Since the age of nine I've been serving alongside my family on Tuesday nights at a homeless shelter at our church. Most nine-year-olds wouldn't want to be hanging around with homeless teenagers, but somehow it was something I looked forward to every week. Now, eight years later, I still keep in touch with youth I've met and enjoy watching some of them take steps to create better lives for themselves.
Out of the Cold is an interfaith program that relies on volunteers to feed the homeless in our city and give them a warm, safe place to sleep. My parents help lead the program at our own church, which has the only Out of the Cold for youth under 25. Serving there through the years has certainly opened our eyes to the pain in this world. My 16-year-old friends are into creating music, eating healthy, part-time jobs — the usual stuff. The majority of teenagers who attend our program already have a lifetime of hurt behind them. Most have been separated from their families, have about a grade eight education, an addiction to drugs and, in many cases, they suffer from depression or other serious mental illness.
Instead of giving these kids the cold shoulder like many of their own parents, our amazing volunteers set an example for many, including myself, by welcoming them with open arms. They do everything they can to make the guests enjoy themselves and they offer love — without judgment — to those most in need.
It hasn't always been easy for my sister and I. Sometimes it was hard to give up our parents one night each week. And I was annoyed at one guest, only 16 at the time, who was sent to jail. I was frustrated because she got so much love and attention from my parents, and she wasn't even part of our family. I soon realized that love is the basis of our program.
1 Corinthians 13:3 states: "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. "Without the agape that our volunteers give to the youth, our program wouldn't mean much and wouldn't affect the lives of those who attend. My parents and the other volunteers have been major role models for me. They have showed me what a servant heart really is. Just like Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, so we should serve the needs of the ones who are the most in need of love. No matter how smelly, tough, or bitter they may be, all are in need of love. And what's more, loving others truly does bring joy!
This program has been both a blessing and a struggle. It's been hard at times for my whole family to hear about the problems that the guests have: hearing about addictions, depression and deaths. We usually can't solve these problems, we can only listen. Watching others struggle breaks my heart; however, it has also given me so much compassion for others and has been a motivation for many of the volunteers to want to help the guests get back onto their feet. One of the joys of the program is when we get to witness so many of our regular guests, whom we've watched struggle, get apartments, and begin a better life.
Having my family so immersed in this program has created a new dimension to how we view life. Life is most certainly a gift we should share. The experiences we have dealt with throughout our time serving at Out of the Cold have made each and every one of us more compassionate towards others, more thankful for all we have, and gave us a new love for life.
