I have been struggling with this blog post for a couple days now. I want to share the experience I had with Jake with all of you, but I am having the hardest time finding the right words to describe my sentiments. As I mentioned in one of my homework posts, I met Jake (20 years old) at the homeless shelter I have been volunteering at. We clicked and became friends right from the start.

When I first started volunteering at the start of this semester, Jake had no contact with either of his parents (they are divorced and live in different states) and had been a guest at the homeless shelter for several months. He was on probation and participated in mandated community service every week in order to lift his probation.  No parental support, no job, no car, no house…not at all an easy life.

This past Wednesday, Jake had moved back in with his father in Pittsburgh, was employed 7/11, and had an interview for a second job opportunity that very afternoon. He had contacted the US Air Force recruiter in his region and had decided to join. He would have joined right away, but he has to wait at least one year after probation before joining. As he excitedly told me, “this coming April, the Air Force will be accepting a new member.”

I cannot even begin to describe my happiness for Jake. In the two months of knowing him, I saw his life change completely. I saw him grow as a person, I saw him take risks, and I saw his will power and his strength. I saw once again how being a volunteer does not exclude me from being affected, from being changed. Thanks to Jake, I saw myself once again looking at my own life in a new light. He touched my heart in a way that I had only experienced once before on a mission trip to Honduras. This was when I met Kayla, the five-year-old orphan that paved my direction in life. She was extremely calm and quiet and was always off by herself. Kayla was very reserved with me, which is understandable due to the abundance of strangers that appear and disappear every couple of weeks. Ever so slowly, Kayla began to smile and play with me, and on my last day at the orphanage she thanked me for playing with her. The simplest phrase “thank you” brought me the greatest of joys. Although she might have forgotten me a week after I left the country, I will never forget the lessons I learned from her. Kayla showed me the power of interactions. That every interaction counts and that every interaction causes a ripple effect. To invest time and kindness in one person may completely alter his/her day and life. She showed me the importance of being patient; that good things come to those who make the effort and wait. Kayla taught me to appreciate my life- a life full of love and support from my family and friends. She opened my eyes to how fortunate I am to live such a great and blessed life.

I wholeheartedly believe that the lessons Kayla taught me, are the reason why Jake and I became friends. After the first night I met him, I knew that it was important that I not let the term “homeless” affect that way I treat him because being homeless is not representative of his character. He is no different than the rest of us. He is a wonderful person, with a good heart. The fact that he made me feel so welcomed and so appreciated the first time we met, made me determined to reciprocate that kindness in the following weeks. I was determined to do everything in my power to show Jake the impact he had on people around him. I hope that I was a support system for him. I hope that he felt a load lifted when he shared elements of his life with me, I hope he felt like someone was there for him, and that someone believed in him.

I cannot imagine what it must be like sleeping in a cot every night. I cannot imagine what is must be like not having a schedule full of classes and activities to attend to every day. I cannot imagine how it must feel telling someone that you are homeless or telling someone that you are in trouble with the law and on probation. Jake was never bitter, angry or ungrateful. He had a smile on his face every time I saw him and always went out of his way to make others laugh. He lived his life with a better outlook than a lot of people I know. He is truly inspiring and that is why I am having the hardest time describing him. Describing why he is so great and why I am so proud of the strides he has made in a short period of time. He did it all by himself, and is pulling his life together. He thanked me on Wednesday for believing in him, but really it is Jake and Kayla that should be thanked. It is people like them that completely change your perspective on life. It is them that should be given an abundance of opportunities. They are the ones who have struggled immensely and still are capable of bringing happiness and a profound change in the lives of others.