Thanksgiving was a week ago, and when it was my turn to share what I’m thankful for, I gave the typical answer of family and friends. Although this is what most people say, it really is true of me. I was especially thankful for the Mitchell family for hosting me two years in a row. However, when our small group the other night was sharing what we were thankful for, the people who popped into my head were not those whom I know and love dearly, but the random strangers that I’ve met who have blessed me simply with a smile or some act of kindness that made my day. Here are a few of the people who I distinctly remember from the recent past, although there have been many more:
•The lady at Walgreens who sent me back to get a honey bottle three times as big as the one I was purchasing because it was cheaper and contained more.
•The lady at CVS who printed out six extra copies of Megan’s passport photos, giving her $30 worth of pictures for free.
•The woman who exchanged Megan’s glasses at Walmart without even asking how they were broken.
•JP, who gave us ten dollars off our Office Depot purchase even though the coupon was eight days expired and it didn’t even originally apply to our items.
•The girl at Sam’s (Wheaton’s coffee shop) who completed my caramel macchiato with a caramel smiley face instead of a caramel drizzle.
•My barista friend at Caribou who gave me a free hot spicy mocha because I hadn’t tried it before.
Most of these people I will never see again, but I am so thankful for them. They always inspire me to do something to make someone else’s day in the same way they touched mine.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Just Hungry
In my Intro to Sociology class, we have a final project in which we must research a social issue and present on it. My group chose to speak on homelessness. One of the girls in my group, Meredith, is involved with a student-led homeless ministry in downtown Chicago. Every week, 10-15 students from Wheaton meet up with students from other colleges like Moody and DePaul and pass out sandwiches and water to the homeless. Meredith invited us to come down with her to experience what urban homelessness truly looks like.
We arrived in Chicago at around four this afternoon, split up the sandwiches and water, chose our different routes, and headed off. My group was composed of me, a guy named Chris, and Morgan, a girl in my sociology group. Meredith led a different group since she regularly participates in the ministry. She wanted us to see the true face of homelessness, so she sent us to Lower Wacker Street. Lower Wacker is underground the main Chicago streets where not too many cars travel. There seemed to be just parking garages and storage on the dimly lit street. The first two men we came upon simply asked for two sandwiches each and then turned back over in their "beds". The next man, Brent, was more talkative and we had a chance to pray with him which was awesome. We invited him (and everyone we talked to) to a Bible study in Millennium Station that is done weekly by our group.
After we finished talking to Brent, we walked a long way without coming across anyone. Apparently, Lower Wacker is usually more crowded, but since it has been warmer lately, many people have moved up to the upper streets in order to take advantage of the warm sun. We eventually reached an intersection where three men and a woman were standing. The woman approached us and asked us where we were going and what we were doing. She wasn't exactly asking just to be nice if you know what I mean. We told her what we were doing and asked if they wanted any sandwiches. They gladly accepted them and chugged the water bottles we gave them. I can't remember the woman's name, but we talked to her and a man named Earl for quite a while. Earl loved sports and asked if we played any. Unfortunately, we weren't very up to date on the basketball teams he loves so we couldn't exactly talk with him about them, but he thanked us over and over again for what we were doing and wanted to know why we were doing it since we had plenty of other things we could be doing. When we invited them to the Bible study, however, they quickly refused, saying that if they even went into the station, the police would arrest them. We tried to convince them otherwise, but they wouldn't change their minds, so we told them goodbye and finished off the rest of Lower Wacker after talking with a few more men.
We were still a bit early for the Bible study, so we went above ground and walked along Michigan Ave. Our friend, Tom, also caught up with us. The first man we came across and talked to was really open and Tom stayed to talk with him for a while after we had given him sandwiches. The next guy, Myran, was reading "The Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel when we approached him. He was great and was really open to hearing what we had to say. He was Muslim and said a Christian friend had given him the book. Apparently he and his friend debate often about their religions but respect each others beliefs. We talked with him for quite a while and he was happy to share what he believed (that Jesus was a prophet but not God, the Bible is divinely inspired but so is the Koran, and Jesus is not the only way to heaven). I invited him to our Bible study and he seemed to honestly want to come. Tom again stayed to talk with him a bit more and we walked on after about twenty minutes.
After a while we had to turn around and head back the way we came in order to get to the Bible study on time. Four homeless men came, and a girl who walked a different route read some verses and then talked about them. She also challenged all of us to memorize some Scripture (which she was challenged to do this week by N.T. Wright who visited our campus and spoke at chapel). After we prayed, we invited the men to come to the Thompson Center where Harvest Bible Chapel serves chili every Saturday. Quite a few men came, probably thirty or so altogether, but only one or two women came. We made conversation with them for a while and then headed back to Wheaton.
It was frustrating to see homeless people on our way to Tom's car that we hadn't reached that afternoon since we were out of sandwiches and had nothing to give them but a smile and a hello. I was reflecting a bit on the afternoon and just was thinking about how the homeless are viewed. Many people are scared of them and treat them as if they don't exist. I'll be honest, I was a bit scared on Lower Wacker when we were talking to Earl and the woman. Many believe that the homeless are too lazy to get a job and just depend on people's generosity instead of making the effort to support themselves. I confess that some of these thoughts crossed my mind when I saw the two-liter bottles that sat next to many beds and were filled with urine. It was hard for me to not judge the men who were simply lying and sleeping when they could be doing something more productive. It also rubbed me the wrong way when some grimaced and asked why we had the same bologna sandwiches every week or asked if we had any different types of chips. Shouldn't they just be grateful for what they're given?
Yet at the same time, men like Brent, Myran, Earl, and Terry(another man we met) blessed us for what we were doing and thanked us for acknowledging their need when many others ignored it. They really wanted to get out of their state and believed they could with God's help. All of the empty beds we came upon were neatly made and tidy-- these people do have dignity and are people just like us. It's easy to become cynical when you see the same people week after week, but the truth is, our society isn't exactly helping these people to get out of their tragic situations. Many of the shelters are loud and dirty so the homeless panhandle in order to get $30 just so they can stay a night in a hotel room in which they can get some peace and quiet.
I was struck for a moment while we were talking to Earl when I could see up some stairs to the street above in which well-dressed people were bustling about, oblivious to the people twenty feet below them who didn't know where they were getting their next meal or whether the police would find them and they'd have to move their belongings elsewhere. Tom, while talking to Myran, later told us that as he sat there, Myran was brought four meals and a brand new blanket. Myran told Tom that that had never happened before and only did because Tom was sitting there next to him. Why is it that we often only see those in need after we see someone else helping them? Why are we so quick to jump to the conclusion that the money we give them will only be spent on drugs and alcohol? Even if we don't want to give them money, the least we can do is acknowledge that these people are our fellow human beings and are loved by God. Even if we simply look them in the eye and say hello, we can restore these people's dignity and brighten their day.
We arrived in Chicago at around four this afternoon, split up the sandwiches and water, chose our different routes, and headed off. My group was composed of me, a guy named Chris, and Morgan, a girl in my sociology group. Meredith led a different group since she regularly participates in the ministry. She wanted us to see the true face of homelessness, so she sent us to Lower Wacker Street. Lower Wacker is underground the main Chicago streets where not too many cars travel. There seemed to be just parking garages and storage on the dimly lit street. The first two men we came upon simply asked for two sandwiches each and then turned back over in their "beds". The next man, Brent, was more talkative and we had a chance to pray with him which was awesome. We invited him (and everyone we talked to) to a Bible study in Millennium Station that is done weekly by our group.
After we finished talking to Brent, we walked a long way without coming across anyone. Apparently, Lower Wacker is usually more crowded, but since it has been warmer lately, many people have moved up to the upper streets in order to take advantage of the warm sun. We eventually reached an intersection where three men and a woman were standing. The woman approached us and asked us where we were going and what we were doing. She wasn't exactly asking just to be nice if you know what I mean. We told her what we were doing and asked if they wanted any sandwiches. They gladly accepted them and chugged the water bottles we gave them. I can't remember the woman's name, but we talked to her and a man named Earl for quite a while. Earl loved sports and asked if we played any. Unfortunately, we weren't very up to date on the basketball teams he loves so we couldn't exactly talk with him about them, but he thanked us over and over again for what we were doing and wanted to know why we were doing it since we had plenty of other things we could be doing. When we invited them to the Bible study, however, they quickly refused, saying that if they even went into the station, the police would arrest them. We tried to convince them otherwise, but they wouldn't change their minds, so we told them goodbye and finished off the rest of Lower Wacker after talking with a few more men.
We were still a bit early for the Bible study, so we went above ground and walked along Michigan Ave. Our friend, Tom, also caught up with us. The first man we came across and talked to was really open and Tom stayed to talk with him for a while after we had given him sandwiches. The next guy, Myran, was reading "The Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel when we approached him. He was great and was really open to hearing what we had to say. He was Muslim and said a Christian friend had given him the book. Apparently he and his friend debate often about their religions but respect each others beliefs. We talked with him for quite a while and he was happy to share what he believed (that Jesus was a prophet but not God, the Bible is divinely inspired but so is the Koran, and Jesus is not the only way to heaven). I invited him to our Bible study and he seemed to honestly want to come. Tom again stayed to talk with him a bit more and we walked on after about twenty minutes.
After a while we had to turn around and head back the way we came in order to get to the Bible study on time. Four homeless men came, and a girl who walked a different route read some verses and then talked about them. She also challenged all of us to memorize some Scripture (which she was challenged to do this week by N.T. Wright who visited our campus and spoke at chapel). After we prayed, we invited the men to come to the Thompson Center where Harvest Bible Chapel serves chili every Saturday. Quite a few men came, probably thirty or so altogether, but only one or two women came. We made conversation with them for a while and then headed back to Wheaton.
It was frustrating to see homeless people on our way to Tom's car that we hadn't reached that afternoon since we were out of sandwiches and had nothing to give them but a smile and a hello. I was reflecting a bit on the afternoon and just was thinking about how the homeless are viewed. Many people are scared of them and treat them as if they don't exist. I'll be honest, I was a bit scared on Lower Wacker when we were talking to Earl and the woman. Many believe that the homeless are too lazy to get a job and just depend on people's generosity instead of making the effort to support themselves. I confess that some of these thoughts crossed my mind when I saw the two-liter bottles that sat next to many beds and were filled with urine. It was hard for me to not judge the men who were simply lying and sleeping when they could be doing something more productive. It also rubbed me the wrong way when some grimaced and asked why we had the same bologna sandwiches every week or asked if we had any different types of chips. Shouldn't they just be grateful for what they're given?
Yet at the same time, men like Brent, Myran, Earl, and Terry(another man we met) blessed us for what we were doing and thanked us for acknowledging their need when many others ignored it. They really wanted to get out of their state and believed they could with God's help. All of the empty beds we came upon were neatly made and tidy-- these people do have dignity and are people just like us. It's easy to become cynical when you see the same people week after week, but the truth is, our society isn't exactly helping these people to get out of their tragic situations. Many of the shelters are loud and dirty so the homeless panhandle in order to get $30 just so they can stay a night in a hotel room in which they can get some peace and quiet.
I was struck for a moment while we were talking to Earl when I could see up some stairs to the street above in which well-dressed people were bustling about, oblivious to the people twenty feet below them who didn't know where they were getting their next meal or whether the police would find them and they'd have to move their belongings elsewhere. Tom, while talking to Myran, later told us that as he sat there, Myran was brought four meals and a brand new blanket. Myran told Tom that that had never happened before and only did because Tom was sitting there next to him. Why is it that we often only see those in need after we see someone else helping them? Why are we so quick to jump to the conclusion that the money we give them will only be spent on drugs and alcohol? Even if we don't want to give them money, the least we can do is acknowledge that these people are our fellow human beings and are loved by God. Even if we simply look them in the eye and say hello, we can restore these people's dignity and brighten their day.
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