Homeless man possibly mugged, robbed, hit by train

Life on the streets is tough. Some times it's violent as one of our homeless men found out Friday night.

Rick is a precious man. The reasons why he's homeless vary, but that really doesn't matter. He's a child of God. He's a human. He loves the Lord, and if you ever want to hear an awesome prayer, just ask Rick to pray.

He called me this afternoon (Saturday) and said he was in the hospital. I went to see him. He's in bad shape, and is in desperate need of all of our prayers. I don't know everything yet, and apparently nobody does at this point.

All Rick remembers is crossing the railroad tracks, then the next thing he remembers he was under a train.

He managed to pull himself out from under the train without the use of his legs. Someone saw him and called 911. Both of Rick's hips were dislocated. They found his wallet, but his money was missing. They couldn't find his cell phone, and the pocket knives he always carries were missing. It appears he was mugged, robbed and hit by a train.

Trains are constantly moving slowly in and out of that rail yard. That's the good thing, the trains are moving slowly. If Rick was lying on the tracks, one could have hit him and dragged him on the tracks. Again, all of the facts are not known at this time.

Rick is in a lot of pain. The good thing is he's not in ICU, he's in a regular hospital room. The bad news is he has no movement below his hips. They have his neck stabilized. His head is covered in gashes and cuts, and his right eye is black and blue. He looks really bad.

I fought back tears as I talked with him and tried to encourage him. We prayed and my prayer was for him to walk out of there.

I talked to one of his sisters, and she and another sister are coming up from Florida. I also talked with a good Christian doctor who will keep an eye on the situation and make sure social services are involved. I thank God for that doctor. He has a heart for the hurting and has helped us before. I couldn't stand the thought of Rick not receiving the proper care because he is homeless and has no insurance. Not that that would happen, and they have been taking good care of him, but like I told that doctor, I just needed to talk with someone to make sure Rick is taken care of. He's at a good hospital, so I'm confident he will continue receiving quality care.

The best thing is Rick is in God's hands. God is in control, and I know He will turn this into good. Pray for Rick, his family, and the doctors and nurses. More updates will follow. Thanks for your prayers.