Gabriela Monterroso -- girl preacher, immigrant, occasional mall rat -- presses hot hands to the man's chest as a chorus of ''amens'' swirl up from the small church congregation around her. Her voice rises into a rocking chant of syllables only she and her God understand, ``osherecabbashet, barishabbashay!''
MIAMI RESCUE MISSION
The cafeteria was crowded, overflowing with more than 400 homeless people, mostly men, celebrating their birthdays. Of course, they all weren't really turning a year older that particular Wednesday -- the two-hour celebration at the Miami Rescue Mission was just a way to bring together a forgotten group living in the streets.
For decades, Boston University sociologist Peter Berger says, American intellectuals have looked down on evangelicals. Educated people have the notion that evangelicals are ''barefoot people of Tobacco Road who, I don't know, sleep with their sisters or something,'' Berger says.
As Aaron Taylor rode the escalator at Miami's Hyatt Regency, he was singing, and not just to warm up his voice for another chance at a professional singing career.
South Floridians share stories of love, mayhem, sand angels and the Hanukkah Santa.
