Ron and Deborah make their first trip to the Union Gospel Mission. Located on the east side of Fort Worth, the area is full of rundown buildings, vacant lots full of trash, and homeless derelicts wandering aimlessly. This is in stark contrast to the restored downtown area with tall, gleaming buildings, outdoor cafes, and a sprawling cultural district.Ron wonders how soon they’ll be able to leave, but Deborah tells him she’s had a vision: “I picture this place differently than it is now. White flowerboxes lining the streets, trees and yellow flowers. Lots of yellow flowers like the pastures of Rocky Top in June” (83).

They meet Don Shisler, the mission’s director, as well as “Chef Jim” Morgan, who runs the kitchen. A TCU alumnus, Chef Jim doesn’t fit Ron’s idea of the kind of person who becomes homeless. While Deborah and Chef Jim chat, Ron is silently disgusted by the germs he is convinced are everywhere: “I mentally balanced the ledger between pleasing my wife and contracting a terminal disease” (84). Deborah volunteers them to serve meals every Tuesday, beginning the next day. That night she has another dream, this time about a man who will change the city, as written in Ecclesiastes 9:15: “There was found in a certain city a poor man who was wise, and by his wisdom he saved the city” (90).