Blog Post Three

 

Homeless Not Hopeless

Today we went to Greensboro, N.C. and there we were able to find a few more unsheltered homeless to try to help; especially with the winter weather rolling in. The first man we encountered had such a different demeanor from those we’d seen before. He had what I can only describe as a beautiful, bubbly, and thankful personality. Today was beautiful and unseasonably warm and he mentioned it as one of the reasons he was so happy.

An older gentlemen we met a little bit later was an army veteran. He explained to us that some of the homeless population are allowed to stay in the courthouse about a block away from where he was begging. He mentioned that it was such a blessing to be able to have somewhere safe to go at night and keep his things where he didn’t have to worry about his clothes or bedding getting stolen or damaged by the weather.

The final people we encountered today were a couple that we found begging on separate corners. We could see that they had set up a temporary camp hidden in an abandoned lot. We offered them each a food and hygiene bag and coats and they gratefully received them.

We realize that there are a lot of causes for homelessness and every story is different. Many of the stories we hear are raw and ugly, but it is still a privilege to step into their story with them for a moment and remind them that God makes beauty from ashes.

-Gear for the Homeless