We'd like to shake things up a little bit on the Project 7 blog. Our communities voice is so important, you are the reason that we are able to help change the score. With that in mind, we've decided it's time to introduce a few guest bloggers to the scene.
We'd like you to meet Abby Wambaugh. Abby is a marketing manager for an iconic, international travel company. She
tweets,
writes and loves the mountains. Above any professional goal, her heart desires to see justice in an unjust world. Abby will be contributing seven blog posts in a series called "On the Ground." The series focuses on real people making a difference through volunteer work. We're so excited to have Abby contributing to our blog. So, we hope you enjoy the first of seven posts from Abby. With no further ado...
Two years ago two friends drove to meet a man they spoke with on the phone about volunteering to help the homeless. He told them he would take them to a soup kitchen, so they picked him up in front of City Hall in downtown Dallas. When they got to the soup kitchen the man sat down with the homeless and began to eat. Ironically, he too was homeless.
Haylee Ryan and Amanda Page started ministering regularly to the homeless in Dallas in 2008 and are now living in Bend, OR., working for Icon City in an effort to reach the homeless in a state with one of the highest populations of homelessness in the United States.
“The homeless population in Oregon is completely different than Dallas,” Ryan said. “The demographics are young Caucasian people who are sticking it to the man by not getting jobs. Up here the numbers are staggering and it’s almost viewed as cool to be homeless.”
For the year and a half that Ryan and Page worked at Cornerstone in Dallas they formed relationships with the homeless. The first real friendship they formed was with a young couple named Shamika and Lydell who had moved into a local shelter newly built by the city.
“Shamika kept telling us how horrible the conditions were and that she felt safer on the streets,” Page said. “Finally one day she took us to the shelter and it took Haylee and me about a week to get over the shock of seeing the situation. Men and women are not separated and the women are often raped. It was overrun and we could not believe this was our city.”
While ministering in Dallas, they met with an old friend Tim Bach who was moving to Bend, OR, to start Icon City, a church plant and homeless ministry. Bach was once homeless and through the persistent love of a man was able to overcome homelessness and get off the streets. Armed with his inspiring story, overwhelmed heart for the homeless and a string of miraculous events, Icon City was formed and Ryan and Page were brought on as interns.
The two women said one of the most important things they learned in interacting with homeless was from the pastor of Cornerstone in Dallas. He told them to always look a homeless person in the eyes and shake their hand because they deserve it. They are people just like you and me. Ryan is an artist and decided that she wanted to start to draw the people she had met and give them the sketches as a gift.
“I would take my sketch pad there and I would need them to look at me to draw them,” Ryan said. “They could barely look me in the eyes and they had trouble because they were ashamed. Eye contact is very personal. Eye contact was like they were valued. And then I’d give them the sketch and it was like they’d never gotten anything. It would bring tears to their eyes. I’ve painted multiple paintings of them since because they are the most beautiful people, and friends often ask me who the beautiful people in my paintings are and then they are shocked to hear it is a homeless man or woman.”
Page said a lot of the volunteers she and Ryan have encountered are very detached, and they decided from the beginning that they wanted to be different. They wanted to truly form friendships with the homeless.
“We didn’t want an us and them situation, but rather an us situation,” Page said. “There were times when we couldn’t give them a dollar since we ourselves were poor, but friendship seemed to be what they wanted more than anything else. We really felt like they were our real life friends.”
Due to the overwhelming homeless problem in Oregon, there are numerous nonprofits and individuals committed to helping end homelessness; however, Ryan and Page noticed that they often refuse to work together for religious, moral or simply pride reasons. Icon City exists to help bring all the organizations together in a non-hostile way and to create consistent events to help the homeless.
“One thing we’ve noticed is that when it comes to helping homeless there is mostly always one huge event a year or two, but it only helps people for a day or two,” Page said. “Sometimes it forms relationships, but we are trying not to have one big event but to have something ongoing. Something that the entire community and every profession can be involved in, from hair stylists to dentists.”
The women recently sent a letter home to one of their closest homeless friends in Dallas, Larry. They didn’t think he was going to respond and then they received a letter in return.
“In his letter he included two black beaded necklaces that he usually wears around his neck,” Page said. “We have never given him anything and he mailed us these necklaces with a note saying that the necklaces are a sign of love and friendship until we see him again.”
Hi ! My name is Cathie and I live in Redmond, Oregon. I have a friend named, Len and he told my about an event happening at the Tower Theater in Bend on Sunday, April 11, 2010. He told me it was to help the homeless children in Bend. I help out in our high school youth group and mentioned it to our youth pastor. We would like more information about the event and how we can possible help with our youth kids helping also. Please email me with a contact person and number so we can speak on the phone. Thank you for all you are doing for the homeless. Blessings, Cathie
For more info or to get involved visit http://www.iconcity.us and fill out the short survey on the volunteer tab and our volunteer staff will be in touch.
(Cathie, if you are able to read this I remember our conversation and couldn’t make it to Tower earlier this year. We are still hosting free concert series each month. Would love to meet you if you’re able to make it to one of the remaining dates!)