Learning from the Less Fortunate

All last week our site in Anoka hosted overnight guests in the church.  These families are at a local day center (or go to school) during the day and stay in our Sunday School rooms in the evening.  We give them a warm place to sleep, meals, transportation to and from the center, and friendship.  We work with Family Promise of Anoka County along with twelve other congregations who agree to host them one week at a time for four weeks a year.  It is a wonderful program in many ways, not in the least that the faith community, county and schools all work together to do this.  Its called by different names in various places and is quickly spreading throughout the country.  The success rate of getting people off the street and into permanent affordable housing is nearly 100%.  We never see the same families again each time we host.  I suggest others look into this ministry.

Last Tuesday I was having a bad day.  The snow was beginning to hit.  I was in a crabby mood.  After eating dinner with our guests, three girls, ages 7-9, decided to spontaneously put on a "show."  What followed was about a half hour of singing, dancing, giggles and just plain silliness.  When it was over, one of the mothers said, "I am so blessed." 

Who knows what these girls had been through in the last few weeks/months?  But we were meant to sing and dance.  God put it in us.  At all times ( the Apostle Paul reminds us) we can "count it all as joy."

Lesson learned.