Saturday Blessings has probably impacted my life more than anything else I’ve experienced thus far. When I was 18 years old, I was heading down the wrong path. I had lost sight of who I was, and even more, I had lost sight of my faith. My dedication to service and God’s will had diminished, and my primary focus in life had become myself. One day, my mom came home from a church meeting where Saturday Blessings was discussed. She asked my dad and I if we wanted to participate in feeding the homeless. This was my chance. I immediately said yes, desperate to rekindle the light of the Lord in my life. My parents stared at me in disbelief. “You understand we have to be out the door by 5 am, right, Meg?” I understood.
So, later that week, I went with my parents to Maria and James’ (the founders of Saturday Blessings) house to make 96 sack lunches. Each lunch consisted of one cheese sandwich, protein bar, water bottle, soda, and bag of chips. Throughout our time packing lunches, Maria and James explained how kind and gracious the majority of the homeless were, and although it was sometimes necessary to be cautious, it was never necessary to be afraid. When I left their house, I already felt my dedication to God’s work returning. The next morning, my parents and I woke up at 4:30 am and met James and Maria at 5. Even though I was tired, I didn’t sleep on the ride to Downtown Los Angeles because I was so excited. When we arrived, I was shocked to see hundreds of tents, blankets, and cardboard boxes lining the street. I followed James down the street, nervous whether or not the people who embraced James and Maria with hugs would accept me. To my surprise, I received a warm smile or “God bless you” from nearly every recipient. My heart melted, and my faith grew stronger with every kind face. Soon enough, I was having full-on conversations with people and being enveloped in hugs myself. When we ran out of lunches and clothing to distribute, I lingered in my conversations, not wanting the morning to end. Eventually, it was time to go home, as our homeless friends needed to pack up their belongings and go about their days. Everyone waved us goodbye. On the car ride home, I cried. I cried out of sadness for my new homeless friends, and for the homeless we didn’t have enough food to feed. I also cried tears of joy because I had accepted the light of the Lord into my life again.
Sometimes the Lord enters our lives at the most unexpected, yet most vital times. Saturday Blessings is not only a blessing for about 100 homeless every Saturday, but for myself as well. I do not know, and I do not want to know, where I would be today if my mom had not invited me to participate that evening. I am sure glad she did though. To this day, almost two years later, I continue to participate in Saturday Blessings. Sadly, I do not participate as much as I would like due to college, however, every time I go, it is as if I never stopped. I am embraced in hugs and showered with smiles from my friends. Yes, my friends. Saturday Blessings is not only about feeding and clothing the homeless. It is about building life-long relationships with them as well. I am so incredibly blessed to be a part of Saturday Blessings, and I look forward to the years to come.