Homeless

I had recently noticed how dingy my khakis had become after living at the camp in Idaho, and this morning I saw the toothpaste stain still on my shirt after all that scrubbing last time I did laundry. I also was annoyed by how quickly my flip-flops had worn out after only 2 months of use.


In the evening we went to the Resuce Mission to do the evening meeting. As I looked around at all dirty, smelly people who wear the same t-shirt and jeans day after day, I felt out of place being so clean and cute, and so vain for being bothered by a small stain.


Last year when we were in Vegas we stayed at the Rescue Mission and slept on the chapel floor. We ate all our meals with the residents and then served food to the homeless a couple of times. Where we are staying this time we drive past the Rescue Mission everyday, and see them lined up and waiting for food.I’m sad that we don’t get to interact with the homeless and poor as much this year, especially since I just finished reading “Under The Overpass.” It had been on my reading list for a while, but the timing of reading it just happened to line up with our arrival in Las Vegas.


Now I sat in the meeting at the Rescue Mission wondering what their lives were like. Everyday wondering where they’d get their next meal, looking for water to drink and place to use the bathroom. Longing for a shower…or had they forgotten what it felt like to be clean and not worry about finding food?