Newsletter: October 2023
Dear Friends of Joseph House:
Our days at the Joseph House are usually pretty full. In addition to overseeing the Crisis Center and the Workshop, we attend to any number things that often pop up without notice. We might need to deliver food to someone whose car is inoperable, buy a week’s worth of milk for our Hospitality Room, or call someone who is worried about a family member. We don’t mind. That’s what we’re here for, to be available, to let God work through us.
And there is one thing we live by here at the Joseph House: in God’s eyes, the small things we do for love are the same as the big things. It’s all the same.
Our founder told us, “We don’t have to go and save the world—it’s been saved. We have to do our part in it, our appointed place.” She said God speaks to us directly, He doesn’t use computers or anything, we just need to keep our eyes and ears open.
Or in other words, pay less attention to electronic screens, and more on what is going on around us. That’s good advice!
Many jobs go into making the Joseph House run, and each job means there is a person who has found a place among us and is doing his or her part for a greater good. That makes us so happy. There’s a place for everyone, whether you are a doer, a pray-er, or a giver. It takes all of us.
Every individual effort is important and makes a difference. Just ask any of the many people who come to the Joseph House for assistance:
Austin, 67, had his wallet, cell phone, and bicycle stolen. He walked an hour to our Crisis Center looking for food. We gave him a meal, groceries, and a taxi ride back home. To help him recover from his losses, we also paid his rent of $394.
Thelma, 65, and her mother were homeless and living in a motel. Her mother has had several strokes and cannot speak. She also has seizures and consumes prescription pain pills on a daily basis. Thelma works part-time sorting packages for a shipping company. She and her mother would pool their money for food and the motel bill. After that, there was never enough left over to pay the security deposit for an apartment. They felt stuck with no way out. Thelma went to six agencies asking for help and none of them had any funds. Then she came to the Joseph House, and thanks to your generosity we paid the $400 deposit so she and her mother could have a new place to live.
Natalie, 34, has two young children. Her husband was abusive, and one day after Natalie threatened to call the police he left and has never been back. Natalie was not working outside the home and suddenly she had to take care of all the bills and feed her family. She applied for emergency food stamps, found a job (although it won’t start for a few weeks), and tried to get help paying the electric bill, which had reached the cut-off stage. Again, no other agencies had the funds. Finally, the day before the power was going to be turned off, she came to the Joseph House (we were an hour’s drive away). We called the electric company and made a payment of $400.
Darlene, 55, lives alone and works as a waitress. Lately her hours have been sporadic because she feels weak and sickly. She came to see us after getting out of the hospital and being tested for cancer. She is not feeling very hopeful. Darlene could not pay all of her rent; she was short several hundred dollars. We mailed her landlord a check for $350.
Gabriella, 60, is raising her three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She could not afford to pay her water bill of $100 and so the water was shut off in her home. We paid the amount she owed.
Howard, 58, is really struggling with his health. After undergoing treatment for lung cancer he suffered several strokes. He must now have surgery for a major hernia. Howard has fallen far behind in his rent. Only the sympathy of his landlord is keeping him from becoming homeless. His landlord has promised to get him a roommate so his rent will be cut in half. We contributed $300 to the amount Howard owes.
Charlotte, 63, works two part-time jobs. One is retail and the other is as a home health aide. She was hospitalized recently so the agency she works for gave her client to someone else. Until she gets a new one she is down to a single job. A year ago we helped Charlotte move into a new place, but her roommate had mental issues and became violent. Charlotte relocated to a friend’s apartment, only to discover that her friend had a drug problem and a heroin addict was living upstairs. Could we help her move again, she asked? Charlotte had a place in mind, a trailer that was for rent next to a farm. It was affordable, but she didn’t have the money for the deposit. We decided to help her with $350.
Maya, 24, and her two young children have been homeless for a year, bouncing around without a fixed address. Relatives who live out of state sometimes help her with money. It’s an unstable situation surrounded by pitfalls, but Maya has a chance to establish a better life for herself and her children. She was recently approved for subsidized housing but a $700 security deposit was required before moving in. We contributed $325 toward the cost. Maya is a bright young woman who dreams of studying to be a phlebotomist. With a rent-subsidized home, the odds of that happening have increased in her favor.
Autumn is a beautiful time of year on the Eastern Shore. In just a few minutes we can leave behind the traffic and shopping centers of Salisbury and drive along open fields beneath October skies. By now many of the fields have been harvested, although some of the incredibly big combines are still at work. We love living in an agricultural area. There are so many reminders of the importance of cultivation, not only of the land but of our communities and even ourselves. What we value requires our attention and care if we want to reap a life-giving harvest.
Many years ago, the Joseph House was just an idea, a dream in our founder’s heart. But Sr. Mary Elizabeth was diligent in her efforts and faithful to God’s will. Although it’s been19 years since she departed from us, she left behind a legacy that is still bearing fruit. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, the Joseph House continues to help those experiencing homelessness, hunger, and other crisis situations.
Thank you so much for all the ways you support our work. Every day we remember you with deep gratitude as we pray for you and the needs of your loved ones.
Your Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary
Please send us your special intentions and we will pray for you: Contact Form.
Your support allows us to help the poor, whatever their needs may be: Donate.
My faith in God is really what keeps me going. I know that life was not easy for Him when He came on earth and He didn’t stop because of that.
I know that if you keep going, God will give you the courage from day to day. I believe in the good old principle that AA has, and that is just do one day at a time.
I get up in the morning and I face whatever faces me that day, and then after that I go to bed and sleep. The next day I do the same thing.
Sr. Mary Elizabeth Gintling
Dec 31, 1914—Oct 27, 2004
Founder of the Joseph House
and the Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary
