Sometimes our contribution has been small.  Andre’ had been clean and sober for 6 months when he told us that he got a new job.  We celebrated with him, and asked if there was anything he needed to help him get started.  He told us his job was at a bagel bakery and he had to get up at 3:30 in the morning.  He asked for an alarm clock. Three months later he was off the street. The last time he saw us he said that alarm clock was a job saver and a life saver for him.

In other cases, all we offered was encouragement.  Because of a series of tragic events in his life, Reggie had quit trying to make it in mainstream society.  But the encouragement of young people over the course of 2 ½ months gave him the desire to try again.  Within 6 months, he had his own place and his own car.

And there were times where we did something big.  Through Impact the Valley, we took part in rebuilding the downstairs of Donna’s house. She had used the money she planned for the renovation to survive after being diagnosed with MS and finding she could no longer work.  

I’m not saying this to boast about what TOP has done, but to give some examples of how all of us can make a difference in the lives of others.  The process is simple, but not always easy.  There are setbacks and disappointments.  People we help may keep pushing their “self-destruct buttons” or we may suffer the greater pain of letting somebody down when they really need us.  

And, yes, I could also post here a longer list of names where the outcomes have not been so positive.

Is it worth the risk of our time, resources and emotions?  Absolutely!  Every success refuels us to persevere through the trials and struggles of ministry with the poor.

And it’s not just the people we serve who are transformed.  Our volunteers experience their own transformations.  People who began as the objects of our desire to serve have become our friends.  Sometimes friends for a season and other times friends for life.

The post Forever Changed appeared first on Teens Opposing Poverty.

On our first day we saw a man, who appeared to be around 80, slowly push his walker to the area where we were serving. When he came in, the other residents greeted him as Deacon Davis. We helped him gather the few things he said he needed, and he headed back to his room.

After he left, the other residents told us that he started a prayer chapel for them and functioned as their pastor, even though he wasn’t ordained.  I was surprised when they told me he was 95, not 80 as I had guessed.  I got a chance to chat with him when he came back downstairs. What a passion for Jesus!  I was humbled.

Deacon Davis and 10 others were waiting for us when we arrived the next day. The teens impressed me by the way they turned their entire focus onto the people they served.  The time passed too quickly.

It was getting close to our time to leave, so I asked Deacon Davis to pray for the youth before we left.  We gathered around in a circle and held hands. The Deacon had to lean on his walker, so the youth on either side of him placed their hands on his.

Then he began to pray.  It was one of those prayers that makes the earth shake and sends chills up your spine.  God’s presence descended on us like the fog covering a mountaintop. I don’t remember his words, just the power behind them.  When he finished, I looked around to see if the others were as impacted as I was. They were all rubbing their arms. Several of them said “Wow!”  One said, “That was awesome!” Deacon Davis just gave us a gentle, toothless smile.

At worship that evening, the young volunteers got to share their “God sightings.”  Cody, a bright-eyed, gregarious 7^th grader, was one of the first to raise his hand.  He told about Deacon Davis’ prayer and said, “When he was praying it was like fire shot through my fingers.”

I know our young volunteers blessed the residents of Shockoe Hill Apartments through their provision of food and other needed items as well as through their presence and company. But I think most of them would tell you that, on that day, they received a lot more than they gave.

The post Fire Through My Fingers appeared first on Teens Opposing Poverty.

It’s not easy to “beat the street.”  The road to a better life is full of obstacles and setbacks.  I know dozens of people who have succeeded in moving out of the homeless life. They faced the same setbacks as others, but they never gave up.  Lots of people throw up their hands and say, “What’s the use?” but the ones who make it keep pushing forward.  When they get knocked down they pull themselves back up, scraping and clawing for any advantage they can find.

Denise and Lavelle pursued every avenue they could to find affordable housing.  They left no stone unturned. It reminded me of Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow who pestered the judge until she got her justice.  Bob (homeless for 30+ years) worked for a landscape company that paid cash under the table.  The first week his boss didn’t pay him, he left.  For the next month, he wore out a pair of shoes walking the streets, looking for a job.  Finally, he landed a good job as a plumber’s helper for a big contractor.  He still holds that job 14 years later and is still off the street.   

After reflecting on the conversations I had with these friends who have overcome homelessness, I concluded that three changes happened in their lives and in the way they saw themselves.

• Somebody believed in them.
• They believed in themselves and saw themselves worthy of a better life.
• They had something bigger than themselves to live for.

Somebody Believed in Them

People trapped in poverty too often believe they can never make it.  When they reach deep inside themselves for strength and determination, it’s not there.  They need someone outside of their peer group to look them in the eye and say, “I know you can make it.” Here is where I have seen young people shine in their ministry with the poor.  For Bob, it was Esther.  For David it was a group of girls who he came to see as his little sisters.  In my experience, this is the foundation for a new life.  It can still take years, but we can plant that seed of hope.

They Believed in Themselves

It’s sad and frustrating to see someone so close to making it off the street they can touch it, only to push their self-destruct buttons and fall back into homelessness.  Rob, who was just two weeks from a new job and a new life, succumbed to the temptation to revert back to drugs.  A few weeks later he told me this: “I gotta start seeing myself the way you all see me.  I’m a good guy.  I deserve better.  I guess I just haven’t believed that yet.” At some point, homeless people need to “own” the words of encouragement they get from others.  Once they believe that they are worthy of success, they have taken a huge step toward a better life.

They Had Something Bigger than Themselves to Live For

It’s important to have a compelling reason to push through the disappointments and setbacks the homeless experience as they work to beat the street.  That “something bigger” can be a significant other, children, or grandchildren.  But for most of the homeless people I know who have made it, that something bigger was Jesus.  When Jesus defined His own ministry with the poor, it was to preach the Good News.  We should take every opportunity to follow His example and introduce people to the One who can pull them through those times of discouragement and disappointment.

Building on the Foundation

Once the foundation of these three essentials is in place, we can build on it to overcome the other obstacles poor and homeless people face: lack of education, life skills, interpersonal skills, job skills and work ethic, as well as entitlement mentality and addictions.  But that’s a topic for another day.

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