Last week, I saw a young man lying on the doorstep of the glass double doors. With his head on his duffel bag, he had dried paint stains on his clothes and hands. As I approached him, he quickly jumped up and started apologizing. He obviously had nothing to apologize for; he was just looking for a safe place to stay.

When I asked if I could help him, we started chatting and he shared a little bit of his story with me. Despite working as a painter on a building site during the day, he had nowhere to go at night and was trying to save for a permanent place to stay. He had never been homeless before and didn’t know what to do, but found peace on our doorstep. He actually had no idea what Lubbock Impact was or the services we offered.

It was no coincidence that this man felt comfortable enough to sleep in front of our building at night. Of all the buildings in the area, God brought him to our doorstep so we could give him resources to help him with his physical and spiritual needs. I gave him a snack bag of pop-topped items and shared more about all that Lubbock Impact does and invited him to our activities. Additionally, I shared resources in the area for places he could stay until he got on his feet. He was extremely kind and grateful.

The next evening, he came to the food pantry and met some of the men who were attending the men’s Bible study, led by Pastor Fermin. He ended up staying for the study and really enjoyed it. Seeing him again at our Community Meal, I could see the joy in him – he was all smiles.

After the meal, he told me that was exactly what he needed: encouragement and community. He felt welcomed and had a sense of belonging in our space. We talked further about his story and he shared that he had never had a Bible, so I gave him one and prayed with him.

My hope is that this is the start of a long friendship.

Blessings,
Becky Robertson
Executive Director