Old and chaotic, this was Harley’s first impression of Bali Street.
Many square red brick buildings were built before World War II.
How old should you be?
The house is old, and the infrastructure cannot keep up with it. Electric wires, telephone lines, and network cables are erected haphazardly above the head, almost woven into a ceiling.
The road condition of the main street is not bad, and the streets in front of the shops are rarely dilapidated.
After entering the residential area, the road below your feet becomes narrow, and broken potholes can be seen everywhere on the concrete floor. Once it rains and snows, the big potholes are like small ponds, filled with black rainwater. When a car passes by, it will inevitably splash
A piece of filthy black water.
Harley's new home is in such a dilapidated community.
Behind the main road of Barry Street, enter through an alley connecting to the main street, go around and around, and come to a six-story red brick building.
It's a bit like the dormitory building she lived in when she was in college. She enters through the middle door. The building manager lives next to the hall. There are two dark corridors on the left and right, with households on both sides of the corridor.
There are no dormitory aunts or uncles here.
The room next to the hall that should have belonged to the building manager is now Harley's living room and studio.
More than 80 square meters, two bedrooms and one living room with kitchen and bathroom.
The living room alone covers an area of more than thirty square meters, and is separated from the hall on the first floor by only a wall with a window.
Once upon a time, this was a canteen.
After Martha Wayne came up with the church project to save children and women, most of the residents here left, and the canteen and building manager were naturally cancelled.
After Mr. and Mrs. Wayne were shot dead, the church project was stalled, and most of the residents who were hungry for low-rent housing came back, but the canteen was still empty.
Because the canteen is a side job, the building manager assigned by the housing rental company is his main job.
"Hey, little girl, why are you here?"
When Harley entered the red brick building with her bag on her back, no one greeted her or even treated her differently. But when she took the key and opened the door of the "Building Management Dormitory", a golden man walked diagonally across.
A black aunt wearing a necklace and a fur coat.
That aunt has thick hands, thick body, thick face, thick legs...everywhere is thick, thick and black.
A very non-standard New York accent, with a South American accent.
"Hello, I am a nun sent by the Anglican Church, Diana Da Vinci." Harry smiled very softly.
"Nun?" The aunt exclaimed in surprise and asked doubtfully: "You are so young, are you an official nun?"
"Of course, I am a sister, but like Asians, I have a tender face. In fact, I was born in 1984 and am 21 this year.
If I am underage, the church will not let me station in a small parish alone." Harry said nonsense seriously.
Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Evangelicals, Episcopalians... are all different denominations that believe in Christ.
The Episcopal Church is not the most mainstream denomination in the United States, but it is very popular in Shanghai, England and China.
Thomas Wayne was an Anglican Christian and had considerable influence in the Anglican Church.
If the church previously planned to be built is completed, it will also be managed by Anglican monks.
That’s why we have the current Anglican Sister Hallie.
"Shit, you haven't given up on the church plan yet?" the black aunt shouted again.
"It depends on Wayne's plan. Our church does not have the final say."
Harley had already opened the door. The living room was very empty, with only a few shelves against the wall.
I went to the bedroom and saw that it was completely clean, not even the bed board was left.
However, there is heating, natural gas, and a water heater in the bathroom.
The aunt followed in a familiar manner, looked closely at Harry, and said, "You look like a child, are you really a nun?"
Harry sighed and took out his medical insurance card and Anglican nun's card from his backpack.
"Hey, it's really 1984..." The aunt completely let down her guard, returned the ID to Harry with a smile, and said: "My name is Tata, and my daughter is Plica from Crown Point!
"
Harry could tell that Aunt Tata was very proud of her daughter.
But she had never heard of Plica's name.
After leaving the apartment and walking west, Crown Point is less than a hundred meters away.
That's another chaotic neighborhood next to Bali Street.
"I just came here and am not familiar with the place. Aunt Tata must help me introduce Sister Pulika!" Harley said with a smile.
"Pulika is only nineteen years old, younger than you." The aunt said.
Harley's expression stiffened for a moment.
Although Aunt Tata was a bit talkative, she was very enthusiastic. Seeing that Harry didn't even have a bed, she immediately returned to her home and brought a folding single bed.
Before Harry could excuse herself pretentiously, she came over with another rubber mattress.
Her youngest daughter, the eight-year-old black girl Nana, also brought a round stool.
"This bed belongs to my son. He had an overdose a year ago and fell on the street and never woke up. The bed is left at home with no one to sleep on, so why not give it to you." Tata sighed.
Hearing that it was a bed for dead drug addicts, Harley almost couldn't hold back her smile.
After barely surviving the night, Harley received a meal delivery call early the next morning.
She quickly got dressed, put on a nun's uniform with a black robe and a white hood, and ran out of the community. At the intersection of the main road and the alley of Bali Street, she saw a Wayne Group van.
"Sister, are you the only one?" the bearded driver frowned.
"Don't worry, I can handle it." Harley walked directly to the back door of the van.
"You don't even have a cart? How are you going to get five hundred 330ml boxes of milk and five hundred sandwiches?" the driver kept saying, but never left the driver's seat.
However, Harley didn't expect his help, so she unloaded the milk box from the van and carried it home.
"Hey, this trip weighs two to three hundred kilograms, right? You are so strong!" The driver was startled at first, and then complained: "How long will it take me to move it again and again like this?"
Harry ignored him and just trotted faster, carrying six to seven hundred kilograms of supplies three times in less than a quarter of an hour.
In this way, before leaving, the bearded man kept telling her that she must prepare a cart tomorrow.
"Ah, Sister Diana, the canteen is open again. Do you want to sell breakfast this time?" Aunt Tata heard the noise and asked leaning against the door in her pajamas.
"Look at the label on the box, Wayne Group's 'Martha Charitable Fund' distributes free to children and women in need.
Aunt Tata, you have many connections, please help me spread the word first." Harley said while busy.
Of course, as a nun, she has a mission.
Martha's original rescue plan was to provide comprehensive charitable services such as medical care, health examinations, food, basic education, leisure and entertainment for women and children.
Now that the church has not been built, we can only start with the most basic food.
In the name of "Saint Martha", it is Harley's job to distribute 500 pieces of milk and sandwiches in the community every day.
In fact, in the United States, relief stations that provide food are very common.
It's not that Americans are kinder, it's just that the gap between the rich and the poor is too big. Only by feeding the poor will they not rebel against the rich.
At this moment, hearing Hallie handing out free milk and sandwiches, Aunt Tata didn't look excited, and she pulled her little daughter and swarmed over.
She just said "oh" flatly.
Not long after, Harley's home phone rang again.
"Aunt Tata, I'll put something in the window, please help me keep an eye on it first."
The Anglican Church came this time, and brought her two hundred Bibles, various gospels, a large box of Anglican Church brochures, a bronze statue of Jesus, a ceramic statue of the Virgin Mary, several small crosses, and baptismal saints.
A pool (just a basin).
In addition to these regular church supplies, there are also brand new Dell computers, HP printers and other office supplies.
They are all sponsored by the Anglican Church from major companies and are considered the "standard equipment" for clergy.
"Sister Diana, you must remember to take more photos or videos of rescuing citizens and organizing them to attend services."
Before leaving, the staff transporting supplies warned.
Harley glanced at the Sony camera and asked with a dull face: "Who did you take the picture and send it to? What's the use?"
"Promote the church in society, and promote yourself in the church. If the video is well shot, we will also use our connections to buy space for you in the mainstream media." The man said matter-of-factly.
After Harley moved all her "belongings" home, the neighbors finally believed her identity.
"Your home is too small, where can we serve as a church?" Aunt Tata enthusiastically helped distribute food.
Well, there are already quite a few people queuing up to get food.
Americans are a little more reserved in this regard, they don't jump in line to fight, and they rarely deliberately take advantage.
If there is no shortage of food at home, they usually rarely go to the soup kitchen to get food.
Harry looked at the team, and sure enough, there were only women and children. There was no man, so they didn't take more, just one share for each person.
Some people opened the packages on the spot and munched on them before they got home. They were obviously really hungry.
"The house opposite is the chapel," she said.
Several women who had taken the "Christ" food stayed to help Hallie decorate the chapel.
The room is quite spacious, a large single room of 50 square meters, with a cross of Jesus and a statue of Saint Mary placed in front of the window, an Anglican banner hanging above it, and a copper basin (holy pool) set up at the door, and it becomes a small church.
Believers dip some water in a copper basin, make the sign of the cross on their chests, and then stand under the icon to pray, or Harry stands on it and recites a scripture...
The conditions are simple and this is all we can do now.
This is not a real church, it can only be regarded as a community service point of the church.
What surprised Harry was that as soon as she hung the cross at the door of the chapel, a group of faithful men and women came to see her.
"Today is not Sunday, there is no sermon, you pray to Jesus by yourselves. The statue of Jesus comes from the Anglican Church and was consecrated by Father Hamas in the Upper East Side. It is very efficacious." Harry shouted outside the window of his "commissary".
"Sister, don't you accept sinners' confession?" an old Latino woman shouted.
Confession is usually done to a priest.
In Hong Kong and European and American movies, there are often scenes where the protagonist goes to a priest to confess.
It means telling your sins to the priest next door in a small, closed room.
"The church is small, and I'm the only one there. I won't do the 'confession' thing for the time being. If you want to repent, you can whisper to Jesus. The Lord is almighty and will definitely hear your heart." Harley said to her.
Accepting confession is a waste of time.
Taking everyone to worship once a week is enough.
But if she accepts the task of confessing, everyone may come and pour "dirty water" on her, talking for hours, and then she will comfort them softly... With so much trouble, how will she have time to improve?
Own?
"But I also have a high-level business that other churches don't have, exorcism! Well, I am an exorcist nun blessed by heaven, and exorcism is my main business."
Harley has a serious face, which looks a bit cute but very unconvincing.
The believers looked at each other, somewhat at a loss.