So what exactly do you do?
"What exactly do you do?" I get asked that question a lot and it's a complicated answer. Sometimes I feel like I would be able to answer more precisely if I could just list what I don't do!
Fran, the founder of The Sheepfold, wrote a fantastic book called "The Sheepfold A Living Memorial to the Living God" which details the ministry as well as the beautiful and heart-wrenching story of Fran's life.
I am going answer the above question in Fran's own words:
Being a house manager requires so many skills. Every experience she has had in her lifetime will be used in her work. It is impossible to list the hundreds of little things that come up.
In the shelter her day begins at 7am, cooking breakfast for 10 to 15 women and children... After supervising kitchen clean up, she teaches the daily Bible study, being sensitive to the spiritual needs of the residents who come from all different backgrounds.
Then she oversees the housekeeping assignments given to the residents, while she is answering the phone, watering, reviewing schedules and going over rules with the residents, doing house laundry, and making lunch. After lunch she puts donations away in the food pantry and clothing room, folds laundry, keeps records of residents for the office, calls in her needs for supplies and food, settles disputes among children and sometimes among the moms, takes in new residents sent by the office, gets the new family settled, and fixes dinner.
A house manager has the unenviable task of blending mothers and children who are emotionally distraught over their lives, and are complete strangers to each other, into a group that respects each other, and still maintain an atmosphere of peace and joy in the house, while walking the fine line between exercising authority, and showing love.
She cannot be moved by her emotions to give more attention to those whose stories are more tragic than the others. She must always be fair and give equal attention, even though one or the other may have very severe circumstances and greater need for emotional support.
It is one thing to talk to homeless people and give them referrals, or bus passes, or money, but it's quite another thing to actually live with them and have the job of trying to blend a house full of strangers from all different ethnic, educational, religious, and environmental backgrounds, with different customs, and cultural differences into a smooth-running household.
It is difficult to be the one person in the house in authority over women and children who are often resentful because at first they don't understand the need for rules and authority. A house manager must always be adjusting to, and learning, the personalities and habits of each new person.
To sum it up, a shelter manager has to have the unusual ability to live with strangers, serve them, administer authority with love, manage house cleaning, food preparation and storage, laundry and yard, teaching daily Bible studies, giving wise counsel, comfort, and encouragement to emotionally wounded women and children.*
Whew! I couldn't have said it better if I tried. So maybe now that I've posted this I won't have a brain melt-down trying to explain what I do....maybe. ;-)
* All excerpts used with permission from The Sheepfold
Fran, the founder of The Sheepfold, wrote a fantastic book called "The Sheepfold A Living Memorial to the Living God" which details the ministry as well as the beautiful and heart-wrenching story of Fran's life.
I am going answer the above question in Fran's own words:
Being a house manager requires so many skills. Every experience she has had in her lifetime will be used in her work. It is impossible to list the hundreds of little things that come up.
In the shelter her day begins at 7am, cooking breakfast for 10 to 15 women and children... After supervising kitchen clean up, she teaches the daily Bible study, being sensitive to the spiritual needs of the residents who come from all different backgrounds.
Then she oversees the housekeeping assignments given to the residents, while she is answering the phone, watering, reviewing schedules and going over rules with the residents, doing house laundry, and making lunch. After lunch she puts donations away in the food pantry and clothing room, folds laundry, keeps records of residents for the office, calls in her needs for supplies and food, settles disputes among children and sometimes among the moms, takes in new residents sent by the office, gets the new family settled, and fixes dinner.
A house manager has the unenviable task of blending mothers and children who are emotionally distraught over their lives, and are complete strangers to each other, into a group that respects each other, and still maintain an atmosphere of peace and joy in the house, while walking the fine line between exercising authority, and showing love.
She cannot be moved by her emotions to give more attention to those whose stories are more tragic than the others. She must always be fair and give equal attention, even though one or the other may have very severe circumstances and greater need for emotional support.
It is one thing to talk to homeless people and give them referrals, or bus passes, or money, but it's quite another thing to actually live with them and have the job of trying to blend a house full of strangers from all different ethnic, educational, religious, and environmental backgrounds, with different customs, and cultural differences into a smooth-running household.
It is difficult to be the one person in the house in authority over women and children who are often resentful because at first they don't understand the need for rules and authority. A house manager must always be adjusting to, and learning, the personalities and habits of each new person.
To sum it up, a shelter manager has to have the unusual ability to live with strangers, serve them, administer authority with love, manage house cleaning, food preparation and storage, laundry and yard, teaching daily Bible studies, giving wise counsel, comfort, and encouragement to emotionally wounded women and children.*
Whew! I couldn't have said it better if I tried. So maybe now that I've posted this I won't have a brain melt-down trying to explain what I do....maybe. ;-)
* All excerpts used with permission from The Sheepfold
Wow, that's great stuff. Thanks for posting JJ! Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteI love this! you are so good at what you do! Miss you friend!
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