SAMARITAN INNS

I recently finished a year-long volunteer Innkeeper internship with Samaritan Inns, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating homelessness and rebuilding the lives of the addicted. Many times during the year I wondered how I was so lucky to have had such an amazing job right after graduating from Duke. Many people spend years searching for a job where they will be happy, yet I found something right away! My conclusion was this: God put me where God wanted me to be - a place not only where I would serve, but also a place where I would be served. It was the 'being served' part that surprised me the most about the experience.

At Samaritan Inns, I served by living in community with nine formerly homeless women recovering from drugs and alcohol. I expected the service aspect of Innkeeping from the start. I knew that an Innkeeper served as a "loving presence" to the women, listening to them share frustrations and joys, opening the door for them after they return from a long day at work, being a constant source of love and support. I expected to hold them accountable to the rules of the program and to follow through with consequences when they did not abide by the rules. What I had not anticipated, however, was being served in the process. It is difficult to explain how this happened. I think it had to do with understanding our common humanity, that God created us all in God's image. I realized early on how similar the residents and I were - not so much in our backgrounds or experiences, but more so in our behaviors. (This may sound crazy to some, but trust me, it's the truth.) In the first month of the Innkeeper year, I remember attending a staffing, a meeting in which several staff members address behavioral concerns with a resident. During that particular staffing, the Social Services Coordinator spoke very frankly with the resident about how she was behaving and how that affected her recovery. As I listened, part of me wondered if the Social Services Coordinator was actually talking to me and not the resident. I saw myself acting in similar ways - not sharing my feelings with those around me, being a "people pleaser," and so on. I had this realization that we're all in this together! As I made these discoveries throughout the year, the staff at Samaritan Inns gave me an incredible amount of support and walked beside me through my own journey. Samaritan Inns is a place of growth, both for residents and staff. I think it's nearly impossible to be at Samaritan Inns and not grow closer to God by becoming more of who God created us to be.

I think if I had had a choice of one hundred jobs after graduation, I probably would not have selected Innkeeping at Samaritan Inns. Fortunately, I remained opened enough to listen to God's call to serve and be served at Samaritan Inns. My prayer is that many others, especially Duke Wesley students, will also listen to God's call and find themselves as Innkeepers at Samaritan Inns.