I Knew You Before
When you know someone, at a specific time in your life, you never think about where that person will be in 10 plus years. You may never think about where you will be in 10 years either. I don't mean your good friends, those you plan your wedding with, and decorate your daughters' dorm room with (14 years early). It's the people who come in and out of your life for a season. As an adult, these seasonal friends usually are work related or in an old neighborhood where you lived once.
Mr. and I work with a ministry that assists homeless families. The families stay nights, one week at a time, in area churches, while during the day, they continue to work, go to school or job hunt. Requirements are strict and the program is only available to families with children at home. We have been a part of this ministry for almost 5 years now. We began staying one night during a neighboring church's "week". The first night we stayed, we brought both kids with us and they were under two at the time; we stayed about 4 more times over the next year or two. The church down the street is of Gothic design so the kids thought we were staying in a castle. Even today when we drive past that church they ask when we can stay again in the castle. Soon our church's remodeling project was complete and we came on board as a host church. About three times a year our church will host the families in the program. I coordinate the volunteers for the week and usually have a break down at least once in the weeks leading up to their stay. Filling all the volunteer slots can be a wee bit stressful! But every time, when the families arrive that Sunday evening, I am reminded why I do this, should do this. This Sunday I had the privilege of listening to two of the mothers in the program talk with each other about what God is doing in their lives and wondering what He is trying to teach them through this process (of homelessness).
The four of us stayed last night. Son and daughter had asked me everyday this week, "is tonight the night we get to sleep at church?" Needless to say, they were wound up and running around like crazy. They love going. Ab-so-lute-ly love it. It took forever to get them to fall asleep and we are all dragging this morning. But last night was a little different for me. As I was in the kitchen putting dinner together for everyone, one of the mom's came in that I had not seen the previous Sunday, and after about a minute, I realized we used to work together. It was about 11 or 12 years ago. We spent the remainder of the evening catching up and asking the "have you seen so and so?" question. But this morning, after we got home and I had my own coffee. Unloaded my own dishes from my own dishwasher. Folded my own towels, I thought. I never would have imagined anyone I knew could become homeless.
Luke 10:27-37
27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’[a] and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”[b]
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed,[c] he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Mr. and I work with a ministry that assists homeless families. The families stay nights, one week at a time, in area churches, while during the day, they continue to work, go to school or job hunt. Requirements are strict and the program is only available to families with children at home. We have been a part of this ministry for almost 5 years now. We began staying one night during a neighboring church's "week". The first night we stayed, we brought both kids with us and they were under two at the time; we stayed about 4 more times over the next year or two. The church down the street is of Gothic design so the kids thought we were staying in a castle. Even today when we drive past that church they ask when we can stay again in the castle. Soon our church's remodeling project was complete and we came on board as a host church. About three times a year our church will host the families in the program. I coordinate the volunteers for the week and usually have a break down at least once in the weeks leading up to their stay. Filling all the volunteer slots can be a wee bit stressful! But every time, when the families arrive that Sunday evening, I am reminded why I do this, should do this. This Sunday I had the privilege of listening to two of the mothers in the program talk with each other about what God is doing in their lives and wondering what He is trying to teach them through this process (of homelessness).
The four of us stayed last night. Son and daughter had asked me everyday this week, "is tonight the night we get to sleep at church?" Needless to say, they were wound up and running around like crazy. They love going. Ab-so-lute-ly love it. It took forever to get them to fall asleep and we are all dragging this morning. But last night was a little different for me. As I was in the kitchen putting dinner together for everyone, one of the mom's came in that I had not seen the previous Sunday, and after about a minute, I realized we used to work together. It was about 11 or 12 years ago. We spent the remainder of the evening catching up and asking the "have you seen so and so?" question. But this morning, after we got home and I had my own coffee. Unloaded my own dishes from my own dishwasher. Folded my own towels, I thought. I never would have imagined anyone I knew could become homeless.
Luke 10:27-37
27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’[a] and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”[b]
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed,[c] he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
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