“Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor.  The Lord rescues them in times of trouble.”  Psalm 41

(loud knocking) Mr. Konde heard the knock on the door and quickly woke up.  It took a moment to get recombobulated.  It was a little bit uncomfortable sleeping on a mat on the floor.  He had to remember where he was.  He could see the 38 other people sleeping on mats on the floor.  Some of them were snoring.  Mr. Konde could hear the other three volunteers in the kitchen.  It sounded like they were playing Uno. 

 “This must be Joseph.” thought Mr. Konde as he went to the door.

Mr. Konde is taking his turn at the Homeless Shelter at Zion Lutheran Church in Harrisburg.  In the Fellowship Hall at Zion, the volunteers have made a nice place for people to come to sleep, away from the cold, scary streets of Harrisburg in the dark of a winter night.

Mr. Konde unlocked the door and cracked it open to look outside.  It was quite cold and windy.  By the light from the Railroad station, he could see a small man standing by the curb. 

“May I see your identification?” asked Mr. Konde, following the rules.  Joseph gave him a paper from the restaurant where he works.  Joseph cleans the floors there after all the customers leave.  The papers confirmed that this is Joseph, so Mr. Konde let him come in.  Mr. Konde gave Joseph the bag with his name on it.  The bag had a toothbrush and a washcloth and a little bar of soap.  Joseph used to live in New York, but he moved here with some of his buddies a few years ago.  Then last month, he got fired from his job because he came to work drunk.  And then his buddies moved to another town and left Joseph here in Harrisburg alone.  Because he could not afford to pay the rent on the apartment, he was kicked out.  Joseph spent a few nights sleeping in places you don’t want to know about.  They were dirty and cold.  And he was hungry. 

Last week Joseph heard about this shelter.  Besides the toothbrush and the washcloth, they give you a hot cup of coffee and a snack.  And on Thursdays, they give you clean socks and clean underwear.  Joseph was glad he had the job cleaning the restaurant.  After he finishes there, they pay him his $10 and he walks to Zion for the night. 

Joseph is poor.  Joseph is homeless.  He has no house, no pajamas, no car, no family.  But things are getting better for him.  He has a job now and he plans to save up his money and not spend it on booze and cigarettes.  Joseph must be careful with the money he saves.  He keeps it inside his shirt so nobody can steal it while he sleeps. 

Mr. Konde and Joseph talked a bit, very quietly, so as not to awaken anyone.  Then Mr. Konde showed Joseph where his mat is and gave him the blankets.  When Joseph took off his coat, Mr. Konde saw that he had a flower tucked in there to keep it from the freezing wind.  Joseph saw that Mr. Konde noticed the flower.  He said “My boss gave it to me, from one of the tables.”

The next morning all the homeless people and the four volunteers woke up at 6:15AM.  They have a cup of coffee and must leave the shelter.  They are not allowed to stay there during the day.  So by 7:00am Joseph and the others went back out into the cold windy streets of Harrisburg.

Mr. Konde and the other three volunteers cleaned up the coffee pots and put things away.  As Mr. Konde checked around the Fellowship Hall, he found Joseph’s flower.  Mr. Konde quick ran to the door and opened it, looking both right and left for Joseph, but he was already out of sight.

Mr. Konde considered putting the flower in the trash can, but on second thought, he put it inside his own coat, to take home to show his son, Sam. 

Mr. Konde felt an unexpected joy about having Joseph’s flower.  He was glad to have helped rescue Joseph, if only for one night. 

“Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor.  The Lord rescues them in times of trouble.”  Psalm 41

THE END

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