Dear GrowTH ...

A letter from a guest to the shelter

BY PAUL TEBB

Sept 2019

Below is a beautiful letter written by a guest who stayed in our shelter a few years ago. As you read it may it spark both joyful encouragement as well as continued passion to love and serve those experiencing homelessness!

“All of us, for different reasons, are homeless. Some of us began to sink in the quagmire of alcohol, some have become a drug slave, some people are delving into gambling havens and some of us cannot sustain the everyday pressures of life. But all of us have become homeless for one main reason – we forgot God. Since plunging into the pleasures of life, we have stopped hearing and seeing. Many of us have lost a job, families and cozy homes. Into our lives and into our hearts came darkness, frost and suspense. We are on the edge of the precipice. In our blindness, we thought that God had forgotten us. It appears that we were wrong. When the pain and darkness has fettered in our hearts, God stretches us a helping hand. And God’s hands were you, Christians, who did not forget our God. Did not you have given us shelter when we come from the street? Is it not from your hand, we receive warm and delicious food, is it not your hand that has filled us with hot tea and coffee?

“God stretches us a helping hand. And God’s hands were you Christians”

Every one of us have come to you with their personal grief, and their own personal problems. But you took the time and patience for each of us. With your, and God’s help, a lot of us have been able to make things better for ourselves and are on the way to making a change in our lives to get out of this situation. It is difficult to express in words, what kind of work you have done. Shelter, clothing, food, a cup of hot tea and a warm welcome, it’s just a small part of what we have received from you. Much more important than all these goodies is the warmth that we have received from your heart.

Many of our ears for a long time have not heard of compassion, hope, empowering, encouraging words and also a bit of well-needed humour. From your hearts, the warmth was sent into our hearts. For many of us, your support and consolation was like a life elixir. We hope that many of us have felt the grace of God through you and will return to the house of God, with an even stronger faith and love of God.”