Good Works, Inc.

 

By Zea Miller

            One significant relationship that I have formed this summer is with two of the kids who have been living at the Timothy House, Jimmy and Jordan. I met them during orientation week when I went to the Timothy House for the first time. I was feeling a bit nervous but also excited about what my experience there would be like. This internship has been the first time I have spent a significant amount of time with people who are experiencing homelessness and poverty. I was apprehensive about what it would be like to step into the space belonging to this group of people and try to learn from them and also show them love.

Since Ashley (another Summer Interns) was preparing dinner, I felt like it might be helpful if I helped by playing with the kids in the living room. I have had some experience with younger kids because I have babysat pretty consistently throughout high school and college. As soon as I began to interact with them I could feel the joy and energy that they carried with them wherever they went. I felt like I could see in them the other children I have babysat and taken care of in the past. I felt an overwhelming sense of compassion and love for them. I wanted to make them feel loved and noticed as I played with them, and not make them feel like they were a burden. It was a very life-giving experience for me to try to engage with them on their level and be creative and imaginative while playing with them. I noticed that they were both extremely smart and had a sense of wonder and interest in the world that I think is a unique gift 3 and 5 year-olds have.

I remember one night when I was reading a story to them Jimmy and Jordan snuggled next to me as I read them one of those books with too many words on each page, or at least too many for a 5 year old and a 3 year old. I knew I had about 15 seconds before one of their tiny hands would shoot out and impatiently flip to the next page. Jimmy climbed to sit on my shoulders, and wrapped his arms around my neck. I normally would have told him not to choke me, but it didn’t bother me that evening. I remember clearly reading a line from the book about a father running to a girl and catching her up in his arms. At that exact moment it felt like Jimmy hugged my neck tighter. He told me to stop and read that line again. I remember him saying something like, “Go back to that part you just read– about her dad.”

I read the line about the girl’s father catching her up in his arms in her moment of distress again. Jimmy hugged me and focused on the picture, and then we moved on. I don’t remember how the story ended, but I remember that line. I think that it is hard for anyone to hide what it is they long for, but 5 year olds have a purity and simplicity about them that makes it easy for the deepest desires of their hearts to shine through. And in that moment I felt, or guessed that Jimmy wanted his Dad. And for some reason this was the moment for me that broke my heart. This was not something I was expecting, but I felt like suddenly, from the bottom of my heart, I wanted Jimmy to have his Dad too.

I remember that during our orientation for the Timothy House, Andrea talked about how when you develop a relationship with someone who is experiencing homelessness, and witness more of their story than a snapshot, you will no longer see the situation of that individual as an interesting story, but you will start to wish that they didn’t have that story. I think that my relationship with Jimmy and Jordan has helped me understand and process this statement. Through being with them I realized that they are not just cute kids that make for a good story for people who come to volunteer at the Timothy House, but they are individuals who are struggling because of circumstances beyond their control. I am grateful I met these two amazing kids at the Timothy House, but I am even more grateful that they are in their own home now, and I pray that God will continue to work in their lives and that they would grow up knowing how much God loves them and cares for them.