40 Day Journey with Our Neighbors in Solidarity
Week 1: Church on the Street
Written By: Harriet Monson, Director of the COTS ministry Laundry with Love
Day 3: Matthew 25:35-36,40 (Revised Standard Version)
34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you cared for me, I was in prison, and you came to me… 40 Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.
Today’s focus is: “I was naked, and you clothed me.” We don’t often encounter people who literally have no clothes. Most people can find something to put on and cover-up. But finding something that fits, is clean, and suitable for the weather can be a struggle for people living in poverty or without a home.
When I started volunteering for Church on the Street, I had no idea doing laundry was such a burden for people. After all, I have been able to walk into my laundry room my whole life, throw my clothes into the washer with some detergent, and start the machine. An hour or so later, I had clean clothes. It turns out, without their own washing machine, the average family of 5 spends over $50 a month on laundry. People will often throw out their dirty clothes or towels because it is easier to get new items donated than it is to get their existing items washed!
One of the great things about having Laundry with Love twice a month is it gives us the opportunity to put donated items directly into the hands of people in need. The most requested items at the laundromat are undergarments—socks, t-shirts, underwear, and bras. As the ministries of COTS are always grassroots, bubbled-up needs straight from the folks who need them, we decided to start The Undercover Closet! We keep on hand as many sizes and styles as possible and make them available to all who need them. Local churches and organizations have kept us well stocked so far. We recently received a monetary donation to pay for the materials to make an actual wooden, portable closet. God is Good!
We had no idea when we started Laundry with Love that it would turn into what it has become. It is a place where the cold come to get warm, the hungry come to eat, the lonely come for companionship, the desperate come for prayer, and of course, those with dirty clothes come to get them washed. For where two or three gathers in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20
Reflect
Has there ever been a time you have had to wear dirty clothes? Most likely not, because you probably have a closet full of choices. Has your washer or dryer broken down, so you had to use a laundromat? Do you have any idea what the cost to do a load of laundry is today? In Sioux Falls, the price can be anywhere from $2.50-$8.75. Imagine having to wash clothes for a family of 5 or more.
Practice
We challenge you to:
- Go to the laundromat on a Saturday with your family and check out the machines’ size and the cost to use them.
- Offer to pay for someone else’s laundry while at the laundromat.
- On your own or as a family, collect quarters and put them in Ziplock bags along with a few dryer sheets and laundry pods. Drop the bag(s) off at First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls.
- Pray for people living with limited resources that cannot afford to wash their clothes or clothe their family.
- Give thanks that God has given you the ability to wear clean clothes each day and sleep in a clean bed each night.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you so much for all the blessings you have given us in our lives. We are so grateful for the abundance we live with each day. We pray for all the people living in poverty and without homes. Please be with those who are struggling to feed their families and to provide clean clothes for them. In your name, we pray, Amen.
