I went on a missions trip over my spring break.

I didn't go home. I didn't go across the country for the week. I didn't go to the beach for the week.

I went to a suburb in the city of Chicago, Illinois to work with a church and the ministry of their center. We built a platform for freezers to sit on in their basement. We built a shelving unit for in their kitchen. We filled in holes and painted offices. We reinforced shelves so that the paper sitting on them didn't fall.

We put together bags of food to deliver to homes in need. We walked the streets of the community barefoot to experience what it is like to not have shoes in the city. We went out into the community and talked with people. We listened to their story and to what they have to say. We worked with kids during the after school program, helping them with homework and teaching them to make good choices. We cleaned bathrooms, swept floors and cleaned windows.

There were many things I learned during the week and I'm sure that if I tried to list them all, I would miss a few.

The main thing that I learned is that people want to be heard. They want to be able to talk and to have their story heard. They want someone to listen to what they have to say. They don't want someone to talk at them and push something onto them. They simply just want someone to listen.

If we spend so much time talking to people, we miss out on a lot. We miss out on getting to know them and knowing how to talk to them when we do talk. We miss out on being able to give something to them, whether it be advice or just space to be able to talk about anything they need to talk about.

Next time you see a homeless person or someone asking for money, take a moment to remember that they have a story. Look at them as a person. Take them for a meal or a cup of coffee and listen to what they have to say. Their homelessness is most likely not their choice, rather than bad luck and instability. Remember that they need someone to listen to them.

People are people. That's simply it.