Winter is the time that my church opens its 90-day severe winter homeless shelter both in Hillsboro and Forest Grove. The homeless shelter is one of my favorite places to be from December to March. I have been a volunteer for many years now. Some of my homeless friends come back for several years and some I only see for one season. The miracle of the shelter is that many of my homeless friends who were with us for many years finally found housing and now have chosen to become volunteers. My very best friend Jeffrey was a guest for 4 years and has now been a volunteer for 4 years. We actually came to the shelter the same year. We used to play chess when he was a guest and he would always beat me. He still says “Semper Fi” since he was a marine in Vietnam.
The shelter guests and volunteers become close over the 90 days and we laugh, cry and pray with each other. We play games, do chores and talk about our lives. For many years, I thought that our job was to help the people at the shelter find homes, jobs, recovery or mental health treatment. I found though that some found homes and jobs and some did not. Some found recovery from their addictions or treatment for their mental health problems and some did not. I finally realized that treating our shelter guests with dignity by spending time getting to know them and loving them is what I am able to do for them. And that gift is more than enough. That is really what all people need the most.
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