Safe Arrival Back in Erie

Hello! This is Natalie here! It’s only been our very first day here and I can honestly say I have learned so much already. The word homeless means something completely different to me than it had just 24 hours ago. Getting to talk and actually interact with the people at the Father McKenna center has been incredible. All of the guys have been so open to us in sharing their story and it’s been nothing short of ordinary. As we are all here serving them, they are actually serving us. I have already taken so much from them especially when I had the chance to talk to a few men one on one. I met such an inspiring man today. At the very end of the day, I went right up to a man sitting by himself and started talking to him. We talked for almost 45 minutes and it was just an awesome conversation. Even though I did not know how old he was (he had to be above age 50), I was utterly surprised to learn that he was a student at local college to become a nurse. It warmed my heart in knowing that he had a plan for his life and was on the right track. Throughout our talk he mentioned how had hit rock bottom and had been homeless for 7 years but found the strength to get back on track and eventually got a place of his own. What’s neat is to find that each and every face we encounter this week has a story and I can’t wait to hear more throughout the rest of this week. I can already tell I will leave this place as different but most importantly a better person!