On this Frigid Winter Night, I am Thankful for... A warm bed for all.
As I drove home tonight shivering in my truck with the temp at 15 degrees, and expected to be below zero by morning, my thoughts went to how happy I am to know that my homeless friends will all be safe and alive in a warm church basement through the night.
Just over a week ago we reopened our warming shelter in Stevens Point at the Frame Presbyterian Church.
So happy that the kind parishioners at Frame have opened their doors and their hearts to the people in most need of a warm bed on our cold winter nights.
Some of the faces are the same as last year, and many are new, with several new volunteers and several new guests.
Always a pleasure to get to know all of these people on the two nights each week that I am blessed to be a part of this important mission.
If you would like to contribute to this mission through Money, Time, Supplies, or some Healthy Food please contact Tiffani or Joel and we will welcome your contributions.
Photo credit, Tiffani Krueger
Below is a post from last year that will give a little more info on this mission and the people involved.
10 Days of Gratitude; day 4, Warm Cots at Stevens Point’s Warming Shelter
Tonight as I left my warm home, scraped the ice and snow off of my car and headed out into the cold blustery night to take on my shift at the warming shelter I was so grateful that we finally got this needed resource opened up.
I know a lot of folks who spend their days and nights on the streets and it is good to know that they will have a warm bed until spring.
Last year Tiffani Krueger, our local angel to the homeless and others in need, and her fellow saints at the Evergreen Initiative worked hard to get this resource opened up at our Franciscans Downtown location, but due to tremendous pressure from a few neighboring businesses and govt officials it was not to happen.
Fortunately no one froze to death, though we did lose 5 due to various health issues this year, tough to be sick, worse when you don’t have a real home to go to.
So this year she again worked hard and found some wonderful hosts at the Episcopal Church who offered us their community room and other facilities to keep our homeless warm starting November 1st.
It is a very nice facility, good location, plenty of room, and even has internet so that the volunteers can work on their business stuff while being available for our sleeping guests.
This has been a tough year for homeless; the numbers are up, the main shelter that the Salvation Army runs has been full for a while, last I heard it was at about double their normal capacity.
Our facility is designed for those who do not fit in the Salvation Army shelter due to overcrowding or other reasons such as sobriety or just not getting along.
Tonight all the cots were full even though a few familiar faces were missing, I hope that they are safe and warm enough wherever they are camped out tonight.
| "I asked my Savior, what should I do?....He answered so clear and so bright... Are My hobos sleeping in your roundhouse tonight?" |
this morning I am grateful that God has placed me here to do my part to show His love for a few of His people on a cold blustery Wisconsin night.
