When we arrived at Harrisburg, people were starting to go to bed already. I did not consider the fact that the weather is getting cold which will make people go to bed earlier and earlier. We met three people and had an opportunity to talk to them but two of them seemed to be on drugs. Andy, Chris and I came back to the campus around 11:30pm concluded that it was meaningless to stay. On the way back in the car, there was a heated discussion about our ministry. Andy questioned about the impact of sleeping with the homeless people. I argued against Andy telling him that we cannot expect too much yet since it is only the beginning process and told him that sharing similar experiences will build stronger relationship between the homeless and us. To be honest, I did not have that much certainty about what I was telling Andy. When I wanted to start a non-profit organization, and eventually thought about sleeping with them, I was very excited about influencing the homeless and ultimately change their lives. However, the harder I tried, the further the solution seemed to get.
Last night, one of my friends Chris joined us to sleep with the homeless. In fact, there were at least three other people who promised to come but Chris was the only one who kept the promise – the other two had to go to a concert on that night. My goal in the beginning was to make people be aware of the austere situation that the homeless are experiencing on the street and that awareness will make people to help them out. Unfortunately, now I realized that such a goal is not easy to accomplish. I have been eagerly advertising what Andy and I were doing to my friends. In fact many of my friends expressed interests in joining us but one thing I have noticed was that some of them seemed to be more interested in an experience that is “cool” to talk about. I know some people go to Harrisburg with Andy on Friday; however, I wonder how many of them really comprehend what they are doing; I am very curious how many of those people understand this as a mere “cool field trip.”
I strongly believe that it is critically important for us to balance things. For me, to be honest, college life comes before this homeless ministry. In my opinion, God has called me to Messiah College and excel at what I am doing (Accounting) so that I can glorify Him through it. He knew that this is the best way for me to serve Him. For me, therefore, the homeless ministry is a way to help me to have a better picture of the world where I need to serve the Lord. For I am one of them, I totally understand when college students struggle with balancing things. I think it is not a big problem to not joining us but I think when people join our ministry, they need to have right understanding of what we are doing. Our ministry is not a short term field trip in which we go to Harrisburg and feed some hungry people (or talk to them) to see the homeless saying “thank you” and feel better about ourselves. We need to understand that they are part of us and brothers in Christ who need love, care and other needs. What we need to do is to become part of them by approaching them in many different ways to tell them that they are not forgotten and different from us.
Andy and I had a long conversation about these issues. Trough the conversation and our experiences out in the street, I have also learned that the solution I was getting was wrongfully focused. All the things we have been doing and will do are for no one else but for God. I wanted the ministry to be beneficial for my friends in Messiah College and the homeless people but those were the wrong objectives; Andy and I need to just be part of the plan (not the plan itself) that God has, and do not need to be too much stressed about making a change.
As a conclusion, Andy and I decided to spend as much time available with them and share experience yet, balance things. Fortunately, we are not taking any classes during the month of January. I am looking forward to spend more time with the homeless during the month and make a documentary to provide opportunities to others who have not seen what we saw. However, during the school years, we can only try our best to spend our time for the homeless. At this point, I do not expect our method to be most efficient and effective. It is very possible that we cannot make a huge impact or change both in the homeless community in Harrisburg and Messiah College. No matter how influential out ministry will get, as long as we have right minds, actions, and objectives I think we can play our roles at the best. That is all that matters.
Issac Won
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