There shouldn’t be any of them. Unfortunately, I met three of them today down from Wisconsin named Erica (18), Ashley (19), and Matt (18).
What was impressive about their situation was not the fact that they were living out of a car with no money, but their attitudes.
The reason they were homeless was because their parents had kicked them out due to excessive partying so they took a car and drove as far as $100 would take them.
That landed them in Jacksonville, FL. Home of nobody they knew.
I asked them if they regretted partying so much and you know what they said?
No. You only live once.
furrows brow Come again now? That wasn’t the answer I was expecting. As a Christian, can I kick these kids in the head? Seriously.
I’m only 25, so it’s not like I’m that much older or that much wiser, but I know that’s not the type of attitude an 18 year old should have whose been living on the streets for the past three days.
These kids sounded legitimately excited to be on the streets. It was like they were in the honeymoon phase of homelessness. I’ve met a lot of homeless people who have no desire returning back to society, but to have it come from teenagers really breaks my heart.
It’s just not right.
God, please open their eyes. They don’t know what they’re doing. Reveal yourself to them. Show them that their lives are not theirs to throw away.Let them experience your tangible presence. And let the high of partying pale in comparison.
God I pray they would reconcile with their parents and once again feel the warmth of a bed.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Dustin 11.27.06 at 6:56 pm
Stories like this constantly amaze me, how decieving Satan can be. I’ve taught students who always thought that the grass was greener on “the other side”, and when they got to “the other side”, some other side was greener; until asking a teacher if they could sleep on the couch was the greener “other side”. This always brings to my mind the forknowledge and the election of God issue, but for the grace of God, and the Holy Spirit are we kept from being likewise decieved. Sometimes I feel proud that God loves me so; sometimes I feel humbled that He sought after me, but my heart goes out to people who have yet to have their meeting with the only One that can save and comfort them.
PS: Nice Site, nicer than mine!
Alex Tran 11.27.06 at 9:26 pm
Hey! Congratulations on being the first person other than myself for reading.
I wasn’t expecting any visitors any time soon.
I hope to start blogging more, so keep coming back!
Lisa Johnson 12.01.06 at 9:09 am
Alex,
Surprise, I found your site! I love it and I am so excited about your passion for God and heart for people. I will be back.
Alex Tran 12.01.06 at 12:42 pm
You guys are so sneaky. You see a new email address and instantly see if the domain has anything. I guess you’re my new blogging accountability partners.
John 12.22.06 at 2:18 am
A lot of people hitting the streets in the southeast get wind of Jacksonville’s homeless resources. Cars and hitch-hiking are two forms…one of the scarier forms is train hopping, which seems to be catching on with first timers in the college age range.
Really nice site, Alex. Good luck.
Alex Tran 01.01.07 at 1:20 am
Hey John,
Thanks for stopping by my site. It was a nice surprise to see people I don’t know visiting.
Anyway, I just checked out your site and congrats for becoming un-homeless.
It’s encouraging to find people actually come off the streets. Do you know many of the homeless people around the Jax Beach area?
Our church does an outreach there every Sunday and that’s where I met the teens in my post.
John 01.01.07 at 11:29 pm
I know of one person who made it off the streets and beaches, who’s now a group facilitator locally. The contacts I’ve had have mostly lost touch due to not keeping up with their internet emails and such.
Most families I’ve come to know over the years who were experiencing homelessness at the beaches ‘migrated’ towards downtown, simply due to the demands on families needing more attention that what was available in the area there.
The problem with migrating though isn’t only loss of home lifestyles they had before, but also loss of relationships to many young kids and teens when changing schools so far a distant.
I’m also in the process of putting together bios of groups that are trying to make a difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness. Could you ask your church leader to contact me by email?
Alex Tran 01.01.07 at 11:45 pm
Sure thing. I’ll be sure to forward him to your website as well.
Peggy Carpenter 03.02.08 at 9:41 am
Unfortunately, not all teens CHOOSE to be homeless. For instance, I stopped at a 7-11 convenience store, noticed a young, thin man outside. I just KNEW something bad had happened to him. He wasn’t begging or anything, just standing there looking scared. So when I came out of the store, I asked him if something had happened. The previous night, his drunk stepfather had beat up his mother and kicked him out. He was only 16.
TALKING about this situation is one thing, but I went on to do social work, and the system is not set up to help very much. Often, foster homes are worse than bad homes. Kids in foster homes are often raped, molested, and beaten. Why? Because foster care providers are often doing it for the money.
I have a dream someday of buying a couple hundred acres out in the desert, and getting people to voulunteer to work with the kids, showing them skills, and most of all, loving them as we would be loved. If anyone ever wants to be part of a movement to make a difference, write me at starkeeper4444@yahoo.com.
It is up to us to DO something, and enough people CAN make a real difference!!!
Alex Tran 03.03.08 at 12:12 am
Hi Peggy,
Thanks for your insight and experiences.
You’re right in that not all homeless choose to be. It’s a good reminder to not pass judgment or ignore a homeless person before taking the time to hear their story.
For anyone who has not talked with a homeless person, most are willing to share their stories and you’d be surprised what you’d hear.
And thank you for wanting to make a difference. Know that tonight before I go to bed I will be praying that God will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4) and you will have the opportunity to love them as we are loved.