A Story To Give Hope To The Homeless: Part 5
I'm way behind on this but better late then never right? Well, 2 years ago I had just left a homeless shelter and then spent some time at Camp. After Camp I moved in with a young women from our church and her son. Me and my sister moved in there. Into their 2 bedroom apartment. This women had a lot going on in her life and really, she couldn't take in two girls. But she did. She opened up her house to us like we were family. But we ended up living there at least a month and a half. Maybe 2 months. That in of itself was significant. I hadn't stayed anywhere for over a month since my apartment. She helped me with school and she would stay up late to talk to me and my sister. She would ask us about how we felt.
But of course lice was going around so we ended up getting it at some point of us living there. I could go on rants for days about that. I don't really mind having lice, but I despise how I'm treated when (and months after) I have lice. I feel like an outcast. Because it would be the end of the world if someone got a stinkin bug on their head so don't you dare go within a 20 foot radius of my kid! Ok, I'll take a breather. But that's how I felt. It hurt me a lot emotionally. But this women...she didn't panic that we had lice. Not even a little. She set rules: Vacuum the bed every day and we'll comb your hair every night. And we worked through it. She made it fun. Every night while she combed through our hair we would talk and paint our nails. She asked us about how we felt being homeless and really allowed us to talk about how we felt. So I was okay. I actually enjoyed it.
I remember one day she took me and some friends to Navy Pier and I rode the Ferris wheel for the first time. Yeah I was scared out of my mind and I practically cried a river...it was fun. My family would often visit us while we were living there and spend the day with us. It was truly an amazing experience that I could never thank them enough for.
But of course that day came. They were leaving for Camp. Meaning: We had to leave. That day was the first time I almost panicked. We had been homeless for over 5 months now and that night...I was scared. No one could take us. No one. I can see it all. I was standing outside a friends house by our van and the adults were talking. My family had to leave the shelter soon (because they would only allow you to say for so long.) so me and my sister would just sleep in the car for a few days. No big deal. We would be ok. But still...after 5 months we were finally out of options. With no where else to go. Then a women steps in. She volunteered to take us for a few days, until my family left the shelter and we would then move somewhere else. Again: God provided. Even when it got scary, He was there. So we stayed there. Of course, with me being as emotional as I am, I cried myself to sleep. I missed the family I had lived with. I hated goodbyes. I cried myself to sleep the next night too. I missed them so much it hurt. But this other family I stayed with for a few days was very gracious to me and I am so thankful that God provided!
I still held on to the verse I had heard back in March. Though I couldn't remember the reference at the time I remembered that God spoke to me and said "I will build you a house." 5 months. No house. Patience. I would need some. But I knew God had a plan. He always had. Not once had I had to be actually homeless and live on the streets. Though I almost had to sleep in my car, I would have been fine. I still had so much to be grateful for. God's hand was in it all. Slowly molding me and setting things into motion to create a beautiful story.
But of course lice was going around so we ended up getting it at some point of us living there. I could go on rants for days about that. I don't really mind having lice, but I despise how I'm treated when (and months after) I have lice. I feel like an outcast. Because it would be the end of the world if someone got a stinkin bug on their head so don't you dare go within a 20 foot radius of my kid! Ok, I'll take a breather. But that's how I felt. It hurt me a lot emotionally. But this women...she didn't panic that we had lice. Not even a little. She set rules: Vacuum the bed every day and we'll comb your hair every night. And we worked through it. She made it fun. Every night while she combed through our hair we would talk and paint our nails. She asked us about how we felt being homeless and really allowed us to talk about how we felt. So I was okay. I actually enjoyed it.
I remember one day she took me and some friends to Navy Pier and I rode the Ferris wheel for the first time. Yeah I was scared out of my mind and I practically cried a river...it was fun. My family would often visit us while we were living there and spend the day with us. It was truly an amazing experience that I could never thank them enough for.
But of course that day came. They were leaving for Camp. Meaning: We had to leave. That day was the first time I almost panicked. We had been homeless for over 5 months now and that night...I was scared. No one could take us. No one. I can see it all. I was standing outside a friends house by our van and the adults were talking. My family had to leave the shelter soon (because they would only allow you to say for so long.) so me and my sister would just sleep in the car for a few days. No big deal. We would be ok. But still...after 5 months we were finally out of options. With no where else to go. Then a women steps in. She volunteered to take us for a few days, until my family left the shelter and we would then move somewhere else. Again: God provided. Even when it got scary, He was there. So we stayed there. Of course, with me being as emotional as I am, I cried myself to sleep. I missed the family I had lived with. I hated goodbyes. I cried myself to sleep the next night too. I missed them so much it hurt. But this other family I stayed with for a few days was very gracious to me and I am so thankful that God provided!
I still held on to the verse I had heard back in March. Though I couldn't remember the reference at the time I remembered that God spoke to me and said "I will build you a house." 5 months. No house. Patience. I would need some. But I knew God had a plan. He always had. Not once had I had to be actually homeless and live on the streets. Though I almost had to sleep in my car, I would have been fine. I still had so much to be grateful for. God's hand was in it all. Slowly molding me and setting things into motion to create a beautiful story.
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