(NOTE: There is a whole lot more to this story than I can write here. The story is not over yet but yesterday was a long, tiring but fulfilling day.")
This weekend, I got a call from one of our MBA staff members asking if we could house an elderly woman who was homeless at one of the hotels in the area until Monday. I said sure and told her that I would go over and do an assessment of her situation on Monday and see what we could do if she wanted help. Monday morning came, and to be honest, was not a good one. I woke up with sinus issues(a complication of living in the south). I was tempted to put it off til another day but went because I had committed to doing it. I was rushed.On the way over, I confessed to the Lord that I was not in the right frame of mind. I was tired and groggy from the medicine I had taken and so asked Him to help me to listen, to know what to say, how to help and to prepare this lady to receive from Him what she might need to hear.
A very small, meek woman showed up and we sat in the lobby talking. To be honest, I was expecting her to immediately ask me for some money but she didn't. *Betty wanted to talk to me about her ministry to sick people in Montgomery not about whether she needed housing assistance.That was the least of her concerns. She told me the Lord would take care of that and she was not worried. She had been a nurse at one time and still cared for people. Betty's only concern was her mission and how she was going to fulfill it. We chatted and and found that we had several things in common. We were both born and raised in Alabama, we both had lived in New York City and we both felt called to missions. I asked her several questions about her life and she freely shared. I kept thinking, "there is something more here". I noticed she was having a hard time remembering things such as the day of the week and such so I immediately thought she might be on the fringes of early dementia. There was also a feeling that there was more to her story. After we talked for a while longer, I invited her out to eat with my family that night so I could get to know her and learn more. She accepted and I went back to the office to look for some resources that she did not ask for(go figure!!!).
I started making some phone calls and found that unless she was being harmed or harming others, there was not much that social services could do(not a slam on them as they are under budgeted and overworked). They just couldn't handle non emergencies. One of the workers at DHR told me to try and find out a phone number of a family member and see what they could do. I started doing some searches on various sites and finally found and talked to a sister not too far from Montgomery. *Mary told me a lot about Betty---she had a mental illness, in her 60's and had been missing for several weeks. No one had heard from her and they were worried. I knew it!! I had had that feeling that her family was needing to hear from her. I decided to go with that "nudge" and sure enough, it was the right direction. The sister connected me with this lady's daughter, *Ann, who lives in Italy, and we talked for a long time. I found out more of Betty's history and we talked about options for her mom, who desperately needs some guidance and stability. We are working on a long term plan to help her, and together, will hopefully help her to be safe. Ann got to call her mother and reconnect with her and encourage her to get some help.
Betty is a gift from God. She is a beautiful woman, who genuinely wants to be follower of Christ and literally do what the Bible says about loving your neighbor. She has grace, speaks softly and loves the Lord. She hungers for Him daily and her overwhelming need to minister put my own calling to shame. Despite her illness, she wants to serve but because of her illness needs care and support. My prayer is that if she goes to the place her daughter and I hope she goes, she will have it all. She will have support so that she is taken care of and she will be able to minister to those around her which is her hearts desire.
Pray for Betty. Though it is not her real name, God knows. She is his precious creation and He loves her. It was no accident we ended up meeting her. A family was reunited today and that made me happy.
Reminders from the day.....
1. It is vitally important to listen to people when we are "helping" them. They will tell you, if you listen, what their "real" need is, not what you think they need. I thought she needed or wanted a place to stay. She needed to be reconnected to her family. She wanted to but was afraid they would be mad with her because she had left home. She also did not know "where" they were because of her memory loss. Proverbs 18:13 says this: "Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish".
2. Let the Holy Spirit guide you. If you stop and let the Holy Spirit guide you, you will be able to sense what the real need is and will know what to say and do. John 16:13 says this: "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come".
4. Investment in someone else's life is worth more than a bag of groceries or a hotel room.....yes that person may need food or housing but spending time with them is more important than anything. Slowing down and letting those things go that you think are important, is the key to loving a human being. Loving your neighbor requires investment. Laying down your "busy life" to help someone in need is what Christ asks us to do.
* not their real names.
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