We are often asked how the homeless handle the cold. It's such a natural question during the winter as we get to curl up by the fire and turn up the heat. On really cold days, it's easy to think about people living on the street who have no such luxuries.
Today, I was out on the streets in the cold for about an hour, and when I went back inside, I couldn't feel my hands or feet. I can't imagine living outside as a way of life.
So how do the homeless handle the cold?
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Eva's apartment building where we will be on Saturday.
On Saturday, January 10, we are moving Eva's furniture into her apartment!
It's amazing: so many of you have jumped in to be a part of furnishing her new place. You have given nearly every item she needs. That's incredible! Between the money donated and items given, all of the essentials are accounted for.
Read MoreOn Saturday, December 13 we headed to South Dallas to hand out the brand new coats that so many of you helped purchase. I don't if there are any America's Next Top Model fans reading this, but Tyra would be proud of so many great photos we got from that day.
Read MoreBefore I had this job, saying thank you often got forgotten. It was a lost relic in my busy life.
Over the past year, I have gotten to say thank you more than ever before in my life.
And I have come to love the privilege of getting to say thank you more than I ever thought I could.
Read MoreEva and her husband Allen have been in my life for an eternity. On the streets that translates to about eight months.
There are a lot of things I love about Eva, but probably right at the top is that she is a loving grandmother AND she's tatted up -- two things I previously thought to be mutually exclusive.
The truth is, Eva is a dear and true friend. She has been a fixture in our Bible Study and also in our little neighborhood. Eva's "clean" -- meaning she doesn't drink or do drugs. My child knows her; together, Eva and I have watched my baby change into a little girl.
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On cold days, this is how people look, buried underneath piles of blankets to stay warm.
It was the first bitterly cold day of the year. The wind howled off the interstate, galloping full force down the lonely road. With only abandoned lots and few buildings, nothing broke its strength.
As prepared as I was for the frigid temperature -- wearing hat, gloves, and multiple layers -- I still felt a bone chill.
A homeless woman, one of my friends, was buried underneath a pile of blankets. She barely showed her face to talk.
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When I first learned I was pregnant, I felt terrified. I learned I was pregnant on a Monday in early November, and the next morning I was to go out onto the streets. Like normal.
In addition to this fear, I immediately did not feel well and learned that your immune system gets suppressed very early in pregnancy so that your body does not reject the baby as a foreign object. I therefore became afraid of being on the streets with people more likely to carry untreated illnesses. Some have the flu. Some have AIDS. Some just have the common cold.
But I wanted to run and hide
Read MoreRecently, I have encountered a different kind of language barrier. Jerry, pictured above, has never had the ability to hear. Maybe to the trained ear, his speech and language would pose no barrier. However, his chronic homelessness and inability to gain access to a shelter are proof that a hearing impairment can complicate life on the streets.
For a person without a disability, getting out of homelessness is difficult. For a homeless person with a disability, everything -- from getting an I.D., to finding work, to purchasing a bus pass -- is exacerbated. Adding something in like deafness or paralyzation (which we encounter every single week) complicates overcoming homelessness tenfold.
Read MoreThis is the first time I get to share someone's story from their perspective. What you will read below is mostly quoted from a couple with whom I spent time last Tuesday. Their names are Cecilia and Raymond.*
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"You ain't shit and you ain't never gonna be shit."
That's what her stepmom used to tell her.
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She came to us like a wild animal. For months I had watched her, hiding in the shadows, always staying far enough away to not be reached.
Then, one day, she showed up at our Thursday morning Bible study. She asked for help.
I want to go to rehab, she said. I am ready for help.
Read MoreOftentimes people ask me if what I write about here is my full-time work. When I started going to South Dallas in July 2013, I planned on continuing to work other jobs and do this part-time on the side. After several months of doing both, I decided to make this work my full-time job. No non-profit that I found had the type of job I wanted to do, so I decided to fundraise so that I could continue and expand my work. In December 2013, I began this process of fundraising.
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