Denver Rescue Mission

Ever since March I have been spending my Monday afternoons hanging out with kids at the Denver Rescue Mission. Well... it's not the mission downtown, but it's a complex they have outside of the city that houses families who would otherwise be on the street. They provide low rent housing and three affordable meals a day to the families that live there. It's a great opportunity for the parents to receive training on budgeting and other life skills so that they can be out on their own again after a 6-24 month stay. Helping people in this way is a deep passion of mine and I and so blessed to be a part of it... even if that means just reading books with kids once a week.

As you can imagine, the children that live in this building have been through a lot. Many have moved constantly are a lacking sense of consistency in their lives. Going into that room each Monday and having them recognize you is the best feeling in the world. A lot of the little girls come alive with a hug and you can tell they thrive off of the individual attention they get. (Many have several siblings and/or parents who work a lot so they fend for themselves.) It's a great experience. Here is a little taste of life at DRM...

(I was shooting the breeze with a 2nd grade boy named Everett yesterday and it's pretty standard for the conversations I have with those kids. I laugh a lot!)
Me: So, what is your favorite sport?
E: Well, uhh, I like football... and basketball! But my mom won't be play football because it's too expensive.
Me: Ugh, that's not cool.
E: Do you know how much it costs?
Me: No, how much?
E: It coststses....like six hundred thousand and eighty-four dollars! But basketball only costestes two dollars so I can play that.
Me: Oh, good.
E: Oh! And you know what?! We went to Chicago. We drove all of the way there!
Me: (reeling from sudden subject change) Er, really? What's in Chicago.
E: Well, Chicago is where you go to the bathroom in the woods. And Disney World is there!
Me: (stifled chuckle) I think you mean California... (And I have no idea what the whole bathroom in the woods is about.)