Hypothermia Shelter a “Huge Success”!

Fairfax Baptist Church hosted 25-32 homeless men and women overnight from March 9-15. Many thanks to everyone who volunteered, brought donations or prayed during the week. It was a blessing to be able to open the church doors to those most in need in our community.

Just imagine. You are homeless. Not because it’s your choice, but perhaps because you’ve made bad decisions as early in your life as age 13, like our friend Steve, who (in preparation of hosting the shelter) visited us late February to talk about his own experiences as a homeless person. Or perhaps you were a victim of our nation’s economic struggles in recent years. You had a decent job working double shifts to make enough money in a restaurant, and business slowed so you were laid off. That is the plight of those we served last month. True, there were a couple of people that seemed to have “issues”. Like the lady who didn’t want anyone to touch her stuff (and those who liked to pluck her nerve by doing just that). And the gentleman who insisted he must have chopsticks to eat Asian food (though fajitas aren’t, technically, Asian).

There were many heartwarming moments. One guest asked for a comb, and when the volunteer expressed regret for not having one for him, he responded “You have nothing to be sorry for. You’ve given us so much.” And then he offered thanks, instead, for the toothbrush he did get. We discovered (a bit late) that chicken fajitas can do a number on a church griddle, but with great pride, one of our guests taught us the secret to successfully cleaning a griddle. He needed to be needed.

You blessed these people with God’s love. One volunteer collected job applications and found creative ways to give some of the guests work and housing opportunities. Another volunteer put a smile on the face of one man, who sat by himself most nights, by making sure there was ice-cream in the freezer just for him. It was not a coincidence that a volunteer who has years of plumbing experience (and all the right repair equipment) showed up the same night a toilet stopped working.

Each and every one of you, regardless of your role, were the hands and feet of Jesus. We saw it in their eyes, sometimes a smile – they were grateful and they felt CARED for. That was the key to success. The food wasn’t the key to success; not the movie selection nor the choice of games or the amount of space available. They experienced God’s abiding love at Fairfax Baptist Church for six days. May we continue to pray for them, never forget the incredible experience, and always give thanks to God for our many rich blessings.