By Charlie Foster

I remember when I was deciding on where to go to college, my friends and I talked about the different cities in which our choices were located.

“Austin sounds great, but it might be too crazy. Boston would be cool, but it would also be way too cold. Waco? Isn’t that kinda sketchy?”

So, let me one of the first to tell you: yes, Waco has its ups and downs. There are some places in town where you may not find a whole lot of college kids roaming around, but some of those are great places to serve and enjoy a great community.

You may be thinking, “Wait, didn’t you just say it might be kinda sketchy?” Yes, I did. But, it’s the people here that matter the most.

I found myself in one of these places last night, as some brothers and I headed downtown to work at My Brother’s Keeper for the evening.

My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) is a temporary homeless shelter where people can stay overnight for up to three nights. Each day typically consists of a long line of people outside, anxiously awaiting to get inside, so they can sleep in a warm bed. Not everyone is admitted due to a limited amount of space, but those who do are given a nice place to sleep for the evening as they prepare for the next day.

My brothers and I went down there to help lead “church time.” Each evening, MBK provides a meal to its residents along with a worship and devotional service. Sometimes church youth or college groups will lead it, while others on the staff of MBK will help with it. This week, a friend’s church was volunteering, and they needed a few extra hands. He reached out to our fraternity, and I decided to go. It was the best and most rewarding decision I made this week.

This post-Homecoming week has been stressful with essays, tests and long nights talking with roommates about life. Serving at MBK gave me a chance to be refueled by the love of Christ through worship and community with people who just needed someone to love them. Hearing each of their stories gave me hope for life and a refocus on my calling here: to serve and love others through and for Jesus.

While I wish that I could have taken pictures at MBK last night, the residents of MBK didn’t want to be pictured, and I completely understand. Please, know that these people are joyful and caring. They thrive on the passion and love of Jesus Christ, despite their circumstances.

And, they’re still like you and me. They still struggle with something in their lives; the only difference is they don’t have a home.

So, when you get down here and travel through “sketchy” Waco, stop and see what you can do to help. Talk to the people around you. Take some time out of your schedule to love on others. It will be just as great for you as it is for the people you’re serving.