Cold Weather Shelter

It was a cold 25 degrees out this morning. That’s Fahrenheit, not Celsius. If it were Celsius it would be quite balmy and I’d have been far more cheerful. As I was contemplating the cold, I received a phone call from my friend Dave telling me that A, who came in late last night, didn’t have a coat. Luckily (or would more likely, per God’s will) there was the perfect coat waiting for her and she didn’t have go out into the 25 degree cold with only the tee shirt she was wearing last night.

This week my church is hosting a temporary cold weather shelter. It is for people who live in my county (the county being one of the richest in my state and probably country) but don’t have a place to call home. Various churches host it through out the winter and my church hots it for one week each year. And, since we started, I’ve been helping out. It’s quite a humbling experience to be surrounded by people who are in such a different place but really aren’t all that different than myself. This year has not varied in that aspect.

Last night, I had dinner with a young man (27), R. He is friendly, thoughtful and an absolute joy to be around. When he was little, he liked to play cowboys and Indians. He was involved in his church’s youth group and has fond memories of lock ins and camping trips. He is now working at a department store and trying to go to college. He doesn’t have any where to live. If you were to meet him, you wouldn’t believe he could actually be homeless.

The nice thing about last night was our youth group decided to turn the sanctuary into “Pulsio Italiano Café”. As you walked into the sanctuary you saw several tables with nice table clothes and candles on them. There was Italiano music playing in the background. The youth had created menus and dressed up as waiters and waitresses, taking the orders from our guests at the shelter. I thought it was kind of a corny idea (sorry!) when it came up, but still thoughtful. They did a beautiful job of executing the entire evening. I know this because R told me so. He looked at me and told me what a fabulous idea it was. He said, “Here is a guy, who is down on his luck. You just have no idea how long it has been since he had been able to go to a restaurant. It is so nice that it makes me want to cry…but I won’t cuz I’m a man. That’s not a tear in my eye.” Of course (as you may have guessed), I had to choke back the tears myself. Because, as I may whine about, well, everything that I whine about, I know that I personally take going out to eat for granted. I relished everything else about that dinner knowing that it was a very special treat for R. Great job to Pulsio Italiano Café!

Later in the evening, I met up with B. She is a young mom who is going to college. She was studying for her final. Can you imagine trying to raise a two year old, going to college and not having a place to live? I can’t imagine a combination of any two of those, never the less all three. As part of my ministry, I ask the guests of shelter if they have any needs… toiletries, clothing, copies, etc. Stuff that probably everyone takes for granted – until you have to do without. Her requests were minimal and when I asked what kind of socks she wanted, she cheerfully said, “warm ones. I don’t care what color. They are covered up by my pants; they just need to be warm.” Again, I choke back the tears.

And then there was C. She had given me her need list at the same time as B. She needed some pretty basic items…toothbrush, tooth paste, shampoo, hand lotion, etc. We had most of that stuff on hand because it is easy to collect and is always in need. When I hand her those items she needed she says, “I’m sorry to bother you but I’d like to add a few more items, if possible. I just realized I have only one change of clothes.” Bother me? Only one change of clothes and she just realized it? Do you know how hard it is to keep a calm and understanding face when someone tells you they just realized they have only one change of clothes? She wasn’t my size or I’d probably be getting myself trouble when I go back tonight because I’d have a bag of my clothes for her.

It’s like this every year. Every year I meet people, who are absolutely amazing. They are cheerful in the face of daunting circumstances. They are kind and caring in a world that isn’t. They are hopeful when all they can cling to is hope for something better. After they leave, I always find myself wondering about them. Things like will R manage to continue to juggle working and college? How will B do on her finals and will she manage to graduate college and get a good job? What will life be like for her little boy? Some times I am lucky enough to find out how their stories turn out. But most of the time, I just have to take comfort in the knowledge that for a short period of time, they were able to teach me what is important in my life.