As I start each week I sit and contemplate on how this past week has changed me or given me new knowledge. Every week I think of different things and the impact it’s already made in my life and in others. I think about the small conversations I’ve had with people that may have only lasted five minutes, but made a difference in my day and hopefully in their day as well. A conversation in particular is a guy I met down at the beach who used to get services from the Micah Day Center, but now has his own place and can buy his own food. He talked with such pride and dignity for himself that it uplifted me. We had such a great conversation and even shared a few laughs with him. That’s exactly what the Micah Day Center stands for “do justice, love kindness, walk humbly” and this means everywhere you go and not just when you step in the doors at Back Bay Mission or church on Sunday. He told me how great it was that I would sit and talk with him and I just sat there and wondered how many people who have a story to tell or just want to talk with someone, but there is no one to listen to them.
Imagine a world where every person is valued and everyone has a voice. All of us have a story to tell, but some never get the chance to tell it or no one listens to them. I want to be the one who can listen, understand, empathize and speak up for those who aren’t being heard. If there were a chance for that person to be heard, I would step aside so that they can speak. There are many injustices on this earth that go on everyday and to many problems that are pushed aside or society tries to put a Band-Aid over the real issue. Homelessness is definitely one of those social issues that is overlooked and misunderstood. I’ve always believed that people who are homeless have a story to tell, but I never quite understood why they were in that predicament and wasn’t it just a ‘quick fix’.
Being at Back Bay Mission has shown me that the people who are homeless have many hoops to jump through before they can reach their destination. Me giving them a few dollars on the street is not the solution or buying them a meal. These items are kind and generous, but it takes more than that to be self-sufficient. Being homeless can take away your pride, self worth and confidence because you have to depend on others to help you. Here are Back Bay Mission they try to give them that sense of pride, self worth, and confidence back in many ways. One is by having a client choice food pantry where the client can choose their own food for their family. This allows them to make choices for themselves and their family and this gives them pride. This won’t solve all the issues, but it sure does help.
