By: Michaela Halwachs
Today we went to Haywood and at first it was kind of intimidating going somewhere new that I’ve never been before. Here we were to help serve a meal to the community in Asheville. Not only did we help serve the meal but we got to sit down and have a meal with the individuals who attended. They were so happy to see us there serving and they were all eager to talk to us and find out where we were from. What I really admired about Haywood is that anyone was welcome no matter what their situation was or what circumstances they faced.
The first man I talked to was Elijah. He is such a sweet man and I loved hearing a bit of his story. He explained to me that in the past he had experienced being homeless and that he appreciates our desire to come serve because he knows what it’s like to have close to nothing. Elijah also expressed his faith to me and how he believes and has full faith that God always provides no matter how bad things might get. This was inspiring to me because I also share his faith and it opened my eyes and reminded me to be thankful for all of the blessings in life even in the rough of it.
I also spoke to many other individuals throughout the day and took the opportunity to learn more about them. One man named Josh came up to Kelsey and I and also shared a bit of his story that was very touching. He explained that he had been going to Haywood for four years now and for two of those four years he and his wife slept outside under the tree for shelter. In those few years he worked hard towards finding housing and they eventually got it and he got a job to get him on his feet. However, he went a little deeper with us and told us about how his wife passed away in August so now he and his nine year old son do everything together. Because of this he decided to cut a branch off of the tree they slept under for two years in memory of her. He made it look nice by sanding down the sides and has it with her ashes. He now has a relationship with the pastor and helps out Haywood to help others experiencing hardships the way they helped him. He said he gets to go on hikes with the pastor and that they spend time together connecting. I think that Josh has an amazing story to tell and it was a blessing to be a part of this experiences. I loved working along side Haywood and helping live out their mission!