SUMMER 2020 NEWSLETTER
““Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.””
Welcome home Geno
We were absolutely thrilled to welcome home Geno. On Saturday, Feb. 29, Geno laid eyes on home sweet home for the first time. He was surrounded by friends and community.
GENO’S STORY
followed the sound of music up a short, neatly swept sidewalk to where Geno sat playing his acoustic guitar. He didn’t look up until he finished his song; I sensed that he was playing it for me. He looked like any famous musician, on vacation, relaxing outside
his camper. But he wasn’t famous, and he wasn’t on vacation. This was his home, and I was his guest. I was there to interview him.
Geno has a greatness about him, an assurance that could absolutely fool anyone into thinking he has lived the life of a rock star, decades of hard miles that simply left him in a state of faded glory. But he hasn’t. He has lived a life that included, among other things, homelessness.
He told me about being a business owner and being hit by a van in Gulf Shores. He pulled off his hat to show me where his skull was pieced back together and all his thoughts tucked back inside.
Then he told me how he ended up homeless.
Geno described living with a former roommate who “liked to beat up on his girlfriend.” One day Geno witnessed it and stepped in to protect her. The roommate ended up in jail, and Geno ended up on the street.
He said, “Nobody would help me. Nobody would do nothin’. I was homeless for two years, and then I met these nice people at the laundry mat.”
He was referring to Community of Hope. He smiled at Mandy who was sitting next to me, and Chas Kilgore. They were there the day he came home.
It took a year to work out the details and raise the funds, but finally the day came in late February when Geno heard these words: “Bring everything you own with you today, because you won’t be going back to the homeless camp.”
He didn’t know what to expect. He said he remembers being nervous.
He was a different person now. He said there are no friends in homeless camps, only fellow survivors; no one can be trusted. Yet, here he was, allowing these people he barely knew to blindfold him and take him off to only goodness knows where. This took a different kind of trust.
They brought him to a neighborhood where a newly furnished camper sat on a grassy mowed lot beneath a sheltering shade tree. Children played in the street. Food cooking in kitchens wafted through windows. These were his new neighbors.
I asked him, “What was the first thing you put in your new fridge?”
Geno was shaking his head, still in grateful disbelief, saying, “It was already full. They’d filled it up with everything.”
Now he was getting emotional.
Alicia, a COH volunteer, had contacted him and asked what his favorite foods were and stocked the fridge.
“I grilled out my very first night here,” he beamed.
He lifted his guitar to his lap, clearing his throat as tears threatened his tough exterior.
“I didn’t play music the whole time I was homeless.”
I was shocked to hear this, because it is clearly the most important thing to him.
“Those folks, they moved me in here and got me settled and said they have one more gift for me. And then they handed me this guitar.”
I did not see that coming. The guitar he had been playing since I arrived was a gift from the people who helped rescue him off the street.
They had given him his life back, and his dignity, but Geno truly came alive when they gave him back his music.
“You know what blows my mind?” he asked, suddenly taking out his phone.
He showed me a picture of himself standing outside his new home with several members of Community of Hope.
He sniffed hard and wiped his face with his shoulder.
“I went from living in the woods, to this right here.”
To him, that picture said it all.
Where We’ve Been
We know many are weary of anything with the words “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” in it. For us, as a young and entirely volunteer-run organization, COVID has caused a forced slow-down in many ways. The effects have certainly lingered longer than we hoped. We just want to assure you that we at COH have been paying attention and honoring official guidance, while still pressing forward with our mission as best we can. Our leadership has learned valuable lessons about how to increase COH’s sustainability. We are thankful for this, and for our team.
Together, we were able to continue certain aspects of ministry to our two current residents and in the community, even as we sought to honor quarantine guidelines.
We are continuing to minister to our current residents and in the homeless community at large. Though this may mean less physical contact, we are fighting to keep that sense of community and care going. Please keep praying for us during this time, that we will proceed with wisdom, compassion, and courage.
Mostly, we just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has supported our work, and we want to encourage you to tighten your seat belt, because we sense gaining momentum as we move into the second half of this year!
BIG NEWS!
We found the 50 acres that will be the perfect piece of property for our master planned community. Not only does it have ideal acreage, but there is enough existing infrastructure and buildings to begin moving our residents there almost immediately. This would be a dream come true for COH. As such, we need to fund raise for this land now. We are saying yes to this God sized dream and trusting that we can raise the funds needed to provide much needed HOPE to our homeless community. Please join us in funding and helping us get the word out. We cannot do this without you.
OR
SEND CHECKS TO:
Huntsville Community of Hope
PO BOX 423
Huntsville, AL 35804
HOW YOU CAN BE A PART OF ALL THIS GOODNESS:
Volunteer:
As we’ve mentioned, we need you! We need people who are interested in being the hands and feet in this work.
• We have all types of positions available but the three most needed are fundraiser(s), accountant, and a tax specialist.
• We need community groups to volunteer to help support current and future residents.
• ShowerUp events are also a great way to get your feet wet in ministry to our homeless friends.
Visit https://hsvcommunityofhope.org/volunteer.
Pray: Please faithfully pray for COH and our homeless friends. Some specific needs are:
• Our first resident, Rickey, is dealing with severe health issues. We are surrounding him with community and asking for prayers. If you or your community group would like to help love on him specifically, please contact us immediately.
• Pray that we would be able to purchase the land that we have found, if it is indeed where the Lord would have us be. Please pray that hearts would be moved to raise the money needed.
• Pray for us to navigate ongoing COVID times with wisdom, compassion, and courage. Though ministry may continue to mean less physical contact, we are fighting to keep the sense of community and care going.
Donate: Help us reach our year-end goal! Also, please particularly consider becoming a monthly donor with us. Such partnerships will be one of the key fuels that the COH engine runs on.
• Donate online: https://hsvcommunityofhope.org/donate
• By check to: Huntsville Community of Hope, PO BOX 423, Huntsville, AL 35804.
• For all you Amazon folks, please add us as your Amazon Smile charity of choice: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/83-4603693
Community of Hope is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Receipts for tax deduction purposes provided upon request.
Connect: Visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hsvcoh/ or https://hsvcommunityofhope.org
Spread the word to all your friends!