Is there hope?

I spoke at a fundraiser for the homeless in Anchorage Alaska last Friday night. Earlier in the day I visited the kitchen where the meals are cooked and served; it is called “Beans Caf”. I had an opportunity to speak to their “clients”, (the homeless), and afterwards I was interviewed by a local television crew. The snappily dressed reporter was very unfriendly and she acted as though she would rather have been anywhere than Bean’s Caf. Her questions were sharp and I did not see her smile the entire time that she was on the premises, (not even one time). She looked around the room at all of the homeless and their tattered rags and dirty appearance and she asked, “Do you really think there is any hope for these for these people?” (She seemed to hesitate as she searched her mind for an adequate description of those poor souls milling around the caf, but settled on the word “people”.)

I told her that I was glad that she recognized the fact that these were indeed people. Most folks want to refer to them as the homeless, winos, crack-heads, and crazies and cannot relate to them as being people with feelings and a soul. I am told that something like 67% of the Bean’s Caf clients are mentally ill. Mental health facilities will not take them due to overcrowding and their relatives just dump them off in the street, often in their wheel chairs. Many of the other folks at Beans have alcohol and/or drug addiction problems, and another percentage are just down on their luck. All of them are homeless, hungry, and among the poorest people in the world; however they are all indeed people.

I then responded to the reporter, “Yes I think there is hope. I am told that forty seven of these people died downtown Anchorage year before last; they froze to death right on the streets of one of America’s major cities. Last year there were only twelve deaths, because some people, (many of whom support Beans caf), made and continue to make a concerted effort to get these people off the streets at night and into shelters.”

She appeared annoyed and stated that her question was related to hope in regard to these “people” ever changing. I smiled at her and told her that through the grace of God I was able to change; I suppose I qualify as a person. I told her that one time I looked like these “people”, and that I have eaten in plenty of missions and can state unequivocally that the Salvation Army was my number one favorite. I like that organization because there were no questions asked, there was no condemnation for my being in the state I was in; there was just concern for a fellow human being who was hungry and very poor. “Yes I believe there is hope!”

I told her that I have known thousands of drug addicts, alcoholics, and street people and I never once met one who wanted to be in the position that they were in before they started their fall. I am told that addiction is for the most part hereditary, it is a progressive disease, and is incurable. It starts with social drinking and/or mild experimentation with drugs and progresses with each drink or use of drugs until it ends up as full blown addiction. Alcoholics are alcoholics for life; they can stop drinking, but they remain an alcoholic and the same goes for drugs, but there is hope. God is a powerful God and can fix anything that is broken. He fixed my life and He can fix others and therein is the hope.

I spoke with a Native American man at Beans Caf on Friday. He was soft spoken and slight of build and I could tell that he was very intelligent. He told me that he had been the mayor of a small town in Alaska and had some marital problems and tried to solve them via a bottle and the next thing he realized he had been on the street for fifteen years. He asked me if I had any support when I straightened out my life and I told him that things were not as organized back then as they are now and that I had not had any formal support from a rehab facility or the like, but I was fortunate in finding a wonderful wife and eventually a good church. He told me that he wanted to try to straighten out his life again and really make an effort to get back into society and he thought he would try again. I highly encouraged him to do so and gave him my personal cell phone number to call if he ever needed someone to talk to and told him I would be part of his support team. The expression in his eyes was one of gratitude for treating him with dignity and not condemnation. I also talked to another young man who wanted to get off drugs and had been going to church and he told me that the people at a local church had established a program that had really helped him, but he had fallen off the wagon some. I told him that it was essential to become involved in a good church organization and he promised me that he would go over to that church organization that day and renew his efforts.

Yes there is hope. Yes they may fail, but they just might succeed. I’m glad there are people who care like those at Beans cafe. Mother Teresa dealt with the most wretched of humanity including the poorest of the poor, and the sickest of the sick including even those with leprosy. She would lovingly hold these poor wretches in her arms and comfort them as they literally died in her arms. A reporter asked her how she could do it. She replied that as she gazed into their tortured eyes she saw the face of Jesus. I have never forgotten reading that and many of us might think about this the next time we see one of these lost souls.

Jesus Christ told us to help the poor and perhaps this place or one like it closer to your home would be a great start. If you just cannot find it in your heart to help feed someone who drinks and takes drugs, Beans caf also supports poor children by preparing meals for school kids who can get free breakfasts and lunches at school, but have nothing to eat at night or all weekend. These are good places to donate some of your hard earned money or to work as a volunteer.

Jesus Christ offers hope and He is merciful. Shouldn’t we be likewise?

Matt. 9:37
Then He said to His disciples, “The
harvest is plentiful, but the workers are
few.