Christmas Time

At this festive time of year, we enjoy parties, service projects, and grand times with decorations, food, and people. We go to other people’s houses, and bring others to our houses. The idea is to be festive, and the more the merrier.

While we are being festive, it is easy to overlook the people for whom the holidays are not a time of joy, but rather of grief, of loneliness and painful reminders. Christmas is a time to be with family and friends, and anyone who has lost a loved one feels the pain even more at times when they should be together.

This is the case for many of our residents. They are displaced from their homes and their families, and are disappointed with their place in life (they are, after all, living in a homeless shelter.) The holidays for them are a reminder of all the things and people they do not have.

We who work at the shelter consistently have seen that often our residents, rather than being cheered by people being festive around them, are reminded of their losses and their private pains and go away depressed instead.

Christmas is a season of Hope, a season to celebrate the Hope we have in Christ Jesus. Let us this season be “always ready to give an answer for the hope that we have. But let us do this with gentleness and respect.” (2 Peter 3:15, paraphrased)

As we think about how best to serve the needy and to show the love of Jesus this Christmas, let us look at the holiday from another’s eyes. We at the shelter are always so blessed by the amount of people who come out of the woodwork wanting to help bring a meal for Thanksgiving or bring presents for Christmas. These little gestures do a lot to make our little shelter a home, but as always at all times of year, the best way to really help a person and to effectively share our hope is to spend time with them, listen to their stories, share their pain. Sometimes a quiet, relaxing holiday with familiar faces is a better balm than grand parties with strangers.

Let us this Christmas be sensitive, “rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15) Let us do as Jesus would do and love as Jesus would love the lost and needy of this world.

Thank You

There is no way we can possibly thank everyone who has made a significant contribution to the shelter, especially not in a two-page newsletter! But we would, in this Thanksgiving month, like to highlight several people and organizations who have improved the ministry and the living conditions of the Homeless Shelter. Each of you deserve the most effusive gratitude, and if we had enough ink to fill the oceans and enough paper to cover the sky, we would certainly detail the generous gifts of each and every one of you.

Thank you - to Penny Dugan and the missionaries of New Jerusalem Missions (NJM). It was Penny’s dedication and perseverance, and the prayers and planning of many in the area, that opened the shelter’s doors in March 2005. Under Penny’s directorship, NJM and its missionaries ran the shelter for several years.

Thank you - to all the individual volunteers who were committed to seeing the shelter through its first difficult “baby steps,” when the need surprisingly out-grew the solution.

Thank you - to all the churches and organizations who have come alongside Penny and the Homeless Shelter throughout the years. Because you stepped in to provide more structure and a greater number of volunteers, the shelter survived its first year and went on to grow into what it is today.

Thank you - to the Team Leaders who organize each church’s volunteers. You put a lot of time into recruitment and motivation, as well as encouragement and direction. You are the catalyst between Penny’s vision of a community-run Homeless Shelter and the present successful reality.

Thank you - to all the volunteers who are still committed after six and a half years, and to the hundreds of volunteers who have joined the ranks since. You are the spokes in the Shelter wheel, the many hands making one ministry possible.

Thank you - to the organizations and individuals who are the Shelter’s financial supporters. We all know that nothing in this country comes free, not even showers or heat for the homeless.

There are several organizations to thank, who have granted us over $55,000 in the last four years. These monies have gone to implement programs and improve the facility and living conditions of the Shelter’s residents. Those of you who have volunteered fairly often over the last several years have been able to watch the Shelter grow into what Penny first envisioned - a ministry run by the community, for the community. Those of you who have just recently become acquainted with this ministry would be impressed to learn how far it has come!

Thank You - to the Central Kansas Foundation, Women’s Community Fund (WCF) who has awarded the Shelter with four separate grants. The first financed a family suite, complete with a private bathroom. This was built by area tradespeople and volunteers. The second grant developed the “Physical and Mental Wellness Fund,” which provides financial assistance to residents in need of basic physical or mental health care. This fund was reinforced last year by the mixed blessing of the Richard Regier Memorial.
The third grant helped kick off the Shelter’s Saturday Night L.I.F.E.! (Love, Inspiration, Faith/Family, and Encouragement) effort, allowing the ministry to stay connected with the alumni of the shelter. Just recently the fourth grant was awarded to assist with providing more dedicated “focus on our families,” to purchase new children’s and baby equipment for use at the shelter.

Thank You - to the Schowalter Foundation for making an enormous impact at the shelter, funding various projects over the years including: construction of the walls around the men’s dorm, purchase and installation of a commercial grade water heater, installation of false ceilings throughout the shelter (with insulation above), and relocation of the washers and dryers to create separate men’s and women’s laundry facilities. The largest project you have helped us with is constructing our new kitchen. The kitchen is now in a new location, which is a bigger area and can hold more and better appliances, storage, and equipment. The most recent grant you gave us was awarded to the Shelter in order to buy brand new beds, a much, much needed commodity at the shelter, and appreciated by many!

Thank you - to the Connie Huxman Memorial. Even when we were deeply grieved, we had the opportunity to be the recipient of this fund when our dear friend Connie went to be with the Lord in 2008. This was dedicated to improving the Shelter’s kitchen and, along with moneys from the Schowalter Foundation, made it possible to actually cook at the shelter! The kitchen assists with the L.I.F.E.! endeavors as well as periodically feeding more than just the shelter residents.

Thank You - to the Austin Hawkey Memorial Fund, which has been designated to financially provide for drug and alcohol treatment for those who need it.

Thank You Again - to all our individual financial supporters. We want to ensure each of you that, as the shelter has developed, at no time have improvements been made at the shelter with your funds. Your funds go directly into the operations budget to run the day to day activities of the ministry. Thank you for your faithful and endless giving, we couldn’t do it without each and every one of you.

Thank You Again - to Penny Dugan and New Jerusalem Missions, for going through the labor pains of getting the Shelter started, and for nurturing it through its infancy. We know that the maturity it is growing into is a credit to your hard work and continued support and prayers.

The Eternal Impact of a Hair Cut

We have a volunteer who is a professional hair-cutter, and every time she volunteers for a shift at the shelter (which is about once a month), she offers her services to any of the residents who want a hair cut.

The feeling of morale and self-esteem that is present after everyone’s gotten a hair cut is amazing. You wouldn’t think that such a little thing could have such a dramatic impact – but let me tell you how it does:

We had a woman living here who was dealing with some pretty serious health issues, as well as dependence and relational issues. If anyone deserves to feel “down,” it’s her. And she did. For many days at a time she would just exist. She would walk through life, eat, even smile at you, but you could tell it was empty. She was not working on her plan to better her life. She had no hope. The morning after hair-cut night I walked into work and passed her going out – she had dressed up to match her new “do” and was wearing carefully applied make-up. Gleam in her eye and head held high she informed me she was going out looking for a job. She felt good about herself, and that gave her the confidence to face the world.

We had a young man who was always negative, always seeing the bad side of every situation. He always wore black and spoke black – focusing on all the struggles he’d had in his short life. Quite often I’d seen him cry. That is how I left him on the night of the hair cut. The next morning I walked into work, took one look at him – and rolled my eyes. The hair-cutter, setting aside her own ideas of job-worthiness and presentable appearance, had agreed to give him a Mohawk. But the amazing thing about it was, he was smiling. That night he came back in, and told me a joke – and actually laughed with me! Someone had given him time, treated him as a valuable person, and respected his desires. This Mohawk, though it may be juvenile and may not help him in the job market, gave him a sense of personhood and, strangely, a sense of worth. And that WILL help him, in the job market, and in life.

There was another man here at that time who was imprisoned by the demon of mental illness. He would sit in the corner and talk to himself, often laughing loudly at the scenes playing in his own head. He would sometimes shift his eyes to fix you with a threatening stare, only to turn back away and start muttering again. On the morning after the hair cut, I couldn’t find him. He was nowhere to be seen. It took me several minutes to realize that his wild-eyed, crazily unkept visage had been replaced by the calm, clean-shaven face of a young man. The hair that had sat around his head and chin in mats and knots had been cut away to reveal a clear-eyed person who could almost be accused of being in his right mind. The other residents told me that he had asked – had left the voices in his head, gotten up from his corner, noticed as equals a fellow-human, and asked to be rid of the signs of his condition. Even as he continued his wild antics, he now saw the world through clearer eyes (at least eyes that he could see out of,) and allowed us who work at the shelter to see more of him and to speak truth into his life.

Someone’s time and encouragement. Someone’s unflinching touch. Has changed lives.

Church and Poverty in Harvey County, Kansas

In the past decade, the services offered to those in poverty in Harvey County, KS have grown and have seen many lives changed – saved from the throws of poverty as well as from the eternal punishment of sin. Anyone who has worked in a church knows how often people come to the door asking for money, or a place to stay, or food. To deal with these issues, many of the local churches have followed the example of Acts 6 and pooled their resources, supporting some groups and organizations that are dedicated to meeting the needs of the needy. This prevents any one church or person from being overburdened trying to take care of everyone, and allows each church and organization to focus on their ministry, so that each ministry can best do what it does best.

One such place is the Harvey County Homeless Shelter. Being completely privately funded and mostly volunteer run, the Shelter depends heavily on local businesses, churches, and individuals to keep its doors open. The fact that the Shelter has been able to house around 800 people over a period of six years on only the support and good will of the community is amazing, as people like Phil and Jenny will tell you. Phil is a local man with a family and a job in the school district, and volunteers much of his time at the Homeless Shelter. This is where he met Jenny. Jenny was a troubled person with no regard for rules or authority, and was trapped by the demon of drugs. Phil, having struggled with drugs in his own life, connected with Jenny and he and his wife stayed in touch with her even through some of her chaos and some of the times she was not living at the Shelter. From the Shelter and from the community, from people like Phil and his wife, Jenny found the structure and support she needs to get off her addiction, and has been clean now for several years. She found a church to be very involved in and often testifies how Jesus has healed her and her family. Jenny often comes back to the Shelter to keep in touch with her support group and to help the community that has so helped her. She says it is the most peaceful place she knows.

Another program supported by the Harvey County community of churches and run by local volunteers is the Circles Initiative (see article). Circles targets people in generational poverty and teaches them how to present themselves, how to handle money well, and other skills that will help them live in the middle class world. It also offers mentorship and recourses to those who chose to take advantage of what the community offers. Jericha is a young single mother who was at one point in time a resident of the Homeless Shelter, but who was able to get her own place and started attending classes the Circles Initiative was offering. After completing all the classes, Jericha chose to stay in the program and enter into friendships with two or three local middle-class people. These volunteers had also chosen to walk along side Jericha and help her be the leader of her own life, as opposed to being dictated to by the system and her financial limitations. Jericha is now a spokesperson for Circles, and has been able to improve her circumstances to provide a better quality of life for her and her child and to be an involved and valuable member of the Harvey County community.

Places like the Homeless Shelter and Circles are just two examples of how one community follows the directions in Romans 12:13 and cares for its residents in poverty, and how lives and society are changed because of this care. Phil, after having lived and volunteered in this community for years, and having seen how the different organizations unite to help the hurting, said “This is what church should be like.”

Labor Day

Here, at the beginning of September, we are FINALLY able to feel relatively comfortable outside. What I would call “normal” weather came just in time for Labor Day—a day off, possibly spent with dear people at lakes, parks, or back yards. Possibly spent getting things done that can’t be done while at work. Possibly spent just resting. As the majority of businesses are closed, and the majority of people are off their scheduled routine, the shelter and its people keep going as always. Far from being a respite for the homeless, holidays are often more stressful than other days, as the places usually open and inviting, providing shelter, rest, and opportunities, are shut tight, forbidding entrance to any foot-weary fortune-seeker. Instead these misplaced souls must find what entertainment they can (their opportunities for doing anything productive are severely limited, as they have no house to keep up, few if any dear people around, and what job searches and appointments they usually do are forced to be on hold) in whatever elements there are. The fact that this Labor Day is beautiful is one small blessing to many hardship-stricken lives. Even as we take a day off from stress and routine, let us never take a day off from serving and loving others as Jesus called us to.

The Important Stuff

The other day I was astonished to see who, very confidently and comfortably, walked into our homeless shelter. She was so personable, helpful, and at home, that I hadn’t realized who she was, even though I’d met her before. This time she came I finally got her last name, and recognized it as that of an international best-selling author. She is a cultural success and the hero of many women around the world – an all out celebrity. I was awed. Here, in this little, dirty, stressful homeless shelter, getting elbow-deep into dishwater, drama, and broken people, was a queen of the page, a wordsmith of international fame. I basked in her royalty.

And then in walked two foot-weary fortune seekers, so common to our little shelter. Sweaty, exhausted, looking like the tail end of a heat wave and smelling of hard times and bad luck, they found a corner and sat out of the way. He was not unpleasant looking, one got the feeling that he had showered, shaved, and put on a clean shirt the last time he’d had an opportunity to, though it was hard to tell how long ago that had been. She was the most endearing piece of blonde sunshine that ever brightened our drab basement living area. Unfettered by her five short years, she patted as far up as she could reach on my leg and asked, “Do you have any toys?”

Her dad looked around with uncertain eyes and forced a hint of a smile. He asked only for dinner and a ride back to the hotel they’d been able to procure for a couple days. Dinner was no problem, we were serving in a few minutes. As for a ride, I turned to the volunteer on duty and asked if she’d mind running this small family to the other side of town. I barely had time to realize what I’d done – who I’d asked to transport the homeless! I almost held my breath as the Queen of the page confronted me with a very large and disarming smile and said, “Of course! No problem. There’s plenty of room in my van.”

I think the smile is what did it. The child, instant friends with everyone, found our toy corner. The dad, still uncertain, allowed himself to relax a little and chat with the other grown-ups. The Queen, unaware of the blessing she was being to both those who were awed by her status and those who were ignorant of it, happily set herself to serving dinner. Once everyone was full of food and satisfied of rest and encouragement, dad and daughter found themselves in a clean white van, being ferried by a real-life fairy to their temporary home.

That van was more than a vehicle for transportation – that night it was a vehicle for bridging gaps, offering hope, and sowing the love of Jesus. That woman was more than a queen, she was a servant of God. That night was far from an ordinary night, it was an image of success, of what is important in the world, and a reminder that we are all just people, no matter how big or small.

What can we learn from the HEAT?

The extreme heat this summer has changed our transportation preferences, our clothing choices, our appetites, even our vocabulary. Friends don't run into each other on the sidewalk anymore, they randomly meet in Dillons or at church. Instead of saying "How are you?" and "See ya later!" they say, "Can you believe this heat?" and "Stay cool!"

Our question, being Christian-based, and believing that God has a plan in everything, is “What good can God possibly bring out of this heat?!”

I would like to suggest two answers.

1.) So often we stand in awe of God when we see a thunderstorm, or a flower, or a mountain. Theoretically, how is the heat any different? God created it, he made it happen, and it is awesome (as in awe-inspiring, check out Job 37:17). And I can guarantee you that God has gotten more attention recently because of his weather choice. And maybe that is the point of everything, after all. God.

2.) Through the impossible weather, this community has banded together radically. Donations of money, food, and activities have been coming through our door right and left. As have volunteers. The drudgery of having to stay open in the afternoons has turned into excitement and fun because of all the innovative hearts who have taken it upon themselves to help us enjoy life. We have had homemade ice cream, decorated cookies, made cards, had a water gun fight – none of which would have happened if we had NOT stayed open extra hours. Also, none of it would have happened without the dear women and youth groups who came to hang out with the homeless instead of hiding in their own AC. Truly, the inclement weather has brought out the best in this community.

Thank you all for being part of such a great place.

Praise God.

Pray like Epaphras

Often while reading Paul’s letters, we skip over the names he mentions and the greetings he gives as having no direct application to our lives, but I encourage you to pay attention to at least one of these names and take example from Epaphras. This man is mentioned in only three verses and two books of the New Testament, but his legacy has survived centuries, and will be retold until the end of time. Colossians 4:12 tells us, “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”

Epaphras was “one of you,” one of us, just another guy in another church. But he is forever inscribed in the annals of our faith because of his prayer. So often we tell the stories of David and Goliath, of Sampson, of Mary and Martha, Peter, Silas, Paul, people who took action, who made things happen by their initiative and effort. Here in Colossians, Paul himself draws our attention to a story of prayer, to a man who took upon himself to enter God’s presence with the cares and concerns of those around him. Through this story he reminds us that prayer is in many ways more important than action, that “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16), that by praying we can be like Elijah on Mount Carmel, calling down fire from Heaven. We can be like Epaphras, earning fame in eternity.

Epaphras earned his place in history by “always wrestling in prayer.” The King James Version uses the words “laboring fervently.” Epaphras took prayer seriously. There was sweat and tears, time and effort, probably pain, discomfort, and sacrifice. Let us never feel that the “only” thing we can do is pray, that it is “just prayer,” that prayer is easy and harmless. Oh, brothers and sisters, let us enter the presence of the Most High with fear and trembling, let us submit ourselves to the power of the All Powerful, and “let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God” (Hebrews 4:16) with our petitions, intercessions, and thanksgivings.

Already this year we have seen the results of prayer - your prayers, Paul’s prayers, and even Epaphras’ prayers. Epaphras prayed “that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.” Paul prayed “that your love may abound more and more” (Philippians 1:9), and “we always thank God for you … because your faith is growing … and the love all of you have for one another is increasing” (2 Thess. 1:3). Even Jesus prayed, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17: 21). Through the life of the shelter, we have seen the community and our volunteer base grow. As it has grown in size, it has also grown in love. The love displayed for God by caring for his people, and the love displayed for the people by showing them God’s care, is evident in every detail of the shelter building and operation. As our volunteer base has grown in love, it has also grown in unity. The many different churches, groups, and businesses that support the shelter tangibly display the body of Christ. As we have been working together, you and us, for six years now, we feel “fully assured,” “stand[ing] firm in all the will of God.” (Epaphras)

Prayer is the catalyst of success, the “red phone” direct line to the One who can make things happen. Through the centuries prayer has brought unity, caused victory, and facilitated healing. It has calmed the spirits of the restless and excited the spirits of the insecure. It welcomes the Creator into the lives of the created, and when that happens, marvelous things come to pass.

I do not need to tell you how vital your prayers are to the success of the shelter. Our residents need healing in body, mind, and spirit. They need intercession and victory over the demons in their lives. They need God’s presence and attention. Everyone involved in the shelter, whether resident or volunteer, needs strength and wisdom. Therefore, let us pray with the saints of the early church, “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:24 & 30). Let us “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Let us pray like Epaphras.

Who we Are

HCHS is a fairly small shelter, but we have exciting things happening. We're still improving our brand new kitchen, and using it to cook when we need to, such as for lunches these past really cold days. Our family room is currently in use, the new bathroom back there coming in handy. We're also settling a couple people into the old kitchen, which has been prematurely converted into a bedroom.

Volunteers are coming out of the woodwork to help us out over these days when the cold is keeping us open.

We are privately funded and community run - our volunteers are our lifeblood and we can't say enough to thank them.

If you would like to volunteer, please come to one of our Orientation Sessions:

February 8, 6:30pm

February 16, 10:00am

February 24, 6:30pm

You can also check out our facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harvey-County-Homeless-Shelter/102453693165486

Facebook!

HCHS is now a presence on Facebook. As we are new to this medium, our page is fairly primitive at the moment, but the more we use it, the more it will grow, just as our organization has grown and changed in the past 6 years! Help us out be "liking" our facebook page, and giving us tips on how to improve, if you have any!

January 2011 Newsletter

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