Small things mean a lot - Ryann

Today the group that I am in (along with Tim, Adri, Chloe, Grant, Jonah, and Britney) went and painted a house for an elderly woman who has a very low income. Normally when volunteers do this, the homeowner is home and knows that their house is being painted that day. This was a different situation however because the woman didn't know that we would be painting her house today. When she got home from running errands, she told us that us painting her house was the best surprise she had ever gotten in her life. It was a great feeling to know just how much one day of painting could mean to someone. We take so much for granted and don't often realize that having fresh paint on a house could mean so much to someone.

For our evening activity, we went to a park and listened to a guest speaker named Janice who told us her story. Janice had a good childhood up until the age of 14. She grew up in a good Christian home and went to church with her family every Sunday. When she was 14, her mother got cancer and soon died leaving Janice with her father. He became very abusive both mentally and physically and eventually kicked Janice out of the house. She became homeless at age 16 and had to live in her car. Her friends parents wouldn't let her stay at their houses because they didn't like the fact that she was homeless. After working for six months, she was able to save enough money to get an apartment and treasured just having a couch to sleep on. She was so happy to have a home. After working a few more years, she was able to rent a five bedroom house and couldn't believe she had an actual house to live in. The landlord was very kind to her and told her that she would never have to worry about being evicted. When the landlord got sick, his daughter took over the house and gave Janice a 30 day eviction notice, making her homeless once again. Janice never saw it coming and had done nothing wrong to be evicted--she had lived in the same house for 28 years! She had given up on God for a while during her homelessness and her struggles, but He was always there. This time while she was homeless, she started attending St. James Presbyterian Church, which is where we are staying. She only told one person she was homeless because she knew what people thought about homeless people. Once she found a small home should could afford to rent, she told more people her story.

Janice's message to us was that there are some people that chose to be homeless and put drugs and alcohol as a higher priority than a house, but most homeless people don't want to be in that situation. People often say that homeless people should get a job and then they could be off the streets, but that doesn't always work. Sometimes being homeless happens to people who "haven't done anything wrong". Next time you see someone who is homeless, smile at them. It could mean more to them than you may think.

Ryann