November 2025 marks 38 years since I took a group of youth into Washington DC for our first “TOP Trip”. I know we have impacted some (I hope many) lives through our ministries through The Street, Impact the Valley, and senior ministry throughout the years. We have opened the eyes of our volunteers to another side of life. And we gave them an opportunity to make a difference in their world.
But I hope you’ll indulge me because I’d like to share the impact TOP has had on me.
From that first trip to 15th Street and Constitution Avenue on a chilly fall evening, I was forever changed. We had no idea what we were doing so we talked with people and learned their stories. I learned that everyone’s story is unique. There are common themes such as drug addiction and mental illness, but even those situations have a unique twist.
I have seen miracles of God’s provision, deliverance from addictions, and people climbing out of abject poverty. I have also seen beautiful connections between youth and the people they served. Some of those connections were life changing. Some of the people who got off the street credit those relationships with being a key element in their journeys out of homelessness.
But it hasn’t all been rosy outcomes. Many of my friends on the street have died, often needlessly, because they couldn’t escape the trap of addiction. George had started receiving Social Security and was waiting to get into housing for seniors. One night he drank too much, got out of his sleeping bag, fell back to sleep, and died of hypothermia. More recently, my friend, Ron, succumbed to pancreatic cancer just a year after he got off the street . He had waited 21 years to get a housing voucher.
Sadly, many addicts never overcome their addictions. Other people have given in to the street and lost their will to strive for a better life. Many of those who suffer from mental illness continue to wander, lost to the rest of the world.
Sometimes I have feared my exposure to the hopelessness and despair would make me jaded. There is a fine line between apathy and the emotional detachment that is necessary to function in this ministry. But, so far, the compassion has never left. I have been exhausted after spending time with someone going through a crisis. If I wasn’t grounded in Jesus, and didn’t have the strength that comes from the Holy Spirit, I don’t think I could handle it very well.
So what have I learned?
Through nearly four decades with TOP, I have learned to lean on God, to be grateful for all that I have, to embrace and love a simple life, and to face challenges knowing that I don’t have to face them alone. God is always with me, even when my faith falters.
I have also learned to receive as well as give. When the low income people we serve want to donate to TOP or share their resources with others through us, I gratefully accept. That wasn’t always the case. But I came to realize that the joy of giving is an important component of human dignity.
Lastly, I learned to trust God through the faithfulness of our donors. Time and time again, I looked at the end of the year and wondered how we would make ends meet. And every one of those times, they came through. We have been blessed beyond measure. Through lean years, the pandemic, and more challenges than I can count they have been there for us. Their support means more than just keeping the doors open. It spurs me, our board, and staff to do our best in carrying out the mission to make a difference for “the least of these” and the youth who serve them.
At the beginning of The Hobbit, Gandalf tells Bilbo that if he returns to Bag End from his journey, he won’t be the same. After this 38-year journey, I’m not the same either.
