In community, we can help carry each other’s burdens, finding Love in the Struggle

For the last few years, our church parking lot has been home to Safe Rest Village (transitional housing pods). As this chapter comes to an end, I find myself sitting with a profound sense of grief. More than that, however, I am so grateful for the opportunity to have shared this space and to have learned so much from my neighbors.

In our church building, we have the “Trading Post (free store, open M/W 10-noon),” where we offer food, clothing, coffee, and a place for fellowship. The Trading Post is available to anyone in our community but was most often utilized by the people at Safe Rest Village. In addition to using the Trading Post, many shared their stories, volunteered, and returned to the community even after finding permanent housing.

I remember the many times in my life where the kindness of friends and strangers made all the difference in a time of financial struggle and ongoing health problems. I remember how food banks helped me bridge the gap to pay my bills, and how friends “adopted” my family for Christmas so we could experience normalcy and joy. I remember the people who cleaned my house when I couldn’t get out of bed, and the “I care” checks that arrived in the mail. I was grateful that it didn’t feel like charity, they had a way of making me feel like an equal. Knowing that we all struggle and are here for one another.

Nothing changes my heart more than a story. Here are some of my most memorable:

• Overhearing someone share “I feel so safe here.”
• A Safe Rest Village resident and a neighbor who dropped off donations spontaneously joining forces to help the Trading Post staff assemble a desk.
• An individual coming in after hours wanting to share about finding housing, and to pick up some inspirational bracelets, fidget toys, and pens before moving.
• Residents anxious to help and say “thank you”. From gardening to carrying heavy things to emptying garbage and working on furniture.
• The many people that came into my office trusting me with parts of their story, trying to find hope in the middle of hardships is beyond what I can imagine.

I am constantly moved by the incredible resilience people show in the face of hardship, and how love can help us find strength. In community, we can help carry each other’s burdens. Hope doesn’t solve every problem, but in the quiet, steady presence we offer one another, the heart is changed. It is in these small, shared moments of humanity that we find the strength to keep going.

Grace and Peace from Elissa Noble McCarthy, Aloha United Methodist Church (2270 SW 198th Ave, Beaverton). Feel free to reach out to us: 503-649-9133.