A Home Among The Homeless

The past week I have been getting settled into my internship which I started Tuesday. The first several days at Christ's Body were awkward. I hardly knew any of the staff, and I did not know any of the homeless people who came in. A large part of Christ's Body's ministry is building relationships with those who come in to be served. Considering many may be skeptical of the new kid, not to mention somebody who grew up in an entirely different world, talking to Christ's Body's clients has not been easy. However, over the course of the week I've settled in, am getting comfortable with the homeless, and am extremely happy that I am at Christ's Body. The staff is incredible and I'm starting to find a second home among the homeless and the community at Christ's Body. I grew up in a society where the stigma of homeless people was not great. Sure, that society had sympathy for those in need, but many also believed that if these guys would just get a job, their problems would be solved. I've been learning that the problem goes much deeper systematically and personally. A lot of those on the street have mental illness and addictions they can't kick no matter how hard they want to. Also, for many of them, leaving the streets is essentially giving up their community. One of my new friends and coworkers, who has been homeless for 18 years, told me "I can't just put myself together like a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces just aren't there."

I have loved everything about Denver so far, but I have to say the best part is my walk home from work. I walk by the skyscrapers and capitol building and am always lucky enough to have a good conversation with a stranger or two. Some conversations are surprising, like the guy who tried to sell me morphine pills. Sometimes I even get to walk with some of the homeless leaving Christ's Body for the day. I also usually run into a man named Daniel who hangs out at the end of my street. I always make it a point to stop and talk to him. He doesn't have many teeth, but he always has a good attitude and is able to make me smile. The other day he and his buddy had 10 coconuts lined up and were playing "homeless bowling." We are starting to become good friends. Today he gave me some tips on meeting the ladies. I appreciated the advice, although, I don't know if I'll be using all of his suggestions.

On a lighter note, Life at the house is great too. I'm getting along with all my roommates despite a small fiasco dealing with snack foods. Because we are expected to provide our own meals Friday thru Sunday, I have discovered that I'm a pretty good cook. Friday night I made some great fried chicken which I put on a sandwich with bacon and avocado. Saturday morning, I made a delicious breakfast burrito with homemade hashbrowns, sautéed peppers and onions, bacon, and a fried egg. Today I made some oreo pancakes for breakfast and a patty melt for dinner. I roasted my own green chiles, sautéed some onions, and topped it with some bacon. It wasn't quite waffle house caliber, but it was pretty good. Living with 10 other roommates can still be a bit stressful, so I make sure to get some time alone at the park playing mandolin or reading a book and thinking about my experiences.