Final Blog-Thea

In the “Wizard of Oz,” before Dorothy taps her heels and returns home, Glinda the Good Witch asks her what she has learned. In this final blog, I (Thea) want to share with you what I learned in my 10 months at the St. Francis Inn.
First of all, I learned that voluntary poverty is not so bad. Yes, it was really hot the last month without air conditioning. But I taught for years in Florida without AC and we lived without it for a number of years in our house. When we own things, the things end up owning us. We had only one car, and we only used it on our day off when we went to New Jersey for birding. Otherwise, we walked or took public transportation everywhere. We had no yard to concern us, got our books from the library and bread, desserts and some meat and vegetables from the Inn. We had to decide each week what we would do with our money, and we couldn’t do everything. For example, if we went out to eat, half of our week’s money would be blown, and that meant little money for gas or food. So we had to prioritize our wants and look for free activities in the city. Planning what to do with our free time was an event in itself. However, our poverty was VOLUNTARY. Our guests sometimes are not just without air conditioning, but have no electricity. We had the luxury of one car; they walked from the bus stop with canes and walkers. My challenge upon returning to Hickory is going to be living more simply so that resources can be available to others in our country and elsewhere.
By living next door to the Inn, we were surrounded by poor and homeless people both day and night. The effect of being poor and serving our brothers and sisters is far different from driving in from a middle class neighborhood and doing service. Barricades are removed and I found that I was much more empathetic with those in need, as well as they were more trusting of me. I learned there really is such a thing as “ministry of presence.” I hope I can avoid an “us and them” mentality in the future.
Secondly, I found that making systemic change among the urban poor is really hard. The reasons that people are coming to the Inn are as varied as the individuals themselves. Some are addicts, some mentally ill, some have serious illnesses or physical disabilities. If the people were plugged into the social service infrastructure of Philadelphia, it was still difficult for them to get to their appointments on time using public transportation or even call for appointments. The people who were supposed to help them were overworked at best, and apathetic at worst. One of my frustrations during my time at the Inn was that I was not instructed as to the resources available in the community, so if I did encounter someone with needs, I rarely knew where they were to be referred. Several of the Team at the Inn did have this knowledge, and they were generally the ones who took care of the office during the day and could assist the guests as far as the system allowed. When people are powerless and undereducated, they need an advocate who can help them navigate through the labyrinth of agencies.
Thirdly, I realized that the opposite of love is not hate, but fear. When people don’t know anyone who is poor or homeless, they are afraid of them and avoid them out of fear. The same rule applies to people of different races, ethnicities and faiths. Because of my experience here, I will never look at a homeless person in the same way. If people had the opportunity to spend time with those they fear, like immigrants, Muslims, liberals or conservatives, we would not be hearing the harsh diatribes that currently beset the political scene.
Fourth, I found out that many people have a generous spirit and want to help those less fortunate. The Team here is motivated to serve because of their belief in Jesus. But they want to invite others to share in their ministry and give others an opportunity to come into contact with the poor. I was heartened by the hundreds of volunteers who personally came by the Inn to serve the meals during our time here. There were countless other benefactors who donated everything the Inn uses from bread to cakes to fresh produce to dishwashing liquid. Others prayed for the needs of the Inn. It was always amazing to me (and this shows my own lack of faith) that when we were totally out of diapers or needed hot dog rolls for a meal with hot dogs, that the doorbell would ring and the needed item would be there. The many people who read our blogs and sent encouraging messages, packages to the Inn, cash donations or came in person to work have all contributed to helping the poor of Kensington.
Finally, I leave here with a sense of gratitude I never had before. I took for granted the gifts God had given me. Oh, I gave thanks for my health and the fact I always had a job, but I now see that nothing I have is my own. Everything, from my house, to my organizational skills, to my ability to teach things to people, all have been given to me by the generosity of God. It was extremely humbling to me to know that I was not in charge of my life. My response to God’s love for me has to be greater love for other people. How I am going to engage in this response is still not clear to me, but I will be open to what presents itself to me when I return home.