Kingdom for the Homeless

I never thought I could be faced with this sort of circumstance during this stage of my life. I have never felt this broken, this hurt, this betrayed, this lifeless. It is very funny how life has a way of performing its duties. Sometimes our expectancy turns into discrepancies that we issue for the next time we are involved in the same predicament. We tend to envision life as a roller coaster. We regard the ups and downs only when we know its coming. But when we are suddenly struck without caution, we give up and lose all hope in ourselves. My name is Naomi and this is my story.

Alone, cold, and as frightened as I was, I couldn't find the strength to pursue the depths of the night. I looked for the nearest bridge and decided to sit all my things underneath it while I tried to haul down someone and ask them for directions. I was looking for the nearest homeless shelter; Covenant House to be exact. All the people I tried asking here either scared of a stranger coming towards them dressed in black, or they just thought it was another homeless person (which I was) coming to beg for money (which I wasn't). I finally found a man who was just as fearless as the night when it captures the day and holds it hostage. He didn't seem too enthusiastic about a young woman walking up to him at this hour of the night. He quickly geared himself for self-defense mode without making it too noticeable. I quickly softened my voice so my approach would seem innocent. Once the man realized that I was as harmless as the New York City cab drivers he was trying to depart from, he answered me as kindly as he could.

"Yes, young lady, how may I help you?" he asked.

The man's sudden switch in reaction caused me to shift a little bit, causing space between us; just to be on the safe side. From the look of things, he was trying to avoid the cabs and the chaos they cause trying to lure customers into their cabs. That is New York City for you.

"Can you please point me to Covenant House ?" I asked.

He directed me to Covenant House and added, "Hey, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!"

Yeah, sure. As if there was anything in my life that I should be grateful for. My life was far from normal; far from satisfactory. My mother was a drug addict and an abuser. My father—is there such a thing as a father? Well, I've never experienced a father in my life before. Siblings, I don't have any. Thank God I don't have any siblings. That would mean I will have to fight for their survival as well as mine. It would also make this situation a hundred times harder than it is now. Maybe I should be grateful for that. It would probably be the one and only thing on my list of gratitude.

I walked into the building after getting clearance from the first security post and followed the proper security procedures. I was finally taken upstairs by the intake officer to the third floor where the other young, homeless, teenage girls lived. I was assigned a room and bed. I was also given the necessary toiletries and a towel. After I got settled, I noticed some posters on the wall. There were quotes written on them. One read: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future," declares the Lord? Who was this Lord and how was I going to meet Him?