HE HAS SHELTER: Today, Johnny and I made our way downtown to engage people experiencing homelessness and to see how we could serve them in this cold weather.
Little did we know we’d meet Ronald and spend hours with him. Ronald has only been homeless for a month after serving 31 years in prison.
We sat and talked as Ronald poured out his heart about how much he missed his family and how he’d have to find somewhere to sleep tonight (maybe behind buildings).
He shivered as he told us more of his life’s story. He shared how he had no friends or family left because they all passed away while he was in prison. He even shed tears about making wrong choices as a twenty year old, and confessed his heart to get it right like “mamma said…”
After talking, we took him to @lovebeyondwalls and surprised him with this mini shelter. His eyes watered up as he kept saying over and over, “tonight I can finally rest without having to wake up and watch my surroundings.” Did we end his homelessness? No.
Did we become his friend? Yes. We ensured he had place to stay that’s warm until our organization can develop next steps for him. He kept saying, “I have a house now…”
With all that’s going on in the world, I thank God for allowing us to meet another friend who needed a friend. Tonight we provided shelter for one. Who knows in the future it may be many!
Terence
