A Challenge yet Greatly Rewarding

My day begins with me waking up with ample time to get some prayer in before I head to work. My day at the men’s shelter may look different from day to day. In general, I have work to complete on the computer which may be updating attendance, inputting intake paperwork, or typing up incident reports. When I am not on the computer, I help out wherever I can around the shelter whether that is in the security booth or in the kitchen. I also help to bring in and sort donations which may be clothes, toiletries, or food items. After I get off work, I get ready to prepare dinner if it is my day to cook. If not, I use the time to pray, read, and relax. After we have dinner, we have prayer and usually spend some time together whether it is watching a movie, playing board games, or just hanging out and talking.

My experience at the shelter has been definitely impactful. It is eye-opening to see the experiences of people living with substance abuse, physical/ mental health challenges, and/or fleeing domestic situations just to name a few. It’s a challenge to bear witness to people in those circumstances knowing that I cannot magically make their problems disappear. But doing what is in my power to lighten people’s burdens, has been greatly rewarding. This can take the form of simply being present to whoever is in front of me, lending a listening ear, or offering a smile. In doing so, I have had the pleasure of forming a community with not only those that I serve but those I serve alongside. It’s inspiring for me to see how much my coworkers care about the guys and their commitment to serving them as a whole person. In addition to my coworkers, I am similarly moved by Alli, Lucy, Paige, and RaeAnn in their dedication to their service sites. I am tremendously grateful to have the support of the FC community because in sharing our challenges and our triumphs together we get to learn from each other’s experiences so that we can better minister to those we serve.

Categories: General

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