Things Just Got Real.

Shortly after I hit send on yesterday's blog, there was a knock on the door. There stood one of our precious girls and her mother. This was part of the family of 12 that was supposed to move into the 2 bedroom house yesterday...only....one half of the family moved without the other. The mom got home from work and found her children including a 9 month old left behind with the water turned off. She stood on our doorstep and said, "Ms. Morgan, we don't have anywhere to go." I can't even tell you which thoughts passed through my mind first...probably a mixture of nausea, panic and compassion. Yes, we live in a big house. Yes, we have an extra room, but given our background of homeless shelter work, we also have a healthy dose of reality. We knew that letting them move in with us would fix a temporary problem but would potentially create an even bigger one. I told her to let me make some phone calls and I would get back to her soon.

Everything went in slow motion after that. I sat on the couch with Glenn in silence...eyes locked. We didn't have to say anything, we were both trying to process our role in this part of the story. I finally broke the silence with, "What are we going to do?"  He knew as well as I did that at 6:30 on a Friday, we weren't going to be able to get her into a shelter and the thought of sending those kids to the shelter broke my heart. Our biggest dilemma is that we have commitments this week that will make our time at home sporadic and not knowing much about the family, we were not comfortable leaving them here alone.

I called back and asked her if she had ANY family here in town they could at least stay with until Monday when we could get someone in an office. She said she found an extended family member they could stay with until Monday but they had all of their stuff they had to move out of the house. I told her I would back my SUV up to their door and they could load it in and we could at least store their things. A family of 5's belongings fit in 2 little small loads. No beds. Nothing but black garbage bags and a few boxes. No toys. This was telling of the fact that the kids had probably been sleeping on a floor. The mom was trying to process, "Where are they going to go to school? Can they start school on time?"

We loaded them in the car and took them to a family members home in another very rough part of town. I told her that her son (who was at a neighborhood kids birthday party) could stay with us for the weekend. I'm not even sure that he knows they have moved out and no longer live there.

I have no idea what the future holds for this family or the role in which we will play. But I do know that until a family showed up on our doorstep, I thought we had a plan, but it got real. Although true to some degree the suggestion to call someone else became frustrating. Here's why: when business hours end. When you have resources. When there is no one else to call. We may be that call. We may be the ones that have to help. We may be the ones that have to put the words of the bible into action:

• He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done." Proverbs 19:17
• "If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13
• "He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses." Proverbs 28:27
• "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matthew 25:35
• "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18 T

The problem with this is that it does not say..."Agencies that deal with the poor." It says  "He, You, ANYONE."

I'm not condemning anyone. I'm trying to process this all for myself and just asking the question: What is our role? Are we exempt from helping because of our fears? Concerns? I'm not sure I want to have to answer to God for that one day.

Taking it one step at a time. Praying for extreme discernment. Please continue to pray with us.

Blessings, 

Morgan