The Poughkeepsie Muddy Cup...not at all what I was expecting

So, i went to Poughkeepsie armed with a few addresses of restaurants, stores and coffee shops in the downtown area ready to head into whichever seemed the most enticing. I ended up at the Muddy Cup on Main Street, mostly because it was the first place I found that looked comfortable and populated. I ordered a coffee, sat down and started to scope out the area. There was a diverse crowd, ranging from teenagers to the elderly. It ended up being a really great place to learn about Poughkeepsie because it is a location that draws people into the downtown area, which is somewhat rundown and dangerous. I ended up having the most ridiculous experience ever here, because of a man who I happened to sit across from. Forgive me if this is long, but the insanity of it needs to be written down. Ha.

As I'm sitting down, I notice a normal looking man dozing off across from me. All of a sudden he pops up from his nap and asks me to guess what is inside of his plastic bag. I'm totally befuddled, wondering why this man is talking to me (but feeling lucky that perhaps I have my first source) and start to talk to him. He gives me a hint, telling me that what is inside the bag has to do with the fact that it is Sunday. Finally, I'm like okay, ummm, a Bible? He says yes, but then asks me what version, and asks me what is the most popular version of the Bible ever. I'm a non-religious college kid and my knowledge of the Bible comes from English class, not church. So I start thinking, oh no, here is this creepy man trying to get me saved. He repeatedly asks me questions about the Bible, tries to talk to me about Jesus' word and the truth of the lord. I'm not having any of it, trying to get him off my back by telling him that I think that it's great he found something he believes in, but that it is not for me. He is seriously relentless, telling me that it is for everyone. That Jesus is for everyone, trying to tell me that being a nonbeliever means I'm allowing the saying "The Devil made me do it" to take over my life. Eventually he starts to ask me about being a college student and I tell him that I'm covering Poughkeepsie and trying to learn about issues within the area. By the time I figure out he is homeless and he repeatedly tells me he is, I'm totally confused. He looks like a well dressed man with at least some sort of income. He tells me about life on the street, what is the daily routine for homeless in the area, how he gets around and survives the cold. He tells me about going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and being saved for twenty years. He talks about his friend AJ who he converted a day ago, an eighteen year old who eventually walks into the Muddy Cup. He ends up being a really great source, because although he has not been in Poughkeepsie long, knows a lot about the area and got at the heart of some of the issues in the area. But still, throughout our hour long conversation and our discussion of Poughkeepsie, he keeps trying to convert me. When I left he told me to come back with any questions, since I now know the three main places he is at. While this was all happening, I'm thinking, how did this fall into my lap? What is going on? Who is this random homeless guy who wants me to find Jesus? It was really surreal and shocking, not at all what I expected to get out of a coffee shop experience. Really, it was totally nuts...