Volunteers Meet Life Head On

 

           

Let’s face it, for a single mom with small children, Calvary Refuge is not the best place to be.  Why, because the best place for any family is to live in its own home.  Unfortunately, for some families that is not possible, so they are welcome to come and temporarily live with us.  This thought came to mind recently when our Sunday School class came here one recent night to feed the homeless.  We witnessed something unusual and heartwarming.  Here is the story:

 

One of the couples in our class had recently taken in some foster children and are now in the process of adopting them.  Normally, when our class comes here to feed, some of our members bring their children to help serve the meal.  On this occasion, the adopting couple brought their foster children with them.  When they arrived, one of the children said, “We know about this place.  This is where we use to live with our mom”. 

 

This was a big surprise to the adopting parents, who knew that the birth mother had been homeless, but didn’t know she and her children had once resided at Calvary Refuge.  Our Transitional program manager was on duty that night and recognized the children and warmly welcomed them.  The children wanted to see their former room, so the program manager took them there for a brief visit.  Then, being quite familiar with our dining room and kitchen, the children joined in the serving of food to the current homeless guests.  As the rest of us became aware of what had taken place, we agreed:  Calvary Refuge had served its purpose well for that single mom and her children.  So, yes, Calvary Refuge is not the best place for a family to reside, but for a homeless family it is often the next best thing.