Bright, affable Jay’Veontae Hudson isn’t the typical student that one would associate with chronic homelessness. But his senior year will be his first at Portland’s Parkrose High School with a stable home situation.
As a middle schooler, his family situation prompted a sudden leave. After bouncing around with friends and family members alike, Hudson was constantly moving from place to place. Upon arriving at Parkrose, he got connected to the Gateway System. This is a district-mandated set of programs that help provide kids like him with the necessary resources they need. But still, he needed more help. “There was a place to go,” Hudson said,
“but there was no place to live.”
One year, as spring break approached, he reached out to a friend. The friend put him in touch with an English teacher named Jacquelyn Meza, whose parents had some extra space. While Hudson stayed with her parents, Meza put more time and effort to find Hudson a more permanent situation.
Eventually, Hudson ended up staying with math teacher Tammy Stamp, who agreed to be a foster care provider. Now, instead of relying solely upon his own wits and resources, he has Stamp as another loving presence to help. Hudson said, “It’s weird because I’m used to being the only one responsible for myself. She buys all my toothpaste and floss now.”*
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Isaiah 58:6-7
Christianity is more than a claim, or a mindset...it's a life that is lived through the lens of Christ's love for His creation. How does God's love for you change your perspective towards others?
Have a great day and God bless!
