2021 October
By a Joy Junction Staff Member (JBF)
Suppose you have worked many years in the same job, but then the company gained a new owner and downsized the employee count causing you to lose your job…
Suppose you’ve been as healthy as can be and then an unexpected illness hits you and causes you to be off from work too long, which results in you losing the income to pay your housing expenses…
Suppose you find yourself in an abusive relationship and you have to sneak out of the house, with just the clothes on your back, to find safety…
Homelessness.
It usually hits when no one is expecting it.
There are all kinds of reasons why people have wound up homeless. They may have lost a job, their health, their family, or any number of things could have happened which caused them to lose it all.
They are now without the things they’ve grown so accustomed to having.
The security a person feels in having a place to rest their head at night, and easy access to food in the refrigerator, is suddenly gone. They may feel very vulnerable…scared…anxious.
It hits hard.
Most in that situation have also lost their hope. They feel useless and without purpose. We all need a purpose in life.
Every single person has worth and is important. With a home or without a home, we are valuable and are needed in this world. It takes all of us doing our part to make things run smoothly.
That’s why we try hard to make a difference.
Helping those who have fallen on hard times is one way we can help each other. It gives us, and them, purpose.
Offering a special dinner to someone who would most likely not have a holiday meal is a way for us to reach out to them. When they eat a Thanksgiving meal with us, it provides an opportunity for us to share about our shelter and program options. That opens up a possible new direction for them. Sometimes, that is the very thing they need to begin to move forward.
During our annual Thanksgiving feast, we will serve a holiday meal of turkey with all the fixings, plus dessert and coffee, to anyone in the Albuquerque area who is hungry or homeless.
Providing for their physical need (hunger) is the beginning of being able to provide for their spiritual well-being. If you or someone you know would like a meal, or more information, please call our business office at 505-217-9586.
If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,”
but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
James 2:15-16
