I have always considered myself to be mostly introverted. I love to read. I love silence. I love the solitude of spending the night on top of a mountain alone. I do ok in social situations and can talk to just about anyone, but I always thought that I recharge my batteries by being still and being alone. This strange new reality that we are all living in has made me realize that is not completely true. It is true, but not complete. I love being around people too.
When Briana and I were in premarital counselling (highly recommend) it was made clear that one of my main love languages is physical touch. I really only looked at this in the context of my relationship with my wife until now. I like sitting close to her. I love when she holds my hand in the car. I kiss her on the head every chance I get. I hadn’t thought about it much until now, but I also hug and kiss my kids a lot to show them that I love them. Having their little arms wrapped around my neck is one of my greatest joys in life. Now that I think about it, I get down on the floor with my dogs to pet and play with them. Something about physical proximity speaks to my heart. I started to realize that more the other day when someone broke quarantine protocol and went right in for a handshake. I had been very diligently practicing social distancing and by then most people had stopped trying to shake hands, but for some reason the guy delivering porto-potties and handwash stations for our homeless friends just went for it. I didn’t know the guy from Adam, but to my soul it felt like an ice-cold Topo Chico after a hike. I was snapped out of it by the creeping feeling of imaginary microscopic organisms and reached quickly for the small bottle of hand sanitizer in my pocket. I have been on guard and boldly denied handshakes and hugs from some of my closest friends, even before it was normal, but I am realizing that when I look over this strong façade I’ve put up, I am grieving not being able to be close to people.
So, what does this have to do with The Field’s Edge? Well I am glad you asked! Going back to the sometimes cliché love language tests that some of us take to learn about our future spouses, every person is wired differently and feels loved differently. For example, Briana feels loved through quality time. Physical touch was like her lowest score on the test. The best way for me to show her I care is by spending time with her even if we are across the room from each other. Everyone has their own unique language of how they feel loved and if we aren’t careful, a long withdrawal from them can leave us hardened as a self-protection. In the last few months we have begun to see our RV residents flourish. We have been learning, along with them, how they feel loved. They’ve been able to shed some of the protective shell they developed while living on the streets and the beauty of who God created them is shining through the little cracks. It’s a good reminder that even the most closed off person on the street has been designed with the desire to be fully known and fully loved. This isolation is a poignant moment for the rest of us to be empathetic to the loneliness they’ve experienced for long periods of their lives. In just a few weeks, I am thirsty for connection. I miss my family. I miss gathering with believers on Sunday to worship. Without a clear end in sight, it feels like grieving something dear that I’ve lost. Something that many of our friends on the streets lost long before the pandemic if they ever had it to begin with.
If you’ve followed TFE for long, you know that we are a relational ministry. Everything we do is centered on relationship and community: the way we serve our homeless neighbors, the way we designed our village, the way we fundraise. We strive to go deep in all the relationships that make this ministry work, because we believe that in doing so we add a richness that cannot be had otherwise. Everyone from big donors to panhandlers become part of our family. We believe that homelessness is not only material poverty but more than that it is a relational poverty. We believe that home is more than a house, and that is entirely possible for someone to have plentiful resources and multiple houses yet still remain homeless.
The last few weeks have been somewhat of a blur in our work. We had pivot on a dime from our normal operations to respond to the immediate needs of our residents and those who are currently homeless. We have had to put protocols in place to keep our vulnerable RV residents safe while also taking the necessary risks to care for those on the street. Our main priority is development and empowerment but we’ve shifted to emergency relief mode, working with Breaking Bread to provide food and come up with solutions like porto-potties and handwash stations since the options for hygiene facilities have diminished with the closure of businesses. We are working with our amazing community and healthcare leaders to put a plan together for if and when our homeless neighbors get sick.
That said, we are still pressing forward with the process to get the village built. The Lord has graciously used all of you to put TFE in a good position to weather this storm and even thrive in the midst of it. It is a difficult time, but as an organization we will be forever shaped and refined by this experience. As you can expect our progress has been delayed as our City and County leaders have rightly turned their attention to keeping our community healthy and safe. We are so thankful for their leadership and encourage you to join us in praying for them daily. We are hoping that in the next few weeks we can get our master developers agreement worked out with the City and get back on track toward construction. Now more than ever we are longing to lift people off the streets and into our family.
Like I said, I want to encourage you in this time to pray. Pray for us as we seek wisdom and do our best to love our neighbors. Pray for our city, our country, and our world. Pray for the sick and the healthcare workers. Pray for the Lord to work in your heart and use these trials to make you more like Him. It is an especially tough time for Midland with the double whammy of low oil prices and the Coronavirus. Through the mess I have seen so many beautiful things; acts of service, sacrifice, and love. We are all grieving losses now, but it’s no accident that we are beginning the week in which we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Because of Him we can grieve and lament what is happening in our world while also looking forward with an imperishable hope; that He is using all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Let us be driven by that hope as we press on in faith and obedience.
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