Seeds that Matter

Street Youth Ministry has several missional communities within the UT student body. Missional communities is a very wide topic, and I frankly don't know everything about it... perhaps even very little. I just want to present the case that it matters. Our MC is not bible study; it's not preaching; and it's not worship. It's not even always churchy or obviously religious in nature. 

Simple Communities Loosely Bound

Our MC is composed of students who have seen the homelessness around the UT campus and who want to respond compassionately. One MC gathers at the CHOP regularly to share a breakfast with hungry young homeless people and to help them express some attitudes about prayer, God, and faith in a safe place. We don't preach; we don't admonish or warn. MC members--student from UT usually, simply sit with homeless young people and share answer to simple questions like "I'm thankful for what?" "What's going on in my life is ____." and "What do I want God to do in my life?" We require everyone to agree or even have the same ideas about God. We just hang out and share these simple things from our heart. 

Another MC meets on Fridays at 4pm to simply go out on the street and meet homeless people in the campus neighborhood. We take simple sandwiches, snacks, socks, and toiletries to give away if it would help. But the main purpose is to simply check-in with people and find out how they are doing. The MC meets about 25 people each week, about 5 new people each week. Out time spent together isn't about giving stuff away. It's about sharing a little of yourself. Stopping to talk and listen to a homeless person who lives in the UT neighborhood. Finding out how they day has been. Finding out where they have been and where they are going. We always ask "How can we be praying with you? What would you like God to be doing in your life?" They usually have answers and we share those answers with prayer warriors who pray during the week.

Seeds of Change Planted in Community

So how is this missional? We see change start to occur all the time. Homeless people served are impressed that people take the time to be with them. And when they find out it's a Christian group, they are usually even more surprised. Often they share their experiences with "church" from the past, usually negative. MC members listen and don't argue. They try to understand. We often apologize for how it's been for them. We tell them that has little to do with Jesus. We even sometimes get to recommend churches that we believe will be welcoming to our homeless friends on Sunday. Frequently they go. Sometimes they find a new church home. Many times a semester, they reconnect with God in a significant way. And a couple times a semester they connect with Jesus for the first time and the church gets the privilege of baptizing them. And a newly baptized homeless person can be an amazing evangelist!

But that's not all that happens in our MC. The MC members are transformed. We have no criteria for joining our group except a willingness to serve and to try to develop compassion. MC members sometimes have an inactive prayer time or inactive worship life when they come. But as they learn and develop compassion, they often find their Christian life invigorated! Not all MC members are Christian. Some are from other faiths or of no faith. As the MC experiences God's provision for homeless people right in our midst, it is often difficult to have no faith. Something begins to grow. MC members frequently find themselves moving toward stronger faith, sometimes even joining churches for the first time.

Missional Communities Matter

We know that our missional communities make a difference. They make a difference to the homeless people served. These people are loved well by our community. It impacts their lives in a very positive way. We also know that our MC members grow closer to one another and to God by their activities. They find themselves more aware of God's presence in their live daily and of their need for Jesus every step of the way. And it's in community that any of this is possible. Simple, non-churchy, accepting community.

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Thankful Clients: A Facebook Message

We received this from a young lady we have worked with for almost a year. About 25% of our clients are women. Half our clients are under 25. We have three or four pregnant girls and new fathers at most any time. We work to have the best outcomes for each, exploring options, exploring faith and simply being there with them daily.

Client: "I just wanted to say thank you for everything you do for all the street kids in Austin. I am really grateful for everything you do for me, even when it seems like I don't. so I just wanted to say thank you"

Terry: I appreciate that. I don't need to hear thank you all the time but it's great when I do. You looked great today!

Client: "Thanks I looked good because of one of your programs that helped me look like [with new clothes and a safe, peaceful place to gather myself up]. I am trying and thank you again."

Terry: You are simply welcome! I am praying for a great outcome for you!

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The Economics of Used Clothing and Shoes

Today I read an article that Oklahoma doesn't need used clothing and shoes. I want to say that SYM categorically does need them in Austin, Texas. There flat out is insufficient supplies of adult clothing for our our impoverished people here in Austin. Clothing is rationed and people regularly are turned away with shoes falling apart or pants torn due to lack of stock and sizes.

The agencies responding to the crisis in Oklahoma correctly point out that cash is more flexible and requires far less work to manage. They point out correctly that is makes more sense to stimulate the local economy in a crisis by enabling people to purchase new items for themselves. SYM completely agrees with all of this, however, we have to be practical when dealing with a daily flow of impoverished clients seeking help. Funds are not available to cloth our impoverished in Austin. However, we are blessed with volunteers and people willing to donate used clothing. And I know there is a lot  clothing out there. We just need to organize it and get it to the right spots.

First, let's establish some scale of need for SYM. I would love to receive 500 to 1000 pairs of used adult practical shoes today. We and those we are partnered with can give out 30 or 40 pair of practical adult shoes weekly, about 25% women and 75% men. We can use flip flops, practical sandals, work shoes, work boots, army boots, and even practical dress shoes. Most used shoes don't last long, unfortunately, and especially when they are your only pair and worn without "rest" every day. We have the storage for about 1000 pairs right now. We don't have the money to ship it, but we can manage it once it's in Austin. Would we prefer money to purchase 30 or 40 new pairs of shoes weekly? Sure... but we have to be practical. And there are choices... we'd far rather spend that type of cash on food or rehab or health, for example. For the records, we need about the same number of shorts and belts. These are always in short supply, especially for men. I'll finish this paragraph by stating that we also give away about 100 pairs of socks every week and could probably give away about that many underwear. (Our ladies prefer panties and our men prefer boxers or boxer-briefs.) We strive to give away new socks and underwear but sometimes we don't have them.

With that paragraph out of the way, let me share my dream. I dream of the local church in the Austin area collecting used clothing, laundering it, folding it, sorting it, and holding it in a closet. Each church would become part of a network of churches, feeding upwards toward every clothing closet in the city. Some would be collection points; some secondary hubs; and some primary hubs. We'd have a supply network with storage, ready to deliver when needed by a closet. It's not easy to run a clothing closet, but it would be easy to be a collection point and supply hub. That's our dream! Certainly we'd like to see it for our most excellent clothing closet partner, University United Methodist Church, and we'd love to see it for every clothing closet in the city. UUMC has the most space dedicated to clothing storage for the poor that I have seen in Austin, and yet they must ration mens clothing and rarely have shoes to fit their clients. We could change that! Distant small towns saving clothing and moving it on occasion to suburbs. Suburban churches saving clothing and moving it to larger hub churches. Volunteers at clothing closets sending out emails to their hubs with monthly needs to be filled. It would be awesome!

Why bother? I think it's important that the local church gets involved in the lives of all the impoverished people right in their back yards. I know that simply buying "new" clothes would be "cheaper" if you factor in people's time. But the time is a precious gift, and it may make more of an impact that the clothing can ever do.

If you're part of a network of churches who would like to organize this clothing railroad, please contact us. This railroad would have a lasting impact on our city for years if not decades to come. It would be green, it would foster fellowship and church inter-working, and it would be run by people who care for and encourage those impoverished in the city of Austin--now 11th largest city in the country. It would be a blessing to the poor and, I know, the volunteers would be blessed as well.

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Gingerbread House 2012

We have built a gingerbread house with our clients at Christmas for many years now. They always write a story as they make the house. Enjoy this imaginative story that gives so much insight into the hearts and life of our street-dependent young clients! Merry Christmas from us!

 

Gingerbread House 2008

A street youth inherited this land from a distant uncle named Juan.  And he was told to share his good fortune with those in need. He put solar panels and made it a safe squat spot, and he also installed a garden for for fruits and veggie to feed the hungry. He also provided food and shelter for pets inside the house, along with warm blankets and hot cocoa. They painted the walls white, and installed a heavy wooden door to keep out the cold. All the extra money from the solar panels helped provide clothes and schooling for the occupants. 

 

Tish, Jessica, Joshua, James, and Ashley all lived in the house. James was in the attic and Tish was in the basement. All the extra rooms were used for guests, games, and one was a boohoo room from the movie Life.  Magic dust covered the roof, and it brought cheer into the house. The walls are held together with love and understanding. The marshmallows are people that come to admire the house. The marshmallow-rock on the roof fell from space, but it doesn't affect the occupants so they left it there. Gum drops adorned the roof and the east wall as Christmas lights so that the house can be entered into the trail of lights. They even added a snowman on the roof to contribute to the decorations.  They put up a Christmas tree inside that they decorated with handmade dough ornaments, and they placed a shiny gold star on top.The chimney was multicolored, like Joseph's coat of many colors. It incited jealousy in all the neighbors, so much so that the chimney maker was sold into slavery. 

 

Gingerbread House 2010

 

The occupants played Christmas music on homemade instruments. A leaning tree was planted in the yard by Joshua, so that people would remember him.  The snowman was made into a rabbit-cable antenna so that they could watch TV. Briana built a snowman near the guitar on the front door and he would occasionally play for the occupants. Daniel finished the east wall, started by Tess.

At the end of Christmas, all the candy decorations were eaten by giants from an unknown place. Dawn enlisted smurfs to defend the house from giants. They took up residence on the roof. The logs on the south end were placed there by a wicked witch to attract Hansel and Gretel. 

The pattern acts as camouflage so that people outside cannot distinguish the house from the forest, so that they cannot be busted for taking kids. The kids can see the house because their sense of curiosity leads them into the yard.

Gingerbread House 2012.   Become a volunteer in SYM.

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Be the Change

We participated in a Be the Change service project this year. We agreed to lead about 20 people through making sandwiches and handing them out to some of our clients. Our intention was to attract college students from UT, teach them who our clients are, stash some sandwiches in our freezer for a later date, and help our clients. Before the event was available for registration, it was booked fully. A group signed up. But we didn't know who they were.

 

We opened the door and in came a group of adult traditional Indian men and women. Some were more elderly. Many were practicing Hindus. They begin putting together sandwiches. Some could touch the meat and others couldn't. They worked through teamwork to complete the assignment. They have regularly made peanut butter sandwiches as a group and given them to the Salvation Army in the past.

 

Then I began to teach them about what we do and who we serve. They have lots of questions. I provided them with a great background, but some questions simply cannot be answered with words. I gathered them to go out and meet clients.

 

They met quiet clients. They met mature clients. They met rebellious clients. They met pregnant clients. They met clients who had slept out in the rain the night before. They gave each love and attention, and offered them food, clothing, and other donated goodies.

 

In the walk back and the discussion afterward, here are there observations:

 

I liked how respectful they were.

I liked how smart they are. One greeted me with a few words of Hindi.

I was surprised that all didn't want everything, but they did want to talk.

It was hard seeing pregnant girls and knowing they live on the street.

I was touched to see a young man crying in your arms.

I heard you talking with a Muslim and not judging him. He was very open to you.

I was surprised to see how much of a family they are. When you told us that earlier, I didn't believe you, thinking maybe you were exaggerating or "maybe in la-la land." But it's true. They really care for one another.

It was hard to see the ones that are rebellious and so unhappy.

 

We closed our service project in prayer. Christians, Muslims, and Hindus praying together, acknowledging that only God can change and heal these precious children of God. It was a great day. 

 

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Wash Day

Most of us take clean clothes for granted.

As part of our ministry, we do laundry for clients. On a cold night recently, we served 29 people with food, snacks, new-to-them-clothing [needs.streetyouthministry.org], many of whom did laundry. We actually ran out of laundry money and were saying no to a couple folks. And then one of the participants remembered a $20 bill that had been passed to them earlier in the day as a gift. They donated it so we could do the last few loads. We cleaned up well (we're welcome guests at the laundromat and want to keep it that way) and were leaving.

A client came in after ever with a small handful of clothing, proclaiming "I'm too late." I decided to do his laundry, too. As we waited, I asked if he needed anything, pointing to the truck with donated clothing in the bed. He looked straight down at the ground and said, "Ummmm... no." All his face muscles went slack, too. So I asked again and said, "You're really welcome to anything we have that would help." He still said, "No." I told him what I noticed about his body language. He admitted, "It's hard for me to accept things. I don't need as much as maybe other people out here."

We went inside from the cold, and I asked over the sound of the washing machines, "How can I be praying for you?" He considers himself Catholic, but said, "Praying is hard for me. I have to think so long about what to say." I said loudly, "Dear God,... Hear us." And then softly, "Now, we're praying. Let's just talk about what you want God to do in your life. That's it." He then began to tell about how much he depends on his car and that it's broken down. He asked that he would get help to fix it himself. He then explained that he's on the waiting list to get into Job Corps to finish high school and learn welding. He asked that it would go faster. Then he expressed anxieties about the type of people there: "I'm afraid they drink and use drugs, and the temptation might be too much for me." So we prayed for good and clean friends there and for strength and self-control. Then he asked, "I want God to keep my father, step-mom and younger siblings safe at home." He expressed a disconnection from them and an inability to share the truth with them. That led to an expression of guilt from leaving them and shame over the things he's done on the streets. He's not ready to go back, but he profoundly misses them and knows they miss him. We prayed for reconnection with his family in a safe way that didn't necessarily mean quitting his quest for what his life it to become but rather meant connecting with their love and being able to give love. Then he prayed, "I want my mother to someday learn what being a mother should be." We prayed for reconciliation and healing of wounds from this relationship. 

Eventually his clothes were clean and dried and it was time for me to go home. 

As I drove away, I thought, "Pretty good washing!" and prayed, "Thank you, Lord, for being washed clean, for the privilege of helping other to wash, and for the opportunity to serve."

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"To know, love and serve street dependent youth."
Who We Serve   What We Do   Get Involved  Support Us   News  Publications  Ministry Needs   Speaking   Service Projects   Sign-up

Become a fan on Facebook!
Mobile? No problem: m.StreetYouthMinistry.org.
I'm a notary for benefit of clients and supporters. Ph: (512) 553-3796
Volunteer or donate (tax deductible) online
Arrange a meeting with me: tungle.me/terrycole

Follow SYM: