More Than Just Volunteering

Today I want to tell you about something that is very dear to my heart. I really enjoy doing community service work and volunteering at any event I can, but this certain service is different from anything I have helped with. I am talking about serving God through feeding His hungry children. On every third Thursday of the month the church I attend picks up ten homeless men from the shelter in Nashville. They come back to the church where ultimately they come to be fed, but it is always so much more than that. They arrive and take their belongings to a Sunday school room where we have set up beds and put bags of necessities for them. Then my favorite part is my job, which is giving them their nametags. This gives me a chance to look them in the eyes and say that I am truly glad they are there. After that, we all go downstairs where dinner is prepared and we have dinner and fellowship. Later, we make our way back upstairs for worship and a small service. This is my second favorite part because our worship leader always extends an invitation for them to come up and sing for us. Usually it takes us begging, but there are always at least half of them that stand up and end up having a great time and they do not want to put the microphone down. It is such a beautiful thing to see even the people who have little to nothing praise and worship our King like they have everything. They understand that God loves them unconditionally, and to be able to express to them that forgiveness and repentance is real makes it even better. After the service the homeless men are able to get haircuts, get clothes from our donated clothes trailer, and shower before bed. We know it is not a lot, but it makes a big difference in their lives and it is such a blessing for us to be apart of. I also think it changes peoples perspectives on these men. A lot of people think they are just people who are lazy and gave up on life, and in some cases that is what happened, but in many cases, something much more extreme happened that we may not have even thought of. These men are so unbelievable thankful and interesting and that has made this particular event one of the things I look forward to most each month.

Then, on every third Sunday of the month my Sunday school class travels to the same shelter, but to the women's side, to serve them dinner and have fellowship. Dinner starts at 4:30 p.m. where the first group of women and children are allowed to come in. Something so wonderful about this program is that no one is turned away. Any woman or child is welcome under any circumstance. Same as the men’s side, they just have a separate building. Now, it is very interesting because the first group can come in even if they are drunk, addicted to drugs, etc., so you never know what to expect and it is always different.  However, it is always a good opportunity to share God's love to some of the people that need it most. I will tell you, it is not always an easy process. There have been multiple times when we have gone and there has been a woman who has a seizure because of her addiction, a woman who screams because of what she claims to be a reflex, but we are well aware that is because of her addictions. Women that argue because they are unhappy with the food or they are looked at differently by another woman. No matter what happens though, we know we are apart of God's mission to reach out to these woman and we have to look past our comfortableness and help them the best way we can. The next set of women and children that come in are the women that are apart of their program called the "Hope Center." Basically this is a 30 day program that selects 15-20 women who are serious about bettering themselves and letting go of addictions and want to get back on their feet. They go through this program to see if they can actually let go of their pasts, some succeed and unfortunately, some do not. The ones that do, however, go on to another program where they can stay for about two years. During this time they are given dressy clothing and have to find a job to pay a small rent and start to fend for themselves again. Also, they go through therapy to continue to stay away from their old addictions and take on better habits and hobbies. They also are required to go to a service every couple of days to strengthen their faith and realize that God has a plan for their lives that is so much more than the streets. What is so special about being apart of this volunteer work is that God has given us an amazing opportunity to build personal relationships with the Hope Center women. They have realized that we are not there to judge them or feel better about ourselves.  We are solely there to share the love of Christ and be a friend to them. They have allowed us to come a little early and meet them in their living room where we share the Gospel and get to know them on a more personal level. We have actually brought them goodies the past couple of times we have gone because it has been around a special occasion or holiday. For example, during December we brought them stocking with candies and bibles inside. For Valentine's Day we brought them each a red rose, cupcakes, cake pops, and a handwritten, encouraging note from a girl in our class. For our last trip we brought them Easter baskets with giant cross-shaped chocolates and a special note instead. We do this because these women need to understand that even though they have been through more than a lot of us will ever go through and they need to know that they are loved. Even though it is small, they are so incredibly thankful and usually tear up because they are feeling that sense of love and joy again like they once did. 

Feeding the homeless is not what I thought it was going to be. It has truly changed my life. Something very special that stood out to me during a service were these words, "You are not homeless, you are houseless. Your home is in Heaven and is awaiting your arrival." Those are some of the most beautiful, assuring words I have ever heard and they are so true! No matter what our circumstances are here on Earth, if you have accepted Christ into your heart, He is going to take us home. Is that not exciting or what?! We are so undeserving, but still He loves us and even more so, He wants us! If you have never worked with the homeless, I strongly encourage you to do so. They appreciate you offering up your time and love to them and you will not regret it, I promise. Participating in God's work is well worth it. 

Spread His love,