Spiritual Perspectives
Helping Others Find Home

By Sanjay Choudhrie
Special to the Independent

It’s Christmas time once again and amid the travel plans, gifts for everyone, and thoughts of another new year, I am reminded that a young couple — Mary and Joseph — were homeless and far from home when the time came for their first child to be born. The child Jesus was born without the assistance of a midwife or in his parents’ bed or any bed for that matter, but in a stable among the cattle, goats and sheep. There was no family nearby.

His birth was not announced in the newspaper and neither was there a big party. But rather his birth is announced to shepherds who spent their days and nights in the hills and meadows far from civilization.

We at CARE 66 work with people who have lived without homes. For the most part, our clients are grateful for a bed in a crowded room, for the staff person who asks about their plans and vision for their future, and for a daily meal often cooked by a local congregation. Many of our clients long for a home of their own. They want to love and be loved by their own families. They have simple, but powerful dreams. Eventually these dreams will come true for most — more than 30 percent our clients move into housing of their own.

Mary and Joseph received temporary shelter to give birth to their baby from a generous and compassionate innkeeper. CARE 66 has existed at the generosity of this community. We don’t pay great wages and we expect a lot from our clients and even more from our staff. I often sit back and wonder at both the clients and at my staff: how they can stay so motivated and hopeful when hope is such a rare commodity.

Jesus’ birth is the description of a miracle. The poet Tagore once said, “Each child born comes with the message that God does not despair of us.” That is the little miracle that the huge miracle of Jesus bears to us. In many ways it is a miracle that CARE 66 is still open. We experience the miracle of giving and compassion that comes in the form help, volunteer hours, meals and dollars. In those gifts that you bear to us, we also hear that God has hope for us, that God has hope for these homeless folks that many have lost their hope in.

In the midst of this time of family and friends and gifts and carols and dinners and parties I ask that you remember the less fortunate, the poor and particularly CARE 66 in your thoughts, prayers and check books.

Somebody once said that “people are willing to give God credit, but not too many are willing to give Him the cash." And sometimes this applies to nonprofits serving the poor. One of the biggest barriers to more effective service and outcomes is the constant search for operating monies to keep the doors open and lights on. It’s difficult to move forward when one is fighting for survival.

This is not so different from the situation that our clients face when they come to us. Our clients live in this world of trying to survive. Initially when we talk with them about what they want to do with their lives, they have no clear answer because they don’t believe that they deserve what they want. Very quickly they see that they can transform their lives and begin to make the difficult journey towards transformation.

All people deserve a decent home in this world. At the same time I am reminded that God is our home. My vision is that all people will have both kinds of homes. May we all rest and breathe in the knowledge that the one who is made known to us in the cries of that tiny baby boy so long ago, knows us and loves us. And may the day come soon where each person in our community has a home that is safe and warm and full of love.

Sanjay Choudhrie is the executive director of CARE 66 in Gallup. He can be contacted at (505) 722-0066 or sanjay@care66.org.

This column is written by area residents, representing different faith communities, who share their ideas about bringing a spiritual perspective into our daily lives and community issues. For information about contributing a guest column, contact Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola at The Independent: (505) 863-6811 ext. 218 or lizreligion01@yahoo.com.