A WORD about the RITI Program
“This is the BEST Christmas Ever!”
Those are the words I exclaimed as I
walked into the kitchen. My mother who looked completely exhausted simply
replied in the quietest and gentlest of voices, “That’s because this is what
Christmas is all about.” The Christmas I am referring to was this past
Christmas and I do believe that it will stay forever in my mind as the best
Christmas ever.
You see my family (The David Pattons,
The Tom Pattons, and Maggie Patton) served dinner for Room In The Inn on
Christmas Eve. I wanted the men who came to our church to truly feel
the love of Christ and joy of the season. Luckily, my favorite
co-conspirator, Linda Preston, was eager to join in serving with my family on
Christmas Eve and the festivities began. Since my grandmother had decided
that everyone who was normally at her house for Christmas Eve dinner had to come
to the church if they wanted to eat with us, I decided we should make our meal a
Christmas feast. Linda and I decided we should make the evening and the
next morning special. Plans for honey baked ham, green bean casserole,
sweet potatoes, macaroni & cheese, deviled eggs, broccoli casserole, and
pineapple casserole were just the beginning. And so our pursuit of Radical
Hospitality began.
We decided we should try and turn the
ABC classroom into a living room area for the men to relax and so we would have
a place for the Chrismon tree. Normally we drop the men off downtown at the
Transit Center at 5:30 so they can work. We assumed that they would not be
working on Christmas and would enjoy being able to sleep in for a while.
We got word back that we did not have to drop the men off until 9:00 on
Christmas morning. With the time change came the next phase of our Radical
Hospitality---the breakfast plans. When we first talked about having a big
breakfast with bacon, eggs, biscuits, gravy, pancakes and waffles my mom said
she could make the eggs. In the spirit of love and adventure, my mother
volunteered to make the men eggs, cooked to order, for breakfast.
The Sunday before Christmas Eve, we
began to prepare the space for our guests. With the help of some youth and
the younger Jelley couple, we moved more tables in for dinner. Our
preparations began as we moved the couches and futons down from the Senior High
Room. We brought the TV in and borrowed the carpet from the Confirmation
class. The final touches were a well-crafted temporary mantle Jim Preston
built and a Chrismon tree borrowed from the FLC. When everything was in
place the room really started to look like a family room, especially since the
ABC class has beautiful curtains already creating a welcoming atmosphere.
On Christmas Eve as the men arrived
the wonderful aromas of dinner were in the air. When we explained to the
men that we would be serving family style, with a buffet like we did when my
family gets together they were excited, especially when they saw all the food.
Many of the men were surprised and when they asked why we went to all this
trouble we told them, “Because it was Christmas. What better way to
celebrate the birth of Christ than with food, family, and fellowship?” The
look on their faces when we told them that we are all family because we are
brothers and sisters in Christ was one of pure joy. We all gathered in a
circle holding hands to pray and it felt just like we were gathered at my
grandmother’s house. I really did feel like I was surrounded by family.
After dinner several men came with us
to the Christmas Eve service at 7:00. Before I went to the service I went to go
ask one more time if anyone else wanted to come. As I was walking towards
‘the family room’ I heard the men in the room talking about the set up.
One of the men was saying that he couldn’t believe we did all of this for them.
After the service my dad and I began taking orders for breakfast in the morning.
The men were so shocked that we were going to make the eggs of their choosing.
When told them about the breakfast plans, they kept saying this is too much.
When we told them they were worth it, they just smiled and shook their heads.
Up until lights out there was a group watching a movie in ‘the family room’ and
another group sitting around talking in ‘the dining room.’ I love talking,
so I sat in the dining room. It was at that moment that I realized how
blessed I am to have friends to sit around and talk with. The men who we
chatted with said they enjoyed the conversation because at the shelter most
people kept to themselves. I had been so caught up in making sure our
meals were Radical that I never stopped to think about how ‘radical’ a simple
conversation would be. Around 11:30 we told the men, they had to go to bed
if Santa was going to come. They laughed thinking that was just a ploy to
get them to go to bed.
Christmas morning was filled with more
joy and love than I could have ever planned for. The men woke up and were
lingering around waiting for breakfast, when the first few went into the family
room. Each man had a stocking and a present under the tree from Santa,
personally addressed to him. At first the men just thought it was
decoration. We had to tell them it was for them. I had never heard
anything so beautiful until I heard grown men say, with a tremble in their
voices, “It has my name on it.” The simple act of receiving a gift that is
specifically for them was something they did not expect. Some of the men
tore open their packages and sounded like little children on Christmas morning
as they exclaimed, “Check these out! These are those really nice thick
gloves.” While others said, “I know this is handmade. This is great!”
All of the men received a hat, gloves, and a scarf, but most importantly they
understood the love that was behind those gifts. The stockings were
stuffed full of snack bars, crackers, and chips as well as a travel coffee mug,
hand warmers, a bus pass and a Bo Jangle's gift certificate. By the
standards of my students, it was simple. But judging by the looks on the
faces of the men and the hugs of gratitude we received, simple is the last thing
they thought those stockings were. These extraordinary Christmas gifts
would not have been possible if it had not been for the loving donations our
church, the Sunday before, which were so freely given.
As the men slowly gathered their
things and prepared to leave, almost every one of them hugged the Preston family
and my family. It was with a heavy heart that I watched them leave,
going back out into the cold. However, the look in their eyes seemed warm
and joyful, unlike when they arrived the night before. They arrived as 12
strangers, but they left knowing that they were accepted into our family.
It was as the men were packing up and opening their stockings and presents with
awe and excitement that I raced in and exclaimed, “This is the BEST Christmas
ever!” to my mother, tired from cooking all morning. It has been a long
time since I had a Christmas where I felt such love and peace in the air.
Having the Christmas spirit means letting God’s love in and sharing it with
those around you. We have the wonderful opportunity to keep that Christmas
spirit 365 days a year by continuing to help others to the best of our ability.
Thank you to all who helped make this the
best Christmas ever!
Katie Patton
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were
serving the Lord, not men.” Galatians 6:7