… and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 2

The Word on the Street

LADIES BOXING MATCH

So many amazing and fascinating things go on in Ipswich, as I move around on the streets making friends with people. There are lots of stories I can’t share, for various reasons, but I find there are many that I can. I hope this series gives a colourful insight into life in the street culture of Ipswich. This is the community into which I speak God’s Word. I love the people, and I see God powerfully at work here.

LADIES BOXING MATCH

In the middle of Ipswich Mall, two young women began to fight. One of them is known to me, and I had prayed for her just an hour or so earlier, in the middle of Bell St. I had only just met the other, as she and I were both trying to locate a stolen phone on behalf of a young girl who had been robbed. The fight was unrelated to the mobile phone.

These girls formed up and looked just like professional boxers. There was no hair-pulling or slapping going on. This was serious! One of them landed a very impressive left hook into the mouth of the other, before I stood between them. For about 5 minutes I was dancing between them, attempting to talk them both down.

A crowd formed, and eventually someone started to assist me by calming one of them while I focused on the other. It doesn’t come naturally in this town to break up a fight. The conventional wisdom is, “it’s one on one – let them sort it out”. But after I had been calmly talking to these enraged women for several minutes, some of the crowd did start to interject with calming sentiments.

As I was between them, I saw the rage in their eyes. I also saw the blood in the mouth of one of them, and she was spitting it past my shoulder at her opponent… I estimate that the chances of that person having blood-borne, communicable diseases like Hepatitis is at least 80%.

Anyway, no more punches were landed, the two finally went separate ways, and I went a third way. I have seen each of them since, and each has thanked me for my part – They only got “move along” orders from police, not more serious charges. Had I not stepped in, it was going to get ugly and they probably would have been in the watch house together…

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