The Beginning Process

This blog HOMELESS JOURNEY’S is about the journey that led to my decision to call a Rescue Mission in New York City and sign on to volunteer for one week. I have always driven through NYC. I’ve never stayed overnight there. In some respects I have no idea what I am doing, which you will see by some of the posts. I have never been on a mission like trip, always been to much fear in my life. I have never felt any leading to do anything like this until this Summer/Fall, when God began changing my heart. He wants me to trust him with the details. Every step of the way I have prayed. I began getting my church to pray (Chestnut Street Baptist Church (The fact that we are there is a miracle in itself!)) I began to tell friends, asking for prayer. Sometimes I would try to take over soon I would learn that four letter word (WAIT, His reply, “Let me take care of the details.”) Throughout this process God has been there; when I’ve had doubts, when I felt like every little detail was being worked out, and then the waiting for lodging. Now I am waiting for funds for the lodging (like I said I don’t know what I am doing, but I am trusting that God knows what he wants me to be doing. There is something there that I need to see, that I need to be doing, and maybe it is just that. I need to be doing!.) I completely believe that God will take care of all of my lodging, financial and spiritual needs. I have no idea how or who or when. I just know that I am meant to be in NYC from January 3rd thru the 11th to volunteer whatever I can bring to the table there, for whomever I can bring it too. I am so blessed to have you all, my wonderful friends and family on this journey with me. Every day I am there I will be trying to blog. I will try to post pics and whatever else God leads me to. Up until I leave I will be blogging to get you all up to speed as this has already been an amazing journey of God knitting the pieces together. Here is a list of my needs: - I will need prayer, first and most important. Pray against the forces that could keep me from carrying this out. Pray for what God has for me to see. This list I’m sure will expand. - I need $600.00 for lodging for 6 nights. The other 2 nights I am staying with a family friend. - I need $200.00 for incidentals (food, etc.) - I may need bus fare down, since my husband just had an accident that totaled our van. - - Someone has graciously blessed me with my bus/train fare home to Portland. I will get in at 9:45p on the 11th. - I will need someone pick me up and take me in for the night,\ - - and then I will need a ride to Hope. I keep moving forward The Beginning Process I cannot even fathom the life of a homeless person. I have had a blessed life of security, a place to lay my head at night, warmth of blankets and knowing I would have food on the table at each meal. My parents when there was some adversity in our lives, would turn it all into an adventure. We’d have the back window taped up with plastic on a long, short cut to Canada, when the window of our huge Fury III burst into tiny little pieces upon going over a bump. We were freezing cold, but it was an “ADVENTURE”. (That adventure took place for about 3 weeks while we got the money to fix the window.) That is nothing compared to the life of a homeless person. I have had the privilege of being touched by homelessness. Yes, I said privilege. I got a call one night from a friend. He said he had no place to go. He wanted to live in our garage. “Our garage? It’s not insulated.” was my reply. It was fall, and thankfully a warm one. We made arrangements. He slept in our family tent, while we worked at insulating and cleaning half of our garage to accommodate him. I knew it would not work to have him inside the house, to many personalities rolling around. To last longer than a 5 minute place to live, he needed his own space, as we needed ours. At the time it was a no-brainer to take him in. I would do it again in a heartbeat for anyone. Oh sure there were adjustments, but we made it work for one year. He is now in a permanent shelter. It really has worked out better for him than if he had continued to stay with us. He became a part of our family As I said in the previous paragraph, it was a privilege to be touched by homelessness. It is humbling. It teaches compassion. I don’t feel power over them, but a real deep humility. I went to meetings on homelessness where people were asking questions. Questions like, “are there homeless people living in the Midcoast region?” if so, “How many of them are there?” There was an article written in the local newspaper about our man and his new home. Most homeless I learned are depressed, or mentally ill in some way. I am not judging by saying that I think they are very complex human beings, who have very much to offer our society, if we could stop trying to look at them like they are duplicates of everybody’s experience. Does being depressed or having a diagnosis mean that they are second class citizens? To some the answers are, “if they would just try and get a job?” Our man was able to help us out greatly around our house. He could do things in small lots of time. He needed breaks because he had back issues. He would rest, and then come back to it. Sometimes he needed encouragement to keep going and not lose hope. It was a balancing act. This was 3-4 years ago. Since then, it seems I gravitate to them. Yes, I am a sucker for a person with a sign describing their need. Please don’t send your judgmental comments. This is just who I am and what has led me to this moment. Although, recently, I saw a woman with a sign that read “DESTITUTE” in big bold letters. I went by. My heart sank. I came back by her, all the while thinking, “what do I have to give?” There was a man standing with her. He walked away. I went by to the grocery store. I needed to get my family groceries. I got in line with my children. The man, who was with the woman with the big sign “DESTITUTE”, was in line to get vodka and pepsi. God revealed that I needed to walk away from that situation. In the 3 or 4 years since my encounter with homelessness, I have often touted the words, “I have a heart for the homeless.” Oh really?!? Was my convicting reply in my head and heart.” What are you really doing?” I was working a lot to support my own family over the summer, often feeling empty and unconnected. God was there in my emptiness. He was leading me without my being totally aware of it. I would pray so much for direction and meaning. There had to be more than me sitting at my desk doing books for people (Don’t get me wrong, I am so thankful for the work that I have.) One night I was visiting a friend, and she said you could go to volunteer in a homeless shelter in NYC. She wasn’t talking about me, but anyone can! I went home with that blaring in my ears. I started praying more directly, “Is this something I can do Lord? Is this what You want?” I waited probably for a week, and I couldn’t get rid of it. It was still there in my face. I went on line to research it. I found a few and began to inquire. One website actually said they didn’t want people volunteering for just a week. I sent out inquiries to a couple, and got an almost immediate response from the NYC Rescue Mission, the 1st Rescue Mission opened in NYC. Now I had to ask my family. This would impact them greatly. I called a family meeting. I was met with some opposition, but the word SKYPE came into play, and they thought that would be so cool. My family was in it too. I was on the phone the next day with NYC Rescue Mission to set a date. We agreed that it needed to be after the holidays. He said, “How does January 5th through the 11th sound?” We set it up right then and there. He asked that if anything changed to get in touch with him immediately. He said that I could NOT stay at the shelter. I would have to find my own lodging. I got off the phone and started dancing. Yes, dancing! This was not me. I was always the missions avoidance person, to scared to get out of my own way and let God do it. Lodging, I thought, "piece of cake." Stay tuned for the next post Lodging, Overcoming the Impossible.