How many would attend?

Make a commitment and stick to it

On the second Sunday of December, I met with 50 homeless in the Pratt Library. Truxon passed around sign up sheets. Forty-nine of the 50 signed up!

Our class was scheduled for January 9. The morning I arrived at the Mt. Vernon Methodist Church, it was 12 degrees!

I was starting to feel a little strange as it got closer to opening time because I was the only one there.

About 15 minutes after starting time, one homeless person wandered in. He came to inform me that he didn't think anyone would show up because one of them had frozen to death that morning when the electricity went off in a federal building.

The excess heat that normally came through an outdoor grate, next to the building ceased sometime during the night and his homeless friend never woke up to move to a warmer place.

My only student said they were all "bummed out," but he wanted to stay anyway.

Getting recommitted

I excused myself and went to the ladies room to cry, then pray. I told God that I was perfectly willing to work with one student if that was His will.

Within just a moment I knew that I wanted to go out there and share Silva. I was enthused. I knew he needed it now more than ever with the loss of his friend.

Within 15 minutes two more joined the class.

Then a few more came.

By 11:30 we had 23 in the class!

Over the next five days we always had between 11 and 23 people in the class. They left and came back for various reasons.

It was interesting to me that the Silva books that Victor Kovens so generously donated, were always with them. A number of them shared that they were already on their second and third reading of it by the third day. By Friday a number of books had already become "dog eared."

Slow going

Even though I had them seven hours a day, I was only able to get the first part of the Silva program to them, during that five day period. We started over so many times that first morning with the intro, that I think the first few people had it memorized by noon, they had heard it so many times.

My point is, by Tuesday afternoon they only had the intro and a few of the 101 techniques. It is important for me to emphasize how little of the Silva training they had so you can fully understand the "Miracle" that happened on Wednesday morning by 11:30.

Trouble strikes

Back to News page