Give the homeless a home

I once heard a homeless man complain to the crowd at the Fourth Street subway station in New York: "The menu provided in the shelter is always the same, it's always meatballs, spaghetti, and orange juice." This impression remains in my mind. Once, in a milk tea shop I frequented, I saw a black homeless man nicknamed "Water Pipe" outside the window. He was holding a cup of pearl milk tea worth more than three yuan. He took a sip and threw it on the ground. I was shocked to realize that everyone has their own unique taste buds, even homeless people.

In the past few years in the United States, I have been traveling here and there, and I have seen many homeless people, but as a Chinese and a woman, Du Hong is the first one.

About a year ago, I met Du Hong at an American church next to the Park Street subway station in the city center. I like the open diversity of this church. The senior pastor said: "If you are looking for a perfect church, then you have come to the wrong place. But if you are looking for a perfect Savior, then you have come Right place! "I also like the location of this church. As soon as I get out of the station, I can see the historic landmark of the white bell tower. Especially in the cold New England winter, it makes me, a subway person, feel a sense of wonder. Very considerate. It is undeniable that the humble and humane kindness of Pastor Chen and Mrs. Chen who lead the fellowship are the main reason why I won’t leave.

Behaving strangely and uncontrollably

The worship service ended at 11 o'clock on Sunday morning, and immediately after 12:30, I attended a focus fellowship group composed of international people. The members are divided into groups based on their native languages. Currently, the main languages are English, Spanish, French, Iranian, and Mandarin Chinese.

Du Hong now attends the Chinese table chaired by her wife, and her fixed seat is between her mother and Ah Shan. Brother Ah Shan's nose may not be as sensitive as ordinary people, and he may not be able to smell the pungent smell emanating from Du Hong.

Du Hong looks about forty. It was close to two o'clock in the afternoon on Sunday, which was also two-thirds of the time for the group fellowship. She was wearing a bag-style patchwork coat and walked calmly to Mrs. Chen's side. After putting away my belongings, I walked to the long table where the food was placed, filled the whole plate, returned to my seat, and started eating happily.

Du Hong came to the church about three summers ago. With her plump bust but cool clothes, many brothers sitting nearby shouted that they couldn't stand it and fled one after another.

According to Du Hong, she is a Christian and has been baptized in a church out of state. She is also a U.S. citizen, married, and her husband is American; she has a seven or eight-year-old son, and the father and son now live in Europe. She graduated from a key domestic university, came to the United States to study engineering, and holds two master's degrees. Sometimes she would introduce to others that she grew up in the United States. However, this argument is difficult to be confirmed by her obvious accent. When she first came here, she often laughed for no reason at parties, and her laughter was very harsh and unbearable.

One time when I went to the toilet, Du Hong happened to be standing next to me. From the empty space below, I could vaguely see a pink-orange foot stepping on a large-toed shoe without a heel. I thought to myself, she is quite fashionable, wearing such hot pantyhose. Walking behind her, I took a closer look, Oh my God! That turned out to be the true color of her skin, and the heels were cracked with several openings, like charcoal that turned white and black after being burned and cooled. In addition to skin infections, Du Hong also suffered from poor eyesight and was always struggling to read the Bible while squinting. Some people asked kindly and were willing to provide some medical help, but she poured cold water on them and said, "I'm not a six-year-old child. You don't have to worry about my business!"

▲Du Hong was sitting in the church saloon, taking out the clothes she collected, tearing them up and transforming them into new clothes that she wanted.

Fight against all opinions and accept dishonorable people

Her appearance naturally aroused criticism and attention from many people. In particular, many compatriots in China often asked her: "Can you tell her not to go to church? Du Hong really embarrasses the Chinese people!" or said: "You let Du Hong "Happy, we are out of luck." Wait... When the teacher's wife was interviewed by me, she said firmly: "I told them that the door of the church is open to everyone, and we cannot refuse Du Hong."

But Mrs. Chen herself was not in a good mood. One time, Du Hong gave a loud speech at the Chinese group table next door. For the sake of order in the meeting, Mrs. Chen got up and moved to sit next to Du Hong, asking her to pause so that others could also have a chance to speak. "It's incredible! Du Hong yelled at me on the spot: 'Don't think that you are great just because you know a little bit about the Bible!' He said all kinds of ugly things and scolded me really badly!"

The teacher's wife smiled bitterly and shook her head and said, "Faced with this kind of conflict, there is nothing to say except admitting her mistake to Du Hong. But as time went by, she became much quieter, her temper was more restrained than before, and the style of her clothes changed. No matter how exposed I am, I won’t disrupt the gathering, and my speech will be quite focused.” All these things comforted my wife.

I really admire Pastor Chen and his wife for their high level of patience and acceptance, but I am also curious about how they did it? The teacher’s wife said: “Looking at our entire fellowship, no matter whether they are foreigners, Chinese, immigrants, illegal immigrants, or refugees...in fact, everyone is very pitiful in front of God. Don’t look at everyone dressed neatly and beautifully on Sunday. But they all keep their problems and worries inside. In comparison, most people don't think Du Hong stands out. Most people worry about how others see them, but Du Hong doesn't have this attitude, and she doesn't think so. I am worse than others.”

The teacher's wife added: "After two years of painful training, if the sisters at the Chinese table still don't see her by two o'clock, everyone will start to get anxious and will not be relieved until Du Hong appears. Some people I will also take the initiative to leave a plate of food for her so that Du Hong, who is late, can have something to eat. It is also good for everyone to learn to care about and accept some unlovable people!"

If we go back two thousand years and the scene is the same time and space as Jesus, what kind of people did Jesus hang out with most? To use modern terminology, they are either disadvantaged groups or marginalized people. is not that right? Prostitutes, tax collectors, sick people, poor people, children... they are all dishonorable people in terms of status but not status, in terms of power and power. To put it more bluntly, they are all dishonorable people.

Generally speaking, the United States has been a Christian culture for a long time and is relatively well-educated in humanitarian care; on the other hand, the Chinese take care of their relatives wholeheartedly, but are indifferent and inactive towards strangers. This phenomenon can be seen even in churches that emphasize loving one another. Taking Du Hong's case, how many Chinese churches in North America, located in the richest district in the world, are really willing to be open to receive this kind of people?

Pastoring a church is like raising children

"Human power is very limited. Everyone's conditions are different. There are too many people in need of help. Helping people is like raising a child. It is impossible to take care of them from beginning to end." The reason why Pastor Chen and his wife are able to Treating Du Hong with a normal heart is closely related to their ability to use a freeing mood and have different "views on parents."

"The second oldest child in our family lives with our son-in-law out of state. The son-in-law has a part-time teaching job in a school with a pitiful salary. He is only in his early twenties and is preaching and serving. Pastor Chen said: 'Even if he is in his forties It’s hard for people to have such a profound understanding of God.” We all felt like we had received a treasure, but my mother-in-law was worried whether her grandson-in-law’s salary could support his God-fearing wife and children. I believe God will take care of them. My daughter and son-in-law have a clear conscience and pray and praise God together every day. What’s wrong with that?”

Mrs. Chen continued to talk: "There is also my third child, whose grades are mediocre and not as outstanding as his two sisters. Other parents would be anxious to death, but we know that he has tried his best, so there is no need to hold him back. Sisters compare. Besides, he does very well in sports. As long as he grows up healthy and happy, we will not force him anymore."

The teacher’s wife was really embarrassed—there was a sister who had a doctorate degree and was very emotionally unstable. She always imagined that the senior pastor of a certain church was interested in her. No matter day or night, I would always call and harass my wife. There was another visiting scholar who was always worried that she was being monitored by the intelligence unit. Although she was willing to receive counseling, she was unable to rely on God as her master. "Many people have reached a point where the burden of life has drained them of all desire to pursue God. But Du Hong puts God as the center of gravity and rarely complains. In contrast, in many difficult cases, Du Hong has a pure heart. , but become the most willing to accept God.”

During the Chinese New Year, members of three groups of Chinese tables gathered to discuss performing a poem to encourage singing. Everyone was in the kitchen that day and was busy. I was surprised to see Du Hong wearing a new khaki fur vest and a pair of clean gray sneakers. She usually arrives late at two o'clock, but she actually shows up before the party! She sang very passionately that day. Singing, singing, I could feel her singing gradually changing its tone and becoming more and more excited. I hurriedly walked up to her, patted her shoulder and said, "Du Hong, sing slowly, don't get too excited!" Fortunately, she was very considerate that day and everything went smoothly.

▲There was an old homeless man sitting outside the church, greeting passers-by with a smile, but his smile could not conceal his desolation.

Give them a safe and comfortable home

It can be seen that Du Hong is very relaxed and comfortable in the church. Sometimes she would go to the kitchen and cook a bowl of instant noodles by herself, and make dinner at the same time. After the meeting, she would go to the piano and hit a few notes. Sometimes she would take out the clothes she had collected and tear them into the style she wanted; or she would find three chairs and just lie there and take a nap.

The teacher's wife is right, the church is her safe zone, where she does not have to be alert and worry about being violated by the outside world. At least I can have a good meal and sleep with peace of mind.

That day, Du Hong sang the minor-key poem written by Xiao Min, "Tell me the path I should take, without slipping to the line of death...", her voice was high and trembling, which must be the expression of her inner feelings. Du Hong likes to read the Bible and often expresses thanksgiving to God when praying. After fellowship, she continued to attend evening services at four o'clock and even six o'clock. She said: "I am quietest only on Sundays during the week, so please don't bother me!"

Facing such a sister, she will definitely need help in many aspects. The teacher’s wife said: “Although we cannot provide for all her needs in life, as long as Du Hong is willing to come to the church every Sunday, what we can do is provide a lunch and contribute to her spiritual growth. With the help of others, we treat her as a sister among the church members and give her human dignity. Our current difficulty is that we cannot mention some sensitive topics to her without being criticized. We hope that one day, she will be more open. , and can tell us the actual needs in an orderly manner.”

I often see an old homeless man sitting outside the church with a sign next to it that reads: "Smile! It's a law!" Although he practices it, he also greets passers-by with a smile. , but compared to Du Hong’s happy and contented smile in the church, the old man’s smile looked even more desolate.

(Editor's note: This article is based on real reports and interviews. All characters in the article have pseudonyms to respect the people involved.)

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fuchuanOriginally from Taiwan, now living in the Eastern United States. Live a simple life, eat, drink and have fun, and feel at home all over the world.