLY 1% gave you a dollar, that is $800 a day! If ONLY 1/2 of 1% gave you a dollar that is still $80 a day! I never donate to the street corner "homeless". Although I'm sure a few are legit, I think most are just "doing their job".
 
John, I need to start hanging out in the restaurants you frequent!

I like the on your terms approach, and that is rather awesome of you to do every once in a while. I have a feeling the average stranger would not know what to think, and some people might not accept???
 
I never give them money, unless I have change in my cupholder. What I give them is any food or drink I might have on me. Bottled water, an orange, whatever i might have.
 
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