Wandering in the Wilderness

“Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur.” (Exodus 15:22)

  With that verse, the Israelites began their long wandering in the desert.  The 12 plagues and the Red Sea crossing behind them, they faced a foreboding wasteland void of sustenance.   I have a special understanding of what that must have felt like.  We here at Family Promise are entering our own desert wandering of sorts.

                In the past month, I have watched as two of our guest families moved from homelessness to beautiful new duplexes just behind Anderson Interfaith Ministries.  I have been privileged to see how Anderson Interfaith Ministries, the Women and Children Succeeding program, and Homes of Hope all worked together with Family Promise to give both of these families a real chance at long term success and independence.  Both mothers have worked so hard to get where they are.  Countless volunteers and community residents have stepped forward to help them—one group donated furniture, another donated housewares, yet another donated a bed.  One volunteer stepped up and donated a vehicle so one mom could get back and forth to work.  Knowing both of these families like I do, I believe they deserved everything that was given to them—they continue to work hard to re-establish themselves.  Both will continue to go to school while working.  Both already have Associate’s degrees.

         Just this week I watched as a family donated a mini-van out of the blue to help someone in need.  The guest family that received that mini-van had 4 children—4 children that didn’t fit in the Jeep Grand Cherokee they owned.  The day we transferred the mini-van, I got a call from someone in the community telling me another family’s car had been stolen, and if they didn’t have transportation soon, they would lose their employment and would be applying to enter Family Promise.  I hung up the phone and the mother of the family that received the mini-van looked at me and smiled.  “I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee they can have” she said.  This is a woman who has 4 children and is homeless; yet, she is willing to surrender her vehicle to help someone else in need.

                The delivery from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea may seem more “miraculous,” but in my mind they pale in comparison to the miracles I see every day at the hands of our volunteers.  In spite of the stress of being homeless, the challenges of employment, transportation, and moving every week while in the program, with the help of our host and support congregations, guest families are surviving and even thriving.  Over 70 children have come through our doors in the two years we have been serving homeless families—each and every one of those children have learned what grace means through the helping hands of our congregations.

              Now we are in a “wandering” of sorts as an organization, temporarily closing to guest services in order to make us more financially stable.  Boulevard Baptist Church will be hosting a meeting on Tuesday evening, September 4 at 7pm to discuss the particulars of where we go next.  There are a lot of unknowns ahead.  Chances are I will not complete this journey with you.  I want to encourage those of you who have walked with Family Promise thus far to remember why we do this: remember the children.  Think of all the kids you have met while serving in Family Promise; know that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING separates those children from your own children other than circumstance.  Remember that volunteers like you are the people they remember when they grow up; you make the difference between them becoming a burden to society and them becoming contributors to society.  Is a little of your financial support and a few hours of your time four times a year worth transforming the life of a single child?  One day, I foresee one of those children growing into adulthood and committing themselves to helping Family Promise—completing the circle so to speak.  Please remember in the midst of all the “wandering” that will follow in the next few weeks the fundamental reason we do this: homeless children.  If at all possible, please plan to come to our meeting on September 4.  Give your input and show your support for Family Promise.

 

          It is intriguing that God issues a warning to the Israelites as they enter the wilderness:  “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”   I think this is a warning we should heed as well. 

         Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.”   Perhaps, we should consider this: if our community was judged by how we treat the “least of these” within our boarders, would we be praised or condemned, healed or diseased?