How a Water Bottle & a Dash of Reality Changed My Heart
This week, it’s an honor to guest blog for Austin Catholic New Media about my children’s week at Mobile Loaves & Fishes Camp. My heart was changed and that just wasn’t on my agenda…
You see, before last week, my heart was heavy for the homeless, but incredibly guarded.
I judged them. Hard.
If I gave them money, they would probably use it on drugs.
Why couldn’t they be more productive with their time and find a job, instead of standing on a street corner?
Oh, that guy probably has his BMW parked around the corner. He’s just panhandling because he doesn’t want to pay the IRS any taxes.
Is that woman really a single mom with no support?
With great shame, I admit I have thought them all. In some twisted, horrible, unloving spirit I thought I was better than they were. I have a husband, two cars, steady income and a van filled with children. That would never be me on the corner. Or would it?
To read the rest of my post, visit ACNM.
What an amazing ministry! God bless you for participating. I’m afraid I have the same view of the homeless as you started out with. Thank you for opening my eyes!
Love you,
V
Thanks for sharing this camp! I had no idea it existed and would be very interested in it! Another homeless ministry that is nearby is Bags of Grace (http://bagsofgrace.org/), which focusses on making and distributing “survival bags” to the homeless and those with signs on the street corners. We’re able to purchase these “homeless survival kits” pre-made from a supply kept at our church so we can keep them in our car. Thanks for all you do, Kathryn!
I went to college at Cal (didnt Cal get creamed by UT a few years ago in a bowl game???) which is of course in Berkeley and Berkeley has a super huge homeless population. While we were in college, my roommate, who is still a dear friend, and another friend of hers opened up a service at their church which was near campus to minister to the homeless. They collected donations of clean socks, soaps, and other OTC medicines for feet, and every Thursday night they invited the homeless to have a seat and these two women washed their feet and gave them a clean pair of socks. Those are some super gross feet, you know? It’s still as mind blowing to me now as it was 15 years ago.