 Stories Bring a “Rush” for a US-2 Missionary |
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by Tiffany Stanley |
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As I type, three huge tubs of candy sit on my desk—and I can’t stop eating them. They are left over tokens from our children’s extravaganza. I’m preparing to crash anytime now, a downward spiral from the sugar rush. Now, after six months, I sometimes feel the same way about my placement here at Warren Village. I worry that I will come down off my high soon. Despite the 12-hour days and weekend work, I’m still excited to spend time at this transitional housing facility with the 250 people we house within our walls. Despite the countless hours of donation sorting, meetings, volunteer organization, childcare and speaking engagements, I still find things too good to be true. On the days when burn-out seems inevitable, a light will find me somehow. More often than not, these lights come in the form of stories from our present and past residents. Their strength and perseverance inspire me. There’s Elizabeth, whose minister husband beat her so badly that it was once thought she would be permanently disabled. As she heals from the trauma, she is earning a degree in biochemistry and caring for her children. There’s also Michael, who struggles to raise his 13-year-old daughter, all the while expressing his confusion over make-up and high heels. There’s Brooke, who overcame drug use and domestic violence to become a healthy, involved parent to her three boys. And then there’s Amie, the West African woman who was forced to flee her native land after the death of her husband. While caring for her youngest son, she’s training to become a nurse, and will shortly have enough funds to bring her three other children from Ghana to the United States. The best part of my job here may be getting to teach residents about sharing their own stories. As a journalist, I’ve always loved stories and one of my favorite Bible passages is Proverbs 31: 8-9: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Everyday I get to speak up for people and teach them to speak up for themselves. And like most communities that missionaries serve, I think their stories are so important because they have not been given a voice in the past. Each resident of Warren Village is considered homeless by the state of Colorado—though the “Village” saves them from living on the street. I find that when I go out into the community to speak about these issues, many people think homeless means middle-aged. They are often shocked to find that the average age of a homeless person in Denver is just 9 years old. All of our residents are single parents. Most are women. Many, if not all, have suffered horrific abuse, mostly at the hands of an intimate partner. Some made poor decision early in life: having children very young, abusing drugs and alcohol, getting involved with bad influences. Some were married and living a normal middle-class lifestyle until a tragedy, a health crisis or divorce forced them into poverty. Some are refugees, foreigners in the United States, unable to speak English well and struggling to make ends meet. Despite their varied backgrounds, all our residents want to one thing: a second chance. I think that’s the beautiful thing about Warren Village and others like it. It offers grace, a new beginning, a chance at redemption. With all the backgrounds, religions, races and creeds present among Warren Village residents, my own eyes see the Gospel played out again and again as they pursue a new life, complete with hope and faith and love. G.K. Chesterton said, “Every good story is simply a retelling of the gospel.” I see that every day. I recently read a devotion by Winn Collier that talked about how God is the greatest author and Jesus His greatest storyteller. As Christians, we have a Bible and parables that have survived millennia and translations. WE have a God-crafted love story in the Gospel. As a US-2, I’m still eager for the stories that God will write for me and the others, over the next two years—even if many of them lack the “rush” that these months have had. Tiffany Stanley is a US-2 missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries serving at Warren Village in Denver, Colorado.
Date posted: Mar 10, 2006 |
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