Fred K. and father and son at homeless shelterFriday morning we visited a homeless shelter.  Since it was raining, our group and all the residents met in a long narrow corridor.  When we broke into small groups, we were assigned the men’s dormitory.  Surprisingly a few men had not joined us in the corridor, but had stayed in bed.  Upon further inspection, I knew why.  Most were missing one or more of their legs or feet.  The director said some of them had lost their limbs due to the bitter cold in winter.  With no place to stay, they suffered from the cold and sometimes lost limbs from frostbite.  One was deaf, mute and had a paralyzed right arm. 

They gave us their attention during our presentation.  Examining our photographs and listening intently during the Gospel bead presentation. 

One of the men, who indicated he had prayed with us, asked if I could take a photograph with him and someone special.  That someone special turned out to be his son who was missing a part of his foot. 

I gladly took the photograph knowing the man and his son would never see it.  As we departed, hugged each other and shook hands, the man indicated he would pray for us.  How humbling it was for him to be praying for us.