Room at the Inn

My wife and I volunteered to help with Room at the Inn which was sponsored by our church (Pursuit Church) in Denver, NC. This was an incredible experience for me. Basically our church provides 13 homeless men (we called them neighbors) a place to stay for the night. We pick them up at a designated place down in Charlotte and brought them up to the church. We had to make up 13 cots (with mattress), we provided dinner and breakfast in the morning, and our church has two showers for them wash up. We also had cloths for them if needed, and also provided them a lunch and care package when we took them back to Charlotte. The neighbors were incredible people and it was our pleasure to help them. They were all very thankful for a place to stay, especially when the weather has been so cold and rainy. As the neighbors came into the church we greeted them, and it was our job to help one find a bed and get comfortable. I randomly picked a neighbor and it was the beginning of my journey with Arthur. I walked him to the bed area and picked one out. He dropped his stuff and immediately I welcomed him. We bonded pretty fast. Not exactly sure what I said, but he opened up real fast. We were talking about professions, places we have lived, and how we both got to Charlotte. We walked over to get food, and we sat down together at a table. Two hours later, we are both still sitting there talking about life, God, and where we see ourselves in the future. He asked me a question that took me a while to think about... he asked why I volunteered to help with this? I told him that I have always had people in my life to help me when I was down and out... and I know I am lucky that way. I want to give back to those who may need help or just an encouraging word. Arthur was an incredible man, he is from Norfolk, VA. Grew up there. He and his wife are no longer together, and their daughter (age 16) lives with his ex-wife, but talks to her from time to time. He has one biological brother, but has four cousins who his mom basically raised, so he really has 5 siblings. He biological brother works for Fedex. His mom is no longer alive, but his dad is and still in a home back in Norfolk. Arthur drives heavy equipment on construction sites. He told me there is basically nothing he cannot drive. He was injured a few years ago, and the company he worked for could not keep him on. I am not sure how everything went down, and I did not want to push the boundaries too far, but it seemed like some other bad things happened. His injury was crazy. He was shot 6 times by an intruder in his home. God was watching him that day. It was a miracle but none of the 6 shots hit anything vital. The doctors were actually amazed. Problem was the rehabilitation... something went wrong there and he is still struggling a bit. He is determined to get back on to construction work, and he came to Charlotte for a doctor that is will to help and get him cleared to do just that. I am truly praying for Arthur, and I will never forget him. We talked about so many things and we just connected. We HAVE to remember that the people we see on the street or homeless are HUMAN BEINGS... and God created us to be equal (even if that is not how some people may see it). He was someone I truly admired and I think things are going to change for him. I know that my family is blessed, and many are not. I want to find more ways to help. This is a goal and I will fulfill it.