[keep the hope]

This line of work can get really discouraging in a split second. Anything from a kid who was sober suddenly starts using again... to ... she got a job and forgot to show up one day so she loses that for which she worked so hard. It happens. Just like that. In the blink of an eye.
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But then there are those moments when you realize how much good [not just you but your organization] is doing. When you realize that the clients actually appreciate all that you're trying to do for them. And it isn't just about you feeling appreciated but it's about meeting the needs of the youth even when they seem to mess up over and over again. It's about giving them a shirt even though they just got one... but it's also about keeping them accountable. It's about the conversation and the relationship behind that shirt.
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I was walking to work this morning and as I came upon our building, I saw three of our clients hanging out on the sidewalk. A girl had just walked up to them and sat down. On her back she carried a sleeping bag attached to a large backpack full to the brim... which included a ukelele. They all acknowledged me and stopped me in my tracks. The clients were raving about MFP saying how awesome it was and telling the new girl about all our services. They then introduced me as one of the counselors at MFP and I introduced myself to her. They invited her in for our 10-11:30 drop in slot and I told them I would see them then.
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It's amazing to me that these kids love it here. Some days when fights break out and people get angry and people storm out, it seems like no one appreciates the work that goes into helping them. However, they are surviving day to day because of us, and it is our hope that we make a long lasting impact on them. So, here's to keeping the hope. The hope that they will be safe. The hope that they will get off the streets. The hope that they will become self-sustaining. That they will "live a life worthy of the calling to which [they] have been called" (Eph. 4).