Update from Showers of Blessings

Dear Beloved Showers Peeps,

Happy Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) to you all! And a prayerful remembrance of Sept 11, 2001.

Amid all the bad news in the world, there is actually good news to report: We had another showers day this last Saturday! Thank you all for making another awesome event. Here are our numbers:

• Sign- Ins 102
• Breakfasts 100+
• Clothing 82 customers served
• Showers taken 37
• Haircuts 20
• Volunteers 20

Bob Oslie was on campus early and opened the doors for us. Our trusty guest crew, Randy, Leon, and Uriah, who always show up early were on hand to help with all the tables and chairs. We got all set up earlier than usual 6:30a.

Once again Devon and Lindsey were with us, as was their little dog, Dublin, who is now so used to the chaos at showers she is not afraid anymore and doesn’t hide under the truck. Walks around like she owns the place which she kinda does. Also Michelle Jampolsky was back from working as a nurse on “Operation Smile” in Abu Dhabi. And once again she brought her dog “Jersey.” Showers has become very dog and cat friendly.


Sidney Hudig brought delicious home made brownies to hand out to our guests. Pat Kreder brought over a cat carrier for one of our guests, and Jeff Bates was back with us with some dandy ideas about how we might automate our sign in procedure and records keeping.

Jack Hayman was manning the clothing table after working on Set-up Friday and helping to load in the sets for Godspell the night before. Sharon Semple and Donna Purdue and Michelle were also there, and thanks to some really nice clothing donations they had some great things to outfit our guests with. Made it feel like working in a swanky store and our guests appreciate the individual attention. We also had some very much needed rolling suitcases to offer this time. Still, we are always short of men’s socks and underwear. But as usually happens on a showers day, passers-by came and dropped off some clothing.

And last, but certainly not least: one of our original volunteers, Kristen Maher, was back with us. She had been gone all summer doing research in South Africa for a book on Township life and politics. She was able to cut hair for a couple of hours and then our guest haircutter Manny Zazueta, who also has been away, came by and stepped in to do the honors. And after he left Devon moved over from cleaning showers to our hair salon and finished up. We are so lucky to have multi-talented and highly energetic volunteers devoted to showers.

Thank you all so very much for your hard work. You really are a blessing to the people you serve, to each other, and to ME!

Claudia Dixon

Showers Stories: Christian's Progress

Showers Stories is our new series about the Showers of Blessing ministry, where we share stories of volunteers and guests. 

Claudia Dixon writes:  

A week or so ago I posted a story on the Blog about a homeless young man who regularly comes to our Showers Of Blessings and also now comes regularly to church on Sundays. At that time Christian had just found a bed at Father Joe’s Village and was so relieved he no longer had to live in the park. This last Saturday at our Showers of Blessings, Christian took another step in his progress to a better, more stable and secure life.

 The following is a report by Jen Jow:

It was a happy day this past Saturday for Christian. His comment was that he is so thankful that his life feels like it's moving forward - especially now that we were able to proceed on getting a copy of his birth certificate. He was smiling from ear to ear when we were done notarizing forms needed for Texas Vital records to release the copy.

Without a birth certificate you can't get a formal government identification card, which is proof of your identity and which allows you to apply for SSI/food stamps or housing. 

Photo by Jen Jow

This has been a bit of a challenge for me this past month to get it notarized, because he didn't have a valid government id. That's why we needed a birth certificate to get one (vicious circle). But I figured out a way to circumvent the system and get it done.

Veletia (Kennedy) and I ended up being a witness to knowing Chris and we used our IDs as verification and proof for the notary to document. 

We were so happy for him and hope this can turn his life around or at least get it moving in the right direction.  

Showers Stories: Christian

Some Sunday as you’re walking through the courtyard going or coming from Sunday service you might see a young man sitting at one of the tables, having a donut and a cup of coffee. He is a rather heavyset man with very thick light brown hair and a small mustache and beard. He is one of our homeless guests who have been coming to Showers Of Blessings almost since the beginning, a little over a year ago.

 Recently I stopped to say good morning and asked how he was doing. “Oh I’m doing great,” he said. “I have a place to live now. I’m at Father Joe’s.” He was smiling broadly. I congratulated him and asked how he liked living there. “Oh it’s really great,” he said. And then after a reflective pause, “When I was living in the Park, it was tense, you know, scary. You can never relax there. I didn’t have a choice so I, you know, I just did what I had to do. There is a lot of drama that goes on in the park, so you worry all the time, and it’s hard. I am glad I don’t have to do that any more.” I said I hoped he would still come to the Showers, and he said, “Oh I sure will, and I will be in church too. See you next Sunday.”

I have Christian’s permission to share this little part of his story with you. It is a little measure of success for one man, progress and hope for the future measured in a smile. If you happen to see Christian sitting in the courtyard next time you come to church, stop by and say hello. Ask him how he’s doing. He would really like that.

Claudia Dixon

Showers of Blessings