Our Shari Prestemon Social Justice Interns have graciously agreed to share some of their journal entries so that you can hear about the experience they’re having at Back Bay Mission! You can read a journal entry by Bethany Beaver below.
How can one explain the feeling that exists down here? Mr. Brown describes it as “Holy Ground.” He says it is the place where you can do the things you hear preached in church. Mr. Washington states that if you leave here without being changed, there is something wrong with you.
And you will hear similar statements from almost all of the staff and volunteers here at Back Bay Mission. The truth resonates among them all.
During my time here thus far, I have been to community meetings, helped at the Micah Center (the day center for the homeless), assisted in the food pantry, and sat in for personal interviews for the downtrodden.
One afternoon during the first week, Diarra and I were being orientated at the food pantry by Jill. Jill is a lovely lady with a compassionate heart and heads many aspect of Back Bay. During this time, a guest came in (they do not call them clients or customers). She was a young women, who looked worn by life. She had three children with her and a fiancé. She said she was laid off and the landlord had kicked them out. They had had to call the police just to get their cat out of the apartment. She barely got her story out before she started to sob. Jill quickly handed her tissues and offered her all she could. We then ran back to the pantry and filled a bag with the food that is designated for the homeless. When I came back to hand them the bags, the daughter, who could not have been more than 5, told me thank you. I could not believe how old her eyes looked. This was a child who should be outside playing and laughing. Yet, she was standing outside Back Bay Mission, trying to be strong for her younger two siblings. It was heartbreaking.
Once we returned, I asked Jill how she did it. There was so much emotional strain involved in this profession. She told me that one does not really get used to it. She always wishes she could do more and at times she is unable to deal with the strain. Sometimes she finds herself crying on the way home. It was in that moment that Jill gave us privilege to the story of a young man that she met some four years ago.
It had been early one frosty winter morning and she had just arrived at work. She noticed a young man, 17 years old, sleeping on the bench outside the mission. She brought him inside to warm up and gave him some juice. He told her that he had moved down here with his girlfriend. She had kicked him out of the house the moment she broke up with him because she had found a new man. He confessed that he just wanted to get back home. Home was in Pennsylvania. So Jill bought the bus ticket, had a staff member drive him to the bus stop, and called home to tell them that he was coming home. It was not two weeks later that Jill received a phone call. It was the boy’s mother.
“You saved my son’s,” The mother sobbed into the phone, “He had been on the streets for days and he would be gone today if not for you. Thank you.”
Jill finished her story with tears in her eyes. The ghost of the memory was still able to move her. I suppose that is a way to exemplify the staff here at Back Bay Mission. I can honestly say that they are miracle workers. I am honored to be working with them this summer.
