I had nothing more

Very few times in my life have I ever felt truly scared. There are 2 moments in life that come to mind. The first moment was the first time I ever spent the night on the streets in Hollywood, CA with my homeless friend Joe. I was 22 years old and slept behind a restaurant on the cement. I had nothing more than the clothes on my back and I hadn’t really planned to stay with my friend but he was suicidal and it was the least I could do to be there for him. As I tried to sleep I was cold and had a fear of being robbed or woken up at any moment. It was one of the worst nights of sleep in my life and I actually had forgotten my wallet the night before. I woke up exhausted, hungry, and I truly could relate to those who face the daily struggle of homelessness. I often think back to that night when I see the faces of our guests at breakfast in the morning.

The other moment was when I worked as a firefighter in Neodesha, Kansas. The local Dairy Queen had gone up in flames on New Year’s Eve and it was 13 degrees outside. My partner Ross and I were first crew in to make entry after we had broken out the glass in the front entrance doors. As we entered I was the front man on the hose with my partner right behind me. It was pitch black and neither of us could see a thing as we worked our way toward the heat source. When we were just about to the fire we heard the firetruck sound the horn for us to evacuate. Although, you train time and time again for these moments when an evacuation is called it means the building is most likely fully engulfed; its time to drop your hose line and get out because there is the possibility of the building collapsing.

As we turned to evacuate my partner and I lost track of each other and there was a moment of panic because I was alone. I yelled as loud as I could, my partner grabbed my shoulder, we retraced the hose line and made our way back to where we had made point of entry.

I share these stories because when you’re facing the daily struggle of homelessness and living on the streets every day and night has an aspect of fear. When you’re a women they struggle with the fear of being raped of abused. The fear of being robbed of what little you have is always at the forefront of your mind. It’s stressful and I can’t imagine the toll it takes on one’s body and mental health to go through this battle each and every day.

A majority of the guests I talk with at breakfast will tell me their happy just to be alive. They wake up and thank the Lord for another day and are grateful that Jesus died on the cross for their sins. They know that one day they will have a permanent home in Heaven and that their time in this broken world full of sin is only temporary. They encourage me and remind me that most of my problems in life are not that big of a deal. I have a home, a loving family, and friends who have always been there for me. I am truly blessed.

Pray this week for the safety of those who sleep on the streets. Ask the Lord to protect and bless them. Ask the Lord to keep them healthy. Each and every one of us has been given the ability to make a difference in the lives of others by praying for them. Even when you feel there is nothing you can do for someone or change a situation, God can make it happen.

Nate Smith

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:40

“These days there is a lot of poverty in the world, and that’s a scandal when we have so many riches and resources to give to everyone. We all have to think about how we can become a little poorer.” – Pope Francis

Morning Glory Needs

Bulk Coffee for Breakfast and Lunch

Men
Tennis or walking shoes
Jeans, shorts, and belts
Boxers or briefs M, L, XL, XXL

Women’s
Bras
New underwear
Emergency Assistance

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Healthcare for the Homeless

One of the biggest challenges those struggling with homelessness face is access to healthcare. When your average person gets sick we call the doctor and get checked out. We have no problem filling our prescriptions and making follow-up appointments. When we’re sick we can stay in bed in the comforts of our homes. The Federal government defines chronically homeless as “either an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for a year or more, or an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition who has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.”

For the individual that’s chronically homeless the daily struggle is survival and finding your next meal. Many are constantly sick and it can be quite a challenge to receive the proper healthcare they are in need of. Recently, Research College of Nursing reached out to Morning Glory Ministries to see if they could bring some of their nursing students to provide wellness checks to our guests. This past week a team of 10 nurses provided blood pressure checks and vision testing to our guests. They educated them on next steps they could take and encouraged them to come back the next week to be retested.

My Mom was a nurse for 37 years and my whole life she pounded into me the importance of always staying on top of your health. Her dream before she passed was to travel to third world countries on medical mission trips but she never had the chance. For 27 years she worked in the Oncology Department at Children’s Mercy with kids who had cancer. She attended countless funerals with her
co-workers, rarely talked about work at home, prayed for the kids she worked with, and was passionate about helping and caring for others until the day she died. I learned from her the importance of taking care of yourself and serving others.

One important aspect of the Emergency Assistance Program at Morning Glory is we give bus passes to guests for appointments and pay to have their prescriptions filled. In 2017 we helped fill over 200 prescriptions for the poor, needy, and homeless in downtown Kansas City.

Pray this week for the health of the homeless. Ask God to heal and bring health to those in need. Take it one step further and pray for their spiritual health as well. Be thankful for your own health and take care of those around you who are sick.

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
– Psalms 73:26

“The one who helps the sick and needy touches the flesh of Christ, alive and present in our midst.
– Pope Francis

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It takes partners

For Morning Glory Ministries to continually meet the needs of those struggling with homelessness there is a lot of things that happen behind the scenes. It’s often not glorious but we couldn’t help and do what we do without the help of volunteers, local organizations, and businesses. This week I wanted to highlight a few of those.

Every week one of our volunteers picks up pastries, donuts and desserts from Hy-Vee and Sun fresh. The Downtown Chipotle donates 5 to 10 pounds of steak each week that we use for various meals we serve on the weekends. Gus’ World Famous Chicken (http://gusfriedchicken.com/) brings us leftover chicken every week that we feed our guests.

A majority of our hygiene products we give out in Emergency Assistance come from Giving the Basics (https://www.givingthebasics.org) . This non-profit receives hygiene products from businesses and hotels and redistributes them to agencies all over the Kansas City Metro Area.

About 85% of our food comes from Harvesters. Each week we order food at a minimal cost and are also able to shop at the Harvesters facility (http://www.harvesters.org). Harvesters covers a 26 county area and we would be unable to provide the 82,000 meals a year we cook without their support.

We have partnered with Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral for over 30 years to feed the homeless in downtown. They helped to start Nourish KC (http://episcopalcommunity.org/) an organization who provides us with deli meat for sandwiches every week. They also provide us with interns from their culinary program who come and serve at Morning Glory for 5 weeks as part of their job skill training.

Each week we have volunteers who shop at the various thrift stores to purchase clothing items like jeans that we are constantly in need of. We have also partnered with Savers Thrift Store (https://www.savers.com/) who donates us backpacks and other various clothes items.

We also partner with Enoch Magazine (http://www.enochmagazine.com) a non profit media movement that helps us with videos and design, and social media.

Other volunteers shop at Sam’s club to pick up our orders for food and cleaning supplies we use each week. We employ 4 people who are in Catholic Charities ( https://www.catholiccharities-kcsj.org/) Seniors Back to Work Program. This program pays their salaries and provides support for our staff. Many businesses and schools volunteer regularly which includes JE Dunn, Colliers, Baldwin Clothing, Mazumma Credit Union, The Smile Salon and Day Spa, Rockhurst University, UMKC, Research Nursing, St. Teresa’s Academy, Notre Dame de Sion, Rockhurst High School, O’Hara High School, Bishop Ward High School, St. Pius High School, St. James Academy, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, and Shawnee Mission Easy Junior Board, and Serve KC. Over 40 different churches and parishes also volunteer on a regular basis.

Every month over 400 volunteers choose to donate their time at Morning Glory to help serve and prepare meals. They also help to fulfill the Emergency Assistance needs of guests during the week and sort all the incoming clothing donations and organize the EA storage areas. Volunteers are the heart and soul of Morning Glory Ministries. We count and depend on them so we can continue the mission of bringing dignity to the poor, needy, and homeless in downtown Kansas City.

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How can I help?

If you spend time in any major city there is a good chance you will have an encounter with someone struggling with homelessness. In 2017 The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development presented their annual Point in Time report that showed we have over 553,000 homeless individuals in the United States. Roughly, 1 out of every 588 people are struggling with homelessness. Do those numbers surprise you? In Kansas City in 2017 our report showed almost 1,700 individuals are struggling with homelessness. This bring the age old question of “What can I do to help?”

I get asked that a lot. I always tell them the same answer. You don’t have to give them money but treat them with dignity and respect like you would a friend or coworker. If you feel led to buy them a meal do it. I never give out money but there is one thing I always offer and we can all offer; prayer. Ask them their name and if you can pray for them. Very rarely do they turn this down. It builds an instant connection between them and you. It’s a simple way to show you care.

Throughout my years of working for Enoch Magazine I’ve had the chance to interview many different bands. We always ask them if they have had any experiences with the homeless. When you spend your life on the road going from city to city you’re bound to have experience with them. Then we always follow up with the question “A lot of homeless are at the lowest point of their life but I’ve found they often claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior. What is your perception of Jesus?” It opens up a dialogue with the bands about what they believe and makes them think.

I have a place to live that’s filled with stuff I probably don’t need. I have food on the table and a job. It’s easy for me to feel comfortable every day. I’m not facing the struggles the individuals struggling with homelessness are. Every time I pray with a homeless person it reminds me that no matter who we are and what we have we all have the same opportunity to receive love and grace from our Heavenly Father. Sometimes, when things go wrong in my life I don’t always seek God first. I’ve complained, blamed others, and blamed myself when I really need to open my heart and lay it before God. I’m often encouraged by the faith the guests of Morning Glory have. It encourages and humbles me. It makes me realize that my problems are not always that big of a deal. They challenge me to seek the Lord every day and be thankful just for another day of life. I’m reminded that Jesus died on the cross for all our sins regardless of who we are or what we’ve done. He has the same love and grace for each and every one of us and no one can take that away. Our relationship with God is our own; unique and special for every individual.

Take some time this week to pray and thank God for the things you are blessed with. Thank God for another day of life and let yourself be reminded his love and grace is bigger than anything we can imagine.

“Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs.” – St John Chrysostom

Morning Glory Needs

Men
Tennis or walking shoes
Jeans and cargo shorts and belts
Boxers or Briefs M, L, XL, XXL

Women’s
Bras
New underwear
Stretchy pants/ yoga pants
Emergency Assistance
Allergy medicine
cough drops

Totals April 2018
Meals served – 8,010
Guests helped with emergency assistance – 344
Volunteers – 467

Totals 2018
Meal served – 28,167
Guests helped with emergency assistance – 1,761

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