The Way Station --- On Friday, the Houston missionaries headed downtown to The Way Station at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church. 5 days a week, The Way Station provides a hot breakfast to over 300 homeless men and women from all over Houston. This place is absolutely incredible! They feed 300+ people every single day, offer social work services, a mailing address, and a place to shower. It was such a blessing for us to be able to help serve breakfast on Friday. We all took our places in the food line and had the opportunity to serve and talk to each person that came through the line. Even though we only had time to exchange a few words with the people who came through, their impact was lasting. It is incredible that people with so little by the world's standards could come up and when asked "How are you today?" respond simply with an enthusiastic "Blessed!" I was in utter shock. Spending time at The Way Station really made me appreciate everything that I have. I was able to see Christ in the eyes of all those who came through our food line, and I can't even explain how beautiful that is. We have so much to be thankful for, and I was absolutely honored to have the opportunity to serve at The Way Station.
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) --- Sunday was undoubtedly my favorite day of Mission Houston. We had the opportunity to visit Joseph Stanton, a 16 year old boy who was in a skateboarding accident this past June. Joseph suffered a serious brain injury and is now being cared for at TIRR in downtown Houston. We were able to stop by and meet Joseph and his aunt Sunday evening after mass, and I was absolutely blown away by this 16 year old boy. Currently Joseph is pretty heavily sedated by all of the medicine he is on to allow his brain to heal, so he cannot talk or really move. While Joseph lies in a hospital bed, unable to communicate, hundreds of thousands of people are being touched by his story. The night of the accident, the doctors told Joseph's mother that they didn't think he would make it through the night---but Joseph and his family never gave up, and they will continue to fight. The walls of Joseph's room are covered in pictures and messages of love from his family, friends, and teammates. His story is one of hope and unwavering faith, and Joseph has touched the lives of SO many people without even realizing it...talk about being missionary! I was blown away by Joseph's story, and it was such a blessing for us to be able to spend time with Joseph and his Aunt Sherri. If you are interested in hearing more about Joseph's story, click HERE to see his CaringBridge website. There are tons of pictures, a guestbook to sign, and someone posts updates on Joseph's status every single day.
Throughout Mission Houston, we were able to attend mass and a Holy Hour every day. The last two weeks were so filled with prayer and graced by God. It was amazing to be able to serve in Houston and really lift up the Mexico missionaries in prayer! We didn't take any pictures at The Way Station or at TIRR, but here are a few more snapshots from Mission Houston:
As it is with most missions, I was served far more than I could have ever served this week. I am blessed beyond measure to have been a part of this mission!
Counting my blessings,
Marissa
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