God finally provided a snow free day to have our Christmas Party/Outreach!! It was totally worth the wait.
After we filled our bellies and assembled the kits (blankets, tissues, chapstick, hand lotion) it was time to head for the shelter. Before we left we were given instructions to pair up with a friend, but at least one of us had to be comfortable praying out loud. As we drove some of the younger guys expressed their concerns about what was expected of them. They weren't sure what they were going to say to these women, or how they could pray for them. I told them that many of the women may just want you to listen. God had been laying that on my heart for sometime so I made sure I shared that with the guys. I encouraged them to take some time on the way there to pray that God would give them the words to speak and the ears to listen.
When we arrived, there were already some women waiting at the shelter. It was a little awkward at first. The women were standing in line and our group of about 40 were standing at the other end of the parking lot. Once the doors were opened the women filed inside and signed in for the evening. We followed close behind them. We were told to ask for Brian, but to our surprise he had no idea our group was coming. The bad news doesn't stop here.....because it was a women's shelter, men were not allowed into the "sleeping area". What a bummer right? Kelly explained to Brian that our idea had already been approved by the board and we were really excited to be there. Thankfully there was a "common area" that we could invite the ladies to join us...men included! Brian did warn us that most of the ladies have a routine and he wasn't sure how many would be willing to come down and fellowship with us. Kelly, Nichelle, Kara and I took a deep breath and headed upstairs to invite the ladies to join us. Kelly made an announcement saying that we had a few things down stair that we would like to give to them and that we would love to spend some time with them as well. To our surprise about 7 ladies marched right up. The first thing they asked was "can we sing"? If you know me at all you know I enjoy music...that question made me smile, inside and out! We went down to the rest of the group and sang for about 15 or 20 min then everyone kind of did their own thing. I was blessed to talk with two women, Tracy and Chakira who was from Montego Bay, Jamaica! :D
Chakira enjoyed singing gospel music, writing poems and beat boxing...she was a real entertainer! When I asked her how I could pray for her this was her response, "I want to be able to use my voice". WOW! This beautiful girl had very little but the one thing she valued most (her voice) she wanted to use to glorify God! What a good lesson for all of us.
The second lady I spoke with was Tracy. I could tell that she was kind of like the mother of the group. Earlier in the evening two of the girls were arguing and started to get a little physical. Tracy told them to stop and they listened to right away. She later told me that everyone in the shelter called her mom. My heart was saddened as I listened to her story. She had just become homeless in the last month, her current husband was staying at a men's shelter and she was the mother of 6 children none of whom were with her. She asked me to pray for her family and her housing situation. In the next couple weeks she was going to be getting an apartment through a housing agency.
I praise God for the women in that shelter. It was such a blessing to spend an evening with them. Everyone really does have a story to tell.....we just need to be willing to listen.
