It is a cold Monday night in January and I probably won't sleep much tonight. Every Monday night in December, January, February, and March my church hosts Room in the Inn. Together with 3 other churches we provide dinner, worship, shelter, breakfast, and lunch for the Homeless.
I started attending late last year. It changed me so much. This year it is so hard to put into words. I am so Blessed to be a part of this and yet I find it nearly impossible to sleep when I come home. My heart hurts. I lay awake for hours thinking about where my new friends will be the next day. Will they find shelter? Will they find a place to sleep? What will they eat? Where will they go?
This year I have talked with people that I met last year. I have gotten to know people because they have returned. I was reunited with a gentleman that I served breakfast to under a bridge this summer. He had found a place to stay and then his group was evicted. I met a gentleman who got out of prison on Sunday and was with us on Monday. He was scared because he needed a place to stay to meet his parole conditions and the only family he has is outside of his parole area. Tonight we talked with some women and asked how they spent the day. It was cold and it was a holiday. Schools and libraries were closed. One woman and her children spent the whole day sitting in the transit center. Another woman and her husband used their monthly bus pass to ride the bus all day. She also talked about how they each had a job, but it was third shift. If you are homeless and able to get a third shift job, where are you expected to sleep during the day?
Something has to change. The system is full of vicious cycles.
For a long time I have had "Sort through my closet" on my To Do list. And let's face it, when I do go through it I don't get rid of nearly as much as I could. Well let me tell you something, all you need to do is spend some time with someone who doesn't know where they will be sleeping tomorrow and it's a lot easier to do.
Tonight I brought in a giant bag of clothes, sneakers, bags, and goodies. There were things that I haven't used/worn in forever, but kept saying "well I can use/wear it some day". Nope. Someone else can use it now.
We had some other donations and we had a nice table full tonight. By the time we served dinner it was almost empty. I stood there and looked around at the mattresses and realized that there was something of mine on almost every one. A single mom grabbed the large bag on wheels. I had met her before and we were talking about it. She was so excited "Do you know how hard it is to push a stroller and carry those two bags all day? This bag with the wheels will make my life so much easier." I told her I brought it tonight and she hugged me hard. God has put me in the right place.
I may not have a lot of money, but I have my services and luxuries that I can offer. And I like to think that I am a good ambassador. Last week I had a phone call from a friend who was excited to tell me that she had gone to church and volunteered for their similar program. She volunteered last week and is spending her first sleepover at the church tonight. I also got another call from my mom this weekend who went out and bought some socks and other items to donate. God is good.
I try to make it my mission to sit and get to know several of our guests. More often then not, that is worth more than money. Just having a normal conversation or listening to a story can mean the world to someone. We all know that they don't have a normal living situation, but the least I can do is give them a little normalcy. I have spent hours talking about oreos, The Backstreet Boys, and sports. If you try hard enough there is something you can find in common. We are all brother and sisters in Christ. We need to take care of each other.
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For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
-Deuteronomy 15:11
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