So i started working at st francis homeless shelter a couple weeks ago. Its a day shelter which provides breakfast and dinner to roughly 500 people at both meals. Besides feeding the "guests" as we call the homeless peeps, st francis provides mental health care, clothes for interviews, and rehab programs. The motto is "homelessness is not an identity, its an experience."
I work in the kitchen mostly, so i cook, and serve food, and clean up crap, and basically get to BS with the guests, and the staff all day. A lot of the staff are paid (alot of them came up through the work programs at st francis) but the majority are volunteers. Within the volunteer staff most are there to either fulfill a college requirment, or because community service was court ordered...yup were a first rate staff. Also there are two mormons, who are on their mission...if u dont know what that is, look it up its pretty interesting stuff...they tell me that a certain Mr. smith was telling the truth, but i think ill just stick with jesus...he seems pretty legit.
Anyways, i was working there the other day, and a "guest" was eating in the cafeteria, and made fart noises. i ignored him, as did the other guests...then he did it again, and pointed to the guy next to him. this got some laughs from me and others as well. the he said this "ya know when you got nothing, u either gotta laugh or cry...i think im gunna laugh. You guys say this is just an experience right? temporary right? yea, i think im gunna laugh about it, thats all i can do."
I don't like that people have only two options, either cry...or laugh...but i commend him for laughing, because u can be damn sure that my christian ass would be crying if i was homeless. wasn't jesus homeless? hmmm...
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3 comments:
Man... we need to catch up. Simmons Christian Fellowship is kicking off "Jesus Was Homeless" month next Thursday. I'd love for you to come to some of our events. And we're having a coat & blanket drive at the end of the month, I think for St. Francis House.
mike, i love you buddy. i'm glad you blog too and you finally told me you read my junk. i volunteer at union gospel mission here too. by the way, i'm reading irresistable revolution. i think i'll move to boston and you and i should live in the hood. how bout it?
you need to watch "brother sun, sister moon".. it's a hippie movie about st. francis. would you be surprised it's one of my favorite movies? really, go hunt it down and watch it.
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