A Story To Give Hope To The Homeless: Part 4

After we left our friends apartment we moved into my grandfathers basement. My grandpa was in the hospital at the time and so his house was vacant. We stayed in the tiny basement for two weeks until we had to leave. My older brother stayed the night a few times while we were there so we had our family together again for two days. But then the time came. We couldn't stay in the basement any more and there was no where else to go. We had to move to a homeless shelter. The shelter was actually very nice. We got two big bedrooms and two bathrooms and the doors locked so we didn't have to worry about people stealing our things. There were a few negative things about it though. We couldn't have sleepovers and we needed to be back in the shelter by 10pm. The problem with the No Sleepovers rule was that me and my sister were planning on going to camp that month, but once we signed out...we could never come back.
   But we moved in anyway and we decided to worry about camp when the time came. Living at the shelter was interesting. Mostly boring at times. The food there wasn't that great but we went anyway. Every day we would go to a Walgreen's that was two blocks away and we would get a little snack. We ended up becoming good friends with one of the ladies who worked there. We say we "adopted her." Even now I call her my big sister. I honestly don't think my 3 year old sister realizes that we aren't actually related to her...oh well. I'm not going to be the one to break her heart.
   But there was so much pain and sadness confined in that shelter. Most of its occupants were single mothers of many children. It broke my heart to see them struggle. They needed Christ SO badly! Looking back on it, I wish I would have done something. I often smiled towards this little girl during the meals and played Peek-A-Boo. Her smile made the meals less boring. I didn't like sitting in that cafeteria while my siblings took forever to finish eating but that was all I did. I never shared the gospel or did anything. But I did pray for them. Every day. Even now. I was content with being in a homeless shelter, but because I knew God had a plan. These people didn't know that. They had no hope.
   It was a crazy month. One day the fire alarm went off at 6am and we had to evacuate the building. We lived 4 blocks away from the beach...we only went there twice. But I can still remember the day I left. I packed my bags and went down into the lobby with my family. Every day when we left we had to sign out on a sheet of paper, so when I left my mom had to sign a piece of paper saying I was leaving. I watched her hand as it shook to sign it. I told myself I wouldn't cry, but when my mom shed a tear I lost it. We both cried as we went out to the car to take me to the bus that would take me to camp for a week. It was sad. I cried when I left on the bus and I waved goodbye to my family. I cried like a little girl. Yet God still had a plan. He continued to guide me and I didn't know it then, but He was making me to be the person He wants me to be. Every time I moved, every time someone hurt me, every tear I shed...that was all God.