Plunge

This weekend I had a chance to go on a program called Urban Plunge. This consisted of a group of college students and campus ministers from Berkeley, Davis, Stanford, and SF State. We met up early on Saturday morning at the St. Anothony Foundation. We helped serve lunch and also discussed the issue of homelessness in San Francisco. Here is some reflection on the experience.
Have you ever seen a homeless person on the street and looked away from them. Does this make you a bad person? If you are a homeless person and constantly have people look away from you when you talk to them or even if you dont, how does this make you feel.
Homelessness is something that is disturbing to us, and it is in our nature to look away from things that are disturbing. If you see something terrible on tv you will look away. We look away from things we dont want to see. Similarly I find that I have looked away from a homeless person, probably for the same reason. I don't want to realize that there is a large problem of homelessness, and I dont want to give it a face or personality for fear that it may stay with me.
While serving at St. Anothony's I was finially able to give homelessness and poverty a personal face. The people I was serving were actually right in front of me. I was able to serve and be under the people who I usually just neglect and pass by. I was able to make eye contact with homeless people and didn't feel as if I had to just walk away. I guess this experience helped me realize that there is a personal side of homelessness that can affect us.
One thing I still have trouble with is thinking about how this should change how I react when I see a homeless person on the street. I realize that I wont always have something of material to give. While serving at St. Anthony's I had unlimited food resources to help the people with. When on the street I only have a couple dollars. I guess spending the time to give a smile is nice, but is that what the person really needs? So far I only know that looking away isnt the right thing to do, but I dont know what would be the most appropriate thing either.
Eventually I hope to learn to live a life of compassion.

side note: If you are person who went on Urban Plunge with me, and I dont have your contact info let me know it please.