a beautiful mess

there are moments in our life we never forget

to list a few

-the day my sister was born

-the day my second sister was born

-the day I graduated high school

-the day I packed my room and moved to Montgomery

-the time I moved back home

-the time I got my cat Joey

-the first time I flew in a plane

-the first time I signed up for my mission trip

-the first time I walked into an orphanage

-the first time Joseani held my hand

-the time I flew by myself

-the first time I felt the holy spirit

-the moment that I walked into a homeless shelter

It was this past Wednesday, it was in my hometown and it housed nearly 70 residents. I talked to the director and set up a tour with the associate pastor at my church and we were on the way. In my mind, I was just going into a local business to see how things are ran, but what I was really walking into was what seemed to be an orphanage for adults... in the united states. We walked in to the first room to see multiple bunk beds that lined the walls. I listened intently to the director explain about how things are ran, how they have rules that they must follow, how during the day the residents cannot be in their beds, how they must pass drug test, how they must be trying to get a job etc. 

That was the first building which was the mens dorms, next was the ladies dorm and with that of course comes the chance of  kiddos... I asked if their were families that lived on the facility and he proceed to tell me about the families that did in fact live there and then we were shown their rooms--

we entered the building with the rooms for the families, it was all clean, quaint, but I still felt something stirring inside. He showed us an unoccupied room with 5 cots in a tiny bedroom and told us that there was a lady coming in with 5 children coming in that night-- my heart sunk. 

There I was standing in a room with 5 cots in one tiny bedroom waiting to be occupied by a family, by a mother who fears, by kiddos who have no clue, by tears, by memories, by laughter, by life. This wasn't just a thought for the moment, this is a moment that I have been stuck on

since seeing the bedroom.

being in that bedroom in that homeless shelter wasnt her dream growing up, it wasnt part of her plan but somewhere and somehow she got here and not by herself, but with 5 children, 5 other lives that she is in charge of. I do not know the lady moving in, I do not know her story, I have never met her or her children, but her Father has. Her Father knows her story and no matter how wild her story may or may not be He does not love her any less. He values her and her 5 precious children just as much as He did the day each of them were born.  && that is what makes her life so beautiful.

I am not sure how to end this entry. I have thought of catchy things to say, but none of them are seeming to fit. So I am going to end it with a thought and a prayer for each of you reading-- Jesus, break our heart for what breaks yours, show us what we can do daily to help someone in need, even if that is just a smile, show us ways to help lift people up, let us love people like you love them and not judge them by their past, let us not see their living situation but let us see their living potential. Let us be your hands and feet in our own community. Let us, as your children, love like you taught us to love. Let us be bold in who you created us to be. 

Thank you for reading. A challenge I am going to leave you with: get out there and plug yourself into an outreach program. Its needed more than we realize.