The More You Give The More You Get
People have preconceived ideas about homelessness. I did, too...until it happened to me.
That's why it's refreshing to see people are not part of the homeless community meet up with those who are.
A childhood classmate of mine, Eva, and her husband, Kevin, were volunteers at an event to help the homeless. It took place last weekend at the Cary Methodist Church, a far northwest suburb of Chicago.
Here's Kevin's thoughts as he was getting ready for the event, followed by his photos.
Homelessness is a terrible thing to happen to you. Tonight my wife and I are helping at Cary Methodist Church, with the PADS organization. Please consider a donation or volunteer in the community close to you. At least say a few extra words in your prayers this evening.
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After seeing his photos, one of his Facebook friends responded, Thank you for posting this. I'll think twice the next time I open my mouth to complain about anything.
Sunday morning I heard from Eva. She recalled that I was working on a project about homelessness but didn't know my story. I sent her a copy of my original piece of this series and she responded by telling me her about her experience and feelings of what happened the night before.
The church in my neighborhood put on a 5 star dinner tonight for the homeless people that was cooked by volunteer chefs, served by high school students and adult volunteers. A DJ was also provided. My husband and I helped set up beds and decorate the upstairs with lights.The room looked like a banquet room and if I didn't know better I wouldn't have been able to tell it was a homeless shelter for the night. We left before the "guests" came but went back to see how they reacted. I was so surprised to see how well groomed and mannered most of the these homeless people were. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw the volunteers and them dancing. It truly was a moving experience.
There are times when you are doing work for the less fortunate that you get more out of the experience than the people you're helping. It's pretty apparent this is one of those times for both of them.
I love these types of stories. It so much better than the depressing stuff I normally write. If you have one, send it on! Until then you can read more of these at Faces of Homelessness.
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