It was a beautiful night last night, and please don't believe those who would say otherwise. I was given the opportunity to sleep under the stars, although I don't know if there were any. You see, I was sleeping in a shadow to avoid getting caught by campus safety.
Simple Living is beginning this new semester with a bang and some action. A group of seven students is embarking on a trip toward empathy with the homeless. This includes sleeping outside, having to ask for meals, going without personal items that won't fit into a single backpack, all while still being an active college student. It will be an interesting week which will conclude by visiting and potentially volunteering at the local Center for the Homeless.
More thoughts will come later. May the peace of the creator be with you this week.
Showing posts with label homelessness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homelessness. Show all posts
Monday, January 14, 2008
Friday, June 29, 2007
The Vine House
At the end of the street where I live this summer is the Vine House. It serves as a ministry to the homeless on our side of the city, the Westside. On Monday and Wednesday, people can come for a time of fellowship and breakfast. It's a good ministry and I enjoy volunterring. The woman who is in charge of the Vine House and I have had some great conversations about the mindset of the homeless. If I get the chance to go to LA, I'd like to visit the Dream Center and see what services they offer the homeless as well.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
School Newspaper Article
Jesus Wrecked My Life
South Shore Train tickets: $18.00
Chicago Transit 7-Day pass: $20.00
Housing before and after: $10.00
Walking in someone else’s shoes: definitely a God-thing
Sometimes being a Christian just doesn’t make sense. It’s not logical. And we’re called to experience things that aren’t a trip down sunshine lane. For most students, spring break is a time of rest, relaxation, and warm weather. However, I was compelled to something different. For me, spring break was spent in Chicago…homeless. One may ask “Why on earth would you want to experience homelessness?”
That’s a good question. Last semester, Wheaton in Chicago (my study “aboard” program) students read From Brokenness to Communion. In his lecture, Jean Vanier defined communion as two-fold. The first half of his definition for communion is “to be with someone and to discover that we actually belong together” (16). The second half of communion is “to walk with them” (16).
Since returning to campus, these concepts continued to intrigue and pursue me. For me to only possess sympathy for another’s condition wasn’t good enough anymore; God had bigger plans. He challenged me to empathize with my fellowman, my brothers and sisters of the human race. He challenged me to desire to care on a much deeper level for the overlooked, the marginalized, the forgotten, and the outcasts.
He challenged my outlook of urban ministry from a one-way attitude of “help [us] bring Jesus to the people we are serving” to one of partnership. I was given the belief that ministry happens with people, not to them. It shouldn’t be a “minister to others” type of thing but a “ministry with others” type of thing.
So, why did I spend spring break experiencing homelessness? Because I believe communion happens when you are you and I am me, and we decide to walk alongside each other. God prompted me to walk alongside my homeless brothers and sisters. And I said “Yes.”
As I engaged in the homeless community by living in an overnight shelter, the layers of misconceptions and myths came falling down. One of the most obvious misconceptions is that homeless people look a certain way or have a certain appearance. They don’t; they dress just like you and me sometimes in name brand and sometimes not. Another misconception is that homeless people smell bad or are dirty. This misconception is true of those who drink or smoke heavily. However, the overnight shelter where I stayed required that the women shower at least every other day.
A third myth is that homeless people are lazy. Not true. One of the women at the shelter was my age and studying to get her GED. She aspires to be a hygienist. Another is turning her life around and starting new. Three of the women are currently employed and saving to be able to afford their own place. A number of the women have case managers and are learning the skills needed to get hired for a decent paying job.
The women I came to know over a week’s time have goals and aspirations not that different from you and me. The woman studying to complete her GED to become a hygienist has been alone since the age of 17. She had lived in Chicago before with her mother until her mother left her. She moved to Georgia to have a fresh start and things didn’t work out; so she is back in Chicago trying to get back on her feet.
The second woman I encountered came to know Christ as her savior and he is why she is making a new start. She was a drug addict, alcohol drinking, prostitute who bore six children. None of her children live with her; they’ve all been adopted and one day, she wants to reconnect with them. Her hope and faith in Christ is what gets her through each day and gives her hope for the future.
A third woman and her husband became homeless after he lost his job. Because they are an older couple, it was difficult for him to find another job. So, they moved from Kansas City to Chicago because it offers a better opportunity and assistance to help them back onto their feet. He is getting assistance finding a job while she is working to gain access to low-income housing.
These are the faces and people I found behind this issue we call homelessness. These are the stories and lives that touched my own for a week. These are the women who showed me how many luxuries I take for granted on a daily basis: a place to call my own, a comfy bed with oversized pillow, a refrigerator full of food, a warm shower that can last more than ten minutes long. I went to Chicago to experience someone else’s condition and in the end, I discovered my own.
South Shore Train tickets: $18.00
Chicago Transit 7-Day pass: $20.00
Housing before and after: $10.00
Walking in someone else’s shoes: definitely a God-thing
Sometimes being a Christian just doesn’t make sense. It’s not logical. And we’re called to experience things that aren’t a trip down sunshine lane. For most students, spring break is a time of rest, relaxation, and warm weather. However, I was compelled to something different. For me, spring break was spent in Chicago…homeless. One may ask “Why on earth would you want to experience homelessness?”
That’s a good question. Last semester, Wheaton in Chicago (my study “aboard” program) students read From Brokenness to Communion. In his lecture, Jean Vanier defined communion as two-fold. The first half of his definition for communion is “to be with someone and to discover that we actually belong together” (16). The second half of communion is “to walk with them” (16).
Since returning to campus, these concepts continued to intrigue and pursue me. For me to only possess sympathy for another’s condition wasn’t good enough anymore; God had bigger plans. He challenged me to empathize with my fellowman, my brothers and sisters of the human race. He challenged me to desire to care on a much deeper level for the overlooked, the marginalized, the forgotten, and the outcasts.
He challenged my outlook of urban ministry from a one-way attitude of “help [us] bring Jesus to the people we are serving” to one of partnership. I was given the belief that ministry happens with people, not to them. It shouldn’t be a “minister to others” type of thing but a “ministry with others” type of thing.
So, why did I spend spring break experiencing homelessness? Because I believe communion happens when you are you and I am me, and we decide to walk alongside each other. God prompted me to walk alongside my homeless brothers and sisters. And I said “Yes.”
As I engaged in the homeless community by living in an overnight shelter, the layers of misconceptions and myths came falling down. One of the most obvious misconceptions is that homeless people look a certain way or have a certain appearance. They don’t; they dress just like you and me sometimes in name brand and sometimes not. Another misconception is that homeless people smell bad or are dirty. This misconception is true of those who drink or smoke heavily. However, the overnight shelter where I stayed required that the women shower at least every other day.
A third myth is that homeless people are lazy. Not true. One of the women at the shelter was my age and studying to get her GED. She aspires to be a hygienist. Another is turning her life around and starting new. Three of the women are currently employed and saving to be able to afford their own place. A number of the women have case managers and are learning the skills needed to get hired for a decent paying job.
The women I came to know over a week’s time have goals and aspirations not that different from you and me. The woman studying to complete her GED to become a hygienist has been alone since the age of 17. She had lived in Chicago before with her mother until her mother left her. She moved to Georgia to have a fresh start and things didn’t work out; so she is back in Chicago trying to get back on her feet.
The second woman I encountered came to know Christ as her savior and he is why she is making a new start. She was a drug addict, alcohol drinking, prostitute who bore six children. None of her children live with her; they’ve all been adopted and one day, she wants to reconnect with them. Her hope and faith in Christ is what gets her through each day and gives her hope for the future.
A third woman and her husband became homeless after he lost his job. Because they are an older couple, it was difficult for him to find another job. So, they moved from Kansas City to Chicago because it offers a better opportunity and assistance to help them back onto their feet. He is getting assistance finding a job while she is working to gain access to low-income housing.
These are the faces and people I found behind this issue we call homelessness. These are the stories and lives that touched my own for a week. These are the women who showed me how many luxuries I take for granted on a daily basis: a place to call my own, a comfy bed with oversized pillow, a refrigerator full of food, a warm shower that can last more than ten minutes long. I went to Chicago to experience someone else’s condition and in the end, I discovered my own.
Monday, March 5, 2007
LINK Program
While in Chicago, March 1st was a day of enthusiasm for the women at the shelter. Some were going to get a check on that day and some would get LINK. Back in the luxury of free internet access, I researched what LINK is and how it is used.
"The Illinois LINK card allows food stamp recipients to receive this benefit electronically, via the use of a card that looks like a credit card as pictured on the left. Every month a pre-set amount of funds are available to the eligible individual or family via the Illinois LINK card.
Getting access to the funds is similar to the way someone uses a credit card or ATM card. The Illinois LINK card holder swipes the card through a machine at the grocery store and enters his or her PIN (personal identification number). As the LINK card is used, the amount of the purchase spent on food is deducted from the card holder’s account. Of course the purchasing limit of the Illinois LINK card is the amount of credit available in the card holder’s account.
There are benefits to this system including the money saved by eliminating paper food stamp coupons. There also may be some real benefits to the LINK card recipient such as no more lost or stolen food stamps (of course recipients will have to keep the card safe). Also, since every recipient has their own personal identification number, it should make unauthorized use of LINK card more difficult.
Many senior adults have been very reluctant or have downright refused to use paper food stamp coupons because of embarrassment even though they are in need of the benefits. The Illinois LINK card should help alleviate this embarrassment as the LINK card is a more low profile way to use benefits.
Every time the account is used, the recipient gets a receipt which lists the amount left in the recipient’s LINK card account and a there is a toll-free number that recipients can use to check their account balance." - http://egyptianaaa.org/IllinoisIL-Link.htm
"The Illinois LINK card allows food stamp recipients to receive this benefit electronically, via the use of a card that looks like a credit card as pictured on the left. Every month a pre-set amount of funds are available to the eligible individual or family via the Illinois LINK card.
Getting access to the funds is similar to the way someone uses a credit card or ATM card. The Illinois LINK card holder swipes the card through a machine at the grocery store and enters his or her PIN (personal identification number). As the LINK card is used, the amount of the purchase spent on food is deducted from the card holder’s account. Of course the purchasing limit of the Illinois LINK card is the amount of credit available in the card holder’s account.
There are benefits to this system including the money saved by eliminating paper food stamp coupons. There also may be some real benefits to the LINK card recipient such as no more lost or stolen food stamps (of course recipients will have to keep the card safe). Also, since every recipient has their own personal identification number, it should make unauthorized use of LINK card more difficult.
Many senior adults have been very reluctant or have downright refused to use paper food stamp coupons because of embarrassment even though they are in need of the benefits. The Illinois LINK card should help alleviate this embarrassment as the LINK card is a more low profile way to use benefits.
Every time the account is used, the recipient gets a receipt which lists the amount left in the recipient’s LINK card account and a there is a toll-free number that recipients can use to check their account balance." - http://egyptianaaa.org/IllinoisIL-Link.htm
Friday, March 2, 2007
Skewed View of Homeless
It's shocking the views these young people have of homeless people. Where did they learn these distorted things? How can you and I combat the ignorance?
Friday, February 23, 2007
Spring Break
Spring break is officially upon us at my small school. Florida seems to be the destination of choice students said when asked their spring break plans. If not Florida, most are working at home or near school. Unlike my colleagues, a good friend and I are spending spring break differently. To empathize with our fellowman and better understand them as people, we're going to a nearby city to experience homelessness.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Homelessness
Growing up in a small conservative community, I was taught that homelessness was the result of bad decisions. Circumstances or hard times may have contributed to a person's homelessness, but ultimately, it was choice. After doing research and "broadening my horizon", I would have to disagree with my upbringing. Homelessness could be the result of a layoff or huge credit card debit or student loans. Homelessness could be a choice (http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com/). Homelessness could be the result of mindset and a vicious cycle. And that is what I would argue. It's mindset. A good percentage of the homeless may be victims of mindset. They could have been raised in poverty and it's the only thing they know. They could have fallen on hard times, wanted to pick themselves up, and just never had the opportunity. And once you've been down for a while, it's much more difficult to have the desire and want to "pick yourself up by your own bootstraps". Hence, my theory of the vicious cycle.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
