A revolutionary moment in my life took place while I was walking around Boston, seeing the sights, the views and all the spectacular things it has to offer. My world was rocked when surrounded by the beauty of my favorite city, I saw a man sleeping on the road: inside of a bush. I felt such pain and sadness at the sight.

I do not know what it is like to be homeless. I thank God that is an experience I have never endured, but I know that the issue is VERY real to many, and misunderstood in this day and age.

Did you know, that according to Amnesty International, more than 1 billion people are denied adequate housing, water, electricity, health, and education? This is a huge problem in our society, and it is being overlooked. We have become a society that is self-absorbed and are not realising what is happening in front of our very eyes.

Walla Walla University, a private Seventh-Day Adventist university in the south-east corner of Washington State, with a passion for the community (one of its core themes being generosity in service), is hosting an event from May 2 -6 called Living InTents for Homeless Awareness. It is being hosted by WWU's Amnesty Club in order to raise awareness for homelessness.

In Walla Walla, Washington, one-tenth of the population is homeless. In this town that I have learned to call home these past eight months, there are hundreds who don't have a home to call their own.

Here at Walla Walla University, students will get to experience this week what it is like to be living in a tent, helping to raise awareness and understanding in millennials concerning the matter. They will be residing in this manner in front of Kretchmar Hall for five nights.

My first thought when I heard about this event was: "I can't be a part of InTents because I won't have an outlet to plug my computer in so I can do homework".

This is EXACTLY the message that this event is trying to get across.

If I need my phone at night, it is always lying next to me, plugged in. If I get thirsty, I walk down the hall and drink from the fountain. If I am hungry, I walk down the hall and pop some Ramen into the microwave. If I need to go to the bathroom or take a shower, those facilities are right there at my disposal 24 hours a day. If I need to do laundry, I can walk down the hall and throw them into the washer at my leisure. Everything is SO simple, and we honestly have no idea what it's like to do without.

I spoke with ASWWU (Associated Students of Walla Walla University) Spiritual Vice President Stephen Farr, and he had a lot to say on the matter. He brought up a great point: "We were all homeless until Jesus died for us. Now we have a home in heaven. Maybe we need to learn to help the homeless because Jesus said we should go to the highways and bi-ways and invite them from their homeless conditions and come home. We are are all children of God. We are all family."

Homeless people aren't there for us to pity, look down upon or place under a stereotype, they are there for us to love, understand and appreciate. And in the words of Atticus Finch, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

The organizers of InTents created a group event for people interested in participating. In one of their comments, they stated that: "We're actually working with homeless shelters in this area to create [a] better understanding of what the needs of the homeless are... This event is meant to simulate a community ... akin to the "Tent Cities" that can be found up and down the west coast."

So, this week, many students from my university are planning on climbing into the skin of a homeless person and attempting to walk around in it for a time. I am hoping that through this, they will be able to learn what it truly means to live homelessly, and how we can be more understanding and Christ-like in reaching out to those around us who are in need.