For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11


The past few months have been very hectic and some very sad, saying goodbye to new friends and trying to follow plans we have started.  It's been a hard road, but a lesson well learned, and one we will never forget.  During our journeys in life, you never know what tomorrow will bring, and even the best laid plans sometimes don't go exactly as we expect. Yet I never lost faith that God has a plan for me, and maybe it was to teach someone how to help themselves, and maybe it was to teach me to never take things for granted and to be grateful for the little things. 

I had a good family life when I was growing up.  I went to good schools, had a loving family, great jobs, nice clothes, nice cars.  I was fortunate to be active, to be in shape, to be healthy.  I took life for granted and believed I deserved the best. But how life has changed!

For the past several months I have been living at a shelter and have met many young and old who have been through hard times.  From losing jobs and homes due to financial problems, to the unfortunate few who can't find medical or psychological help, there were people of all ages here.  Some were lucky enough to have beds, but many had only mats on the floor to sleep on.  There were young women who had to separate from their children in order to get help for the family, and men who had left wives and children behind in order to join the program that would help them find housing and employment, but only if you were living in a shelter.  There were veterans who were waiting for help with their housing and medical attention, and elderly men and women whose families had abandoned them at the shelter.  It was very sad.  The counselors were helpful and kind, and they did their best to motivate the residents to attend meetings and church, and to sign up for programs to help find work.  The shelter would serve lunch and dinner daily, meals that were donated by the local grocers and church groups, who often came to serve dinner and hold worship services for those who wished to attend.  There were medical and mental health reps who would come twice weekly to counsel and help people find the help they needed.  There were computer classes, work readiness classes, and the residents were given daily chores to help them get involved and prepare them for real life situations. Many residents volunteered for positions such as kitchen cook or prep, front desk, security, laundry, drivers, janitorial, and so on.  We lived together as a community and when each resident was ready to leave the group and had completed their program, they were anxious and happy that they had finally found a place to live of their own, a good job, and sometimes even a vehicle.  It is a wonderful feeling to know that you're finally self sufficient and can take care of yourself and your family.  Leaving with smiles, waving goodbye, and sharing phone numbers or friending on Facebook, it was a good feeling to see another success story.  It gave each of us hope for our own future.  And there were the very sad times when someone who had left had passed away soon after.  The only consolation was knowing that during their stay, being closer to and giving thanks to God was a big part of our program. Perhaps it was part of His plan to bring them home to Heaven.