The Blessings of Hosting
By Gwen Rouleau
About 13 years ago, our family answered a call for FMF volunteers at Valley Community Presbyterian Church. My husband and I were looking for a volunteer opportunity we could share with our small children. During our FMF hosting weeks, we ate dinner and engaged with parents, and played with the children who stayed overnight in our church. Our family would drive home after saying good-night to the families. It was difficult to answer a basic question from the back seat, “What do you mean, they don’t have a home?” It just didn’t make any sense to our children.
Through the years, our Valley Church family has learned the importance of getting to know our FMF guests in order to be good hosts. In working closely with FMF staff, we learn how to be more welcoming to our brothers and sisters. Valley Church is also sustained by an army of dedicated volunteers. We learned the families served by FMF and those volunteering with the program have more similarities than differences, in our basic desire to raise healthy, educated children and to provide them with a safe, comfortable home. We realize physical and mental health issues, substance abuse, costly childcare and unreliable transportation are challenges faced by many families today.
We’ve come to know and care for many FMF families who have survived tragic events beyond what most families experience: an accident or serious diagnosis, a natural disaster, or family violence. All of these crises typically result in a loss of income, unanticipated unemployment or under-employment, and a loss of stable housing. As a hosting congregation, we are mindful of the trauma experienced and recognize it can impact family members in many different ways. We believe within our volunteer team that our flexibility, love, care and concern for the families helps them during this difficult chapter in their lives. We believe we are blessed with this opportunity to serve.
A new generation is asking the difficult, yet basic question about children not having a home. It is still difficult to answer that question. However, it is easy to answer the call to volunteer during a hosting week.
