Motel Ministry is not about statistics. A statistic is a datum or a numerical fact that shocks you for three seconds, but eventually goes in one ear and out the other. Statistics give you a brief summary instead of putting a face to a number. A statistic would be saying that according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2005, there were approximately 300,000 people in Orange County living below the poverty level. This is not what we are about.
Motel Ministry is about people. We look past their exterior and look into their hearts. We refuse to accept society's beliefs that there is a line that separates the successful from the unsuccessful. We refuse to accept society's definition as to what success is.
I met a man named Farley at a motel in Santa Ana, CA. He had shabby clothes and reeked of body odor. When I shook his hand, I felt numerous calluses that were a testimony to his forty-eight years of hard work and labor. I asked him how his week had been, not realizing this simple question would lead to a twenty-minute conversation that would change my life. I learned that Farley was diagnosed with brain cancer and had less than a month to live. He didn't have any family and had been living by himself in a motel for months. Because of the severity of his sickness, he had short-term memory loss that would put an elderly retirement home to shame. Despite all this, he told me he was having a wonderful week. As we said our good-byes, Farley thanked me for our conversation and promised he’d try his hardest to remember my name. I saw him again the following week. Although he couldn’t recall my name, he didn't forget about our previous conversation. We had yet another great discussion about life, love, happiness and Jesus. I once again said good-bye to him. Instead of a handshake, however, I offered him a hug. He looked at me with a pleasantly shocked expression on his face. Regaining his composure, he reminded me of the short time he had left on this earth and said to me, “I want to thank you for talking to me when I've felt like everyone in the world has been trying to ignore me. I hope I will be able to see you again but if I'm not here next week, you know why.†That was the last time I saw Farley.
This is what Motel Ministry is about.
Written by Cami Poblete.
