Well, I think I need to break out my t-shirts and shorts. There's a break coming in the weather. While it's still a deep freeze right now, -26 Celcius with windchill taking it to about -34 (that's about -29 Farenheit) we have the balmy tropical prediction of a temperature of -12 afternoon (about 10.4 degrees Farenheit). Unfortunately, we still have a wind chill warning out so it will seem a lot colder. I guess I'll keep the shorts packed away for a bit longer.
With this incredible cold comes the devasting hardship for the homeless. In a city not far from us, they have had such incredible growth that their homeless population has also skyrocketed. And this is not just men who had come to try and find a job in the booming economy. Not just the alcoholic or drug abuser homeless. It is whole families. With no home. The rental prices have so rocketed because of the boom that some families cannot afford the down payments, rents and the other costs of finding a place to live. Some of these families are living in campers and trailer's . It's heartbreaking. Their homeless shelter is filled beyond capacity and the city was providing city buses for people to sleep in, and they opened the exhibition building in an emergency decision to keep people from being out on the street all night. Even with all these measures, two people have died over the last couple of nights. Frozen out in the elements. It breaks your heart.
While I cannot pretend to even understand one iota of the plight of the homeless, I do know I can give to help them. This is a perfect time to give toward homeless shelters, food banks and soup kitchens. They are in dire need when the weather is this cold. And no gift is too small. Every little thing helps. And never mind all the different thoughts on why they have come to be in the situation they are in. The fact is they are. And if it's harsh winter, they are at risk of losing their lives. A life that Jesus died for. I'm just going to ask that you say a prayer for the homeless in your own city and ask what the Lord would have you to do at this time .
Father, I just say a prayer for all those who are without a home in any city that is experiencing harsh winter conditions. I pray you're protective hand would be over them, and there would come real solutions for them. I pray you would get them to the shelters so that they can stay warm and be fed. Thank you for those who have risen up and given out of their hearts during this time so the shelters would have extra food and necessities such as gloves, scarves, hats, socks, boots and coats to give to those who need them. Protect them Lord. In Jesus Name I pray.
10 comments:
A beautiful reminder, Susanne.
Our church is going to be serving meals at the shelter in December and actually have so many families who wanted to help that they have reached their limit and we can't join them! (At least on that day.) I guess that's a good thing that so many are willing to help and show God's love in tangible ways.
We too have been in frigid temps. There was an advisory today advising people to not be out more than they had to.
As I was driving home from work they were talking about the missions in town opening early to accomodate the homeless.
A very sad thing indeed!
As we were driving home from our anniversary dinner tonight, Rob and I talked about this. I told him how worried I am about homeless people when the weather is like this. We have a wonderful community. There are several shelters but a lot of the large retailers also open their doors and let people come in from the cold. They feed them and keep hot coffee coming.
Not a single person should stand in judgement of a homeless person. Every one of them has a story that would probably break our hearts.
Now is not the time to judge - it's the time to help people and it's also the time to appreciate our homes. I agree with you completely. It's heartbreaking.
I love your heart Susanne! We do need to do what we can to help! I will pray.
Thank you. I will pray for them, and for those in our own area. Sometimes families find it the hardest- there aren't a lot of shelters that take families, at least in the US. Most take either men or women, but not both. You are so right to remind us that we don't need to get into WHY they are homeless, but just that they are. It really doesn't matter why. They need our love and they need God's Love through us. We can all sacrifice at least a blanket or a coat for someone. Jesus was stipped to nothing on the cross.
At first I thought you'd accidentally left the zeros off the ends of those temps. Then I remembered you live like, next door to the North Pole or something.
Our homeless population is growing, too. Our women's ministy gets non-stop requests from the new shelter in our area. It's like feeding a baby bird - we never seem to be able to do enough and the needs are so great.
When we first arrived here, the wealthiest country in the world and saw the homeless people on the streets of San Francisco, I honestly couldn't make any sense of it at all. Now after living here for a decade, it still makes absolutely no sense.
best wishes
Haunting - but it's the opposite of cold here right now. It's supposed to get much, much colder next week, though. Living in a very small place, it's easy to forget about the homeless - thank you for the reminder.
Haunting - but it's the opposite of cold here right now. It's supposed to get much, much colder next week, though. Living in a very small place, it's easy to forget about the homeless - thank you for the reminder.
Great reminder.Your description of cold is almost frightening. One year we had an ice storm, and it is one of the worst memories of my life. Makes you re-think homelessness.
Post a Comment