A Page of One's Own: The Homeless

For one thing, we can, as King Benjamin taught, cease withholding our means because we see the poor as having brought their misery upon themselves. Perhaps some have created their own difficulties, but don’t the rest of us do exactly the same thing? Isn’t that why this compassionate ruler asks, “Are we not all beggars?” -Elder Holland

I've spent the last three months becoming fairly well acquainted with a number of homeless people. Every Friday and Saturday, I go to the Food and Care Coalition in Provo and serve dinner to pretty much anyone who shows up. Last week, a man came in drunk and proceeded to sexually assault a client. A woman worker came up to him and told him that this was unacceptable behavior and BOOM, any temper restraint was gone.

He starts screaming at her, gets all up in her face and is about to hit her when another worker steps in and starts pushing him around. The cops were called. (Provo police must be bored or something, because five cop cars pulled up and started pepper spraying him.) Anyways, the room falls quiet and I can feel everyone say: Sweet! Dinner and a show. I was over in the corner giving a tray to an old woman who had very obviously been on drugs her whole life. Her shirt was ripped all over and her hair was stringy. She walked with a cane because of a physical disability. I dropped the tray in front of her as the drunk man began to scream at the woman worker.

The homeless lady immediately stood up to her whole five foot nothing and yelled: "I DON'T CARE HOW DISABLED I AM, I DON'T TALK TO PEOPLE LIKE THAT!" I laughed at first, and then I started to really appreciate what she had said.

After I had held her back from getting in the pepper spray action, I started thinking about if I would have done what she did, and I came to the conclusion that I'm really not sure I would have. I was inspired by her willingness to 1) recognize her own weakness, and 2) stand up and say that despite that weakness, she believed in being kind. Plus she was just sassy and I really loved that.

I met a man a few weeks ago who suffers from PTSD from the Vietnam War, and can't hold a job because he's never been treated. He is part Native American and draws incredible artwork.

I met a patchwork family who is pieced together from many other fragmented, broken families. The thirteen year old girl has a newborn baby, and they all live out of a truck while trying to find an apartment that they can afford. I held her darling baby every week and she told me about her dreams.

I met a group of men who love 80s rock. I would play the piano and they would shout out songs and jam with their long hair, ponytails, and skull shirts.

We pretty much all have the same problems going on. Some of us are lucky enough to have a support system and treatment when needed, and some aren't. We all want acceptance, love, accomplishment, fun. I want people to be proud of what I create, like the Native American who draws. I want to jam to music. I want to brag about the babies I'll have someday.

I cringe when I'm with someone and we pass a beggar and the immediate reaction is: He brought it upon himself, or, he probably just wants drugs. I have spent the last three months interacting with many, many homeless people. I'm here to say that some of them just want drugs, and some of them don't. I also am here to say that no matter who you are, standing on a street corner is humiliating, and every person standing on a street corner has a story. I really have no idea what it feels like to live in poverty, and I don't pretend to. I imagine it must be difficult, grueling, and humiliating at times.

Whenever I pass a homeless person, I think of what Elder Holland said last year: "From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus loved the impoverished and the disadvantaged in an extraordinary way."

I am not exactly sure if Jesus went around giving money, although I recognize the value of this, as this is a real and immediate need. Everything I've learned about Him teaches me that He's all about self-sufficiency and hard work. However, I appreciate all of the ways that different people do what they can to help the human condition, including programs, funds, assistance, and empathy. I think Jesus more often than not probably went around recognizing that the poor were just as much people as the rich, the privileged, and even the apostles. That is one of my favorite things about Jesus, and one that I recognized stronger than ever as an old, drugged-up lady with a cane stood up to the rescue of a friend.