Rough Day
Today was a bit of a rough day with stories I was pulled into today. I’ve been working with a woman that approached me this summer at NLFW with an eviction and need of help getting her belongings into storage as she was approaching homelessness. I was able to help along with a bunch of different volunteers get her stuff moved over a couple of different days and she was able to secure housing. A couple weeks ago she contacted me with the same story as she was unable to continue living in her current situation and the need to get her belongings into another storage facility.
Did what I knew best and told the story to my network and got some progress. A few people responded extending their help and hopefully, things will come around. The verdict is still out on her housing, but progress was made today.
The other part of the day was spent interviewing a Congolese refugee named Darious. He had a successful career in DRC as an accountant and in 1997, when the political/tribal war broke out in DRC, he saw his brother murdered and was forced to flee into the bush(large forest) for 8 months with nearly 600 other people. By the time he was out of the forest, he was only 1 of 12 that survived. He then found himself in not much better living situation in a refugee camp in Zambia for 5 years. He was apart from his wife and 2 kids at the time for 2 years. Only God could have reconnected him to his wife that happened to flee as well and was taken to the same camp. As they were going through the process to be relocated to the US, his wife died leaving him with now 4 children. Needless to say it’s been a rough 5 years for him in the states, but he’s making it. He just moved into a Habitat house 3 weeks ago.
It was a remarkable day to say the least. From not knowing what to do for the woman that’s becoming homeless or at least knowing what to do but needing help to do it to hearing a story that I couldn’t have dreamed about.
Tomorrow I sit in a summit with other non-profits in Fort Wayne to get a better understanding of all the issues in our city. The City is trying to figure out what to get behind and how best to do it. Should be an interesting day.
