This past Wednesday I went out with Project H.O.P.E. - a group of High School students and two of their teachers - who reach out to the homeless. The men who started this don’t view it as a once a week mission – but have made it a lifestyle. They’ve given the local homeless people that they’ve met in the woods, under bridges, and near train tracks, their phone numbers, and even invited some to one of their weddings. I got home around 10:00 p.m. that night… with my eyes opened a little bit more to the reality that many people across our nation, and in our world, are living every day. It has reminded me of how thankful I am for the life I’ve been given, and to continue counting my blessings, each and every day.I will start with one of our last stops, which made one of the greatest impressions on me…It was to a small home with many different people, cats and dogs living in it. A large dog stood on top of the table, cats roamed around everyone’s ankles, Halloween decorations were scattered and people came out of the woodwork.
One man, I’ll call him “Charles”, approached me with a limp. He stood there with a cane, his big toe wrapped up in a cast, and shortly after introducing himself he began showing me different scars all over his body. His back, neck and forehead all had scars. When I asked what happened, I don’t think my heart was ready for the answer. This man had tried to commit suicide by continuously crashing his car into a pole. I think he said he tried 4-6 times, but he did not die. All he was left with was scars. He broke all of the bones in his face, and this was all over a broken relationship. He was devastated when a girlfriend broke up with him – so devastated that he tried to end his own life. This was 20 something years ago and he is still dealing with the aftermath. The purplish grey circles under his eyes show the strain from all of the pain he has had in his life.
Also disturbing, and eye opening, were the men living in tents. They call them “tent cities” and most men are there due to addiction, mental illness and/or tragic circumstances. I couldn’t believe my eyes that night, knowing that I would be leaving to go home to a nice, warm bed and these men would be sleeping out in the cold. Even more horrific, I was thinking of how they are going to handle the winter. But most of them don’t seem to have a problem with it. They say they stay bundled up and light a fire.
Throughout all of this I was just amazed at how the students and staff at the high school befriended these men and women, fed them, talked with them and connected. It was truly inspiring to see.
Today, if you are feeling like you’re having a bad day, maybe this story will cheer you up. If you are not homeless, living under a bridge or in a tent in the woods – consider yourself blessed. And maybe this will spark a desire in you to reach out to the less fortunate in your area? What I’ve learned is that it isn’t always the most helpful to give them a few bucks, but what they really need is to build relationships. Yes, they need food and clothing, but after all of that, at the end of the day what they need is love. This has inspired me to reach out more in my community, and I hope it does for you too. There are many ways you can help. Pick a day and volunteer at a local soup kitchen, donate clothing or items to a local shelter, give a blanket or some food to someone you see all alone on the street corner. There are a million ways to help and bring smiles to faces, showing them God’s love for them. I hope somehow, in some way this has inspired you to go out and be a blessing! I’m working on it myself. I know its easy to get caught up in our every day lives, but I challenge you to look outside of yourself and do something for someone else today.
Thanks for reading and God bless!
