2025 June #1
By a Joy Junction Staff Member (JBF)
Whew! Summertime is already warming up. It’s getting hotter with each new day. Staying indoors may be a very good idea.
It’s a well-known fact that summer temperatures rising above the 90 and 100 degree mark can be extremely dangerous. When the sun causes the searing heat to spread to every part of our body, many of us think it’s time for some shade!
However, for those who choose to be out in it, summer days are usually filled with activities that are enjoyed outside because of the heat. Water activities, sporting events, picnicking in the park, and simply choosing to drink a beverage while sitting in the sunshine are some things people may choose to participate in.
But, even the shade may not remove the risk of heatstroke or other heat-related illnesses for those who have no other choice but to be out in it. Some people endure the heat on a daily basis, due to homelessness. In that scenario, the situation becomes a totally different kind of “summer day.”
It becomes miserable, frustrating, and scary.
Our hearts hurt for those without a home who feel they have no other choice but to be out in the hot weather. We want to encourage them to seek shelter – with us or any of the other shelters in the city.
Our shelter’s mission is to minister to families, couples, single women, and single men who have found themselves in the situation of being without a home. We welcome them with open arms and do our best to help them feel “at home” while they work to get their lives turned around.
We want to be available to take care of the needs of those who simply have no other choice but to seek help.
Eve (not her real name) is one of our guests who found herself in that position.
Here’s her story:
I lost more than my job when I was let go at work. I lost my housing. I was living paycheck to paycheck, so when the income stopped, everything else did, too.
I told my landlord about my situation, and he was kind enough to introduce me to the idea of a shelter. He said that Joy Junction was a nice place for people like me – homeless with no family to help.
I had no money to find another place.
I had money for food, but no place to live…
It costs a lot to get into another place, but without a job, that made things even worse. Anger began to fill my heart.
I got a ride here [Joy Junction] and was welcomed, but my anger against God for allowing my situation in the first place was still strong. It took a long time for me to get to the place where I was ready to give my anger to God.
At that point, I joined the Christ in Power Program because I wanted the anger gone. I wanted to restore my relationship with God. The chaplain and resident resource services lady have really helped me.
Every day of the year, our goal is not only to feed and shelter our guests, but to enlighten them with programs centered on improving their decision-making processes. With our program guidance, we hope to empower them to feel the courage to step back into the workforce again.
To do that, we need help from outside sources. We not only feel heat from the sun’s rays during this time of year, we also feel “heat” because of the lack of funds being sent to support our efforts.
Eve and others in similar situations have had a place to go [Joy Junction] because compassionate donors have chosen to send in gifts to help us stay afloat.
The summer months are the lowest financial time of the year for us. As God directs you, please consider helping us as we strive to minister to those who arrive on our doorstep.
