Angeline's Ladies - Part 1

You know how certain memories of people, songs, and experiences stay in the forefront of your mind forever? They play over and over and over without ever having to hit rewind. They linger longer than you would have ever imagined, and remind you of their power that once held your heart.

Such are the ladies at the Angeline Home. Over the three years I visited the home, I bet I must have met hundreds. This home provides temporary housing for any woman facing some crisis in her life. I often could not deal with the presence of a young girl or teenager in the group, and remember feeling a shock wave go through me when I saw someone so young in need of this kind of safety. What atrocity jolted her life that she needed to be in a shelter and out of harm's way? I never knew those answers, except on rare occasions when time allowed for some simple and brief conversation.

The Angeline Home, founded by the Cleveland City Mission, provided crisis intervention for women and their children. It has since moved and joined with Laura's Home on the west side of Cleveland.

The purpose of having this kind of facility available for women was to offer them a short term stay to help break the vicious cycle of their desperation, and provide structure to help stabilize them mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. That's a lot to try to accomplish in a 30 day period. But it was a start, and the home became a safe haven where food, clothing, and shelter were offered completely free of any charge. Along with taking care of the outside of their lives, our goal was to take care of their insides too. We did this by creating an environment full of love, peace, personal growth, encouragement, understanding, and listening, while requiring their active participation in numerous duties, chores, outings, and in house activities.

My involvement was to oversee their devotions the third Thursday of every month. Well, let me tell you, these ladies were in for a surprise, because when I walked through the door with my boom-box, games, projects, and crafts, their eyes lit up! I was there to have fun! To make them laugh and smile and giggle! My focus was to plant an idea in their hearts that made sense, and challenged them to discover its truth after I left. The topics were endless. I always thought to myself, "....... if that were me sitting in the room surrounded by hopelessness, what would attract my attention long enough to pull me away from my immediate crisis?"

Every month I met a new group because the home offered only a 30 day stay. I would carefully observe each face and know without asking, that something horrible had happened to each one present. It could have been unspeakable abuse, financial loss, or homelessness. How did they survive everyday? Their tragedies were inconceivable, and I knew that I had a very small window of time in their lives, and then I would never see them again. I knew though, that if I could help them see their worth as women and as individuals, it might lesson the harsh lies and deception that others had led them to believe. Was this a reachable goal? Only God knows what they took away from our evenings, and where their roads led after they left.


Here is how a typical evening went.

I would get there early to set up and be ready to greet them as they assembled. I would then outline a brief overview of the the evening's theme and corresponding activities, making sure my voice reflected anticipation and surprise. Who doesn't like unexpected surprises? Sometimes we would have ice breakers, or a game that offered anyone an opportunity to speak out about a pressing issue at stake. It was all done with a flair of excited protection and openness, hoping to remove any one's reservations about having to be there in the first place!

Music usually started the flow of the evening, songs with depth and rich meaning, turned up at a high volume while they sang along from printed handouts. Many times this simple outlet would reveal a hint of what each woman carried into this designated hour of their day. Some would close their eyes, because it was a moment to be alone with themselves, while others would stand up and clap, showing that the music hit a nerve and allowed them to put their guard down. Others were totally disconnected from everything.....too lost in their own thoughts to even consider any interaction. But one thing was certain, the music was soothing to their souls, and they absorbed the message in the melody, and the sounds filling the room seemed to uplift their spirits.

A lesson of some sort was presented, usually in a format that did not admonish them in any way, but rather the opposite....something that encouraged them in hopes of building inner strength to face their dilemma. This is never an easy task for a facilitator, but if I touched just one individual, then to me it was a valuable investment into one life.

A craft or activity was done to reinforce the message, and this is where I watched grown women turn into little girls again. Their interest surfaced as a part of themselves was expressed through their own individual creativity. By the way some of them responded, I couldn't help but wonder if they ever colored or played hide-n-seek when they were little. Yes, the crafts brought them to life; it was their chance to discover something hiding inside themselves. For the rest of the evening they would keep eyeing their freshly made works of art, touching it, turning it, feeling satisfied at what they had done.

Other activities I planned included basic line dancing, hand motions to songs, teaching them simple sign language, guessing games, word games, short films, documentaries, guest speakers, and anything to capture their interest for a few minutes.

My devotions needed to include something for every type of learner. There was always something interesting to see, to hear, to touch, to make, and to think about. I wanted to leave something embedded in their minds they could refer back to down the road.

The evening was over before it had a chance to begin. We were done in a blink of an eye. How sad to have to pack up and go, wondering what would come of each woman's circumstance. I strained with this the whole ride home, often with a heaviness that wouldn't leave. Surely I could be doing more, but I had to remember that others were set in place at the Home for assisting the ladies in practical ways, and my agreement was to refresh them while I was there.

One never has to look very far to notice someone in need. They are our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and individuals right in our own communities. I recently filled out a questionnaire about my volunteer work at the Home, and one of the questions was, "What did you gain by being a volunteer?" What a loaded question! We volunteer to "give", and yet we are the ones who receive so much more than we gave. My answer to the question was, "This experience was deeply meaningful and impacting to all involved. I gained more understanding of what God can do in and through circumstances. I gained friendships, I gained ideas, I gained insight, and I gained a fresh perspective on how to look at people."

The next post will supply a sample list of ideas for meaningful interaction with groups. Of course I realize each group will have different needs and reasons for needing connection. Most people that encounter heavy burdens in their life never anticipate it could put them on a path that leads to nowhere. So having an available person step onto that path and walk with them a while sparks a renewed sense of hope. Tune in.....for specifics.