Modern Samaritans

Westminster Home Connection repaired multiple lighting and plumbing issues in Ms. H.’s home. She was especially overjoyed by her unclogged sink, which had not drained in nine years. Ms. H’s fixed income made her hesitant to hire an unknown handyman; she was relieved to have trusted staff from Westminster restoring her home.

Ms. H. has been a foster parent since the mid-1970s. She spent years fostering and running a daycare. While Ms. H. has countless stories about raising children, the tales she recalls about her father are perhaps the most profound.

“My daddy used to fish at the Cumberland River. He was as likely to bring back a homeless family as he was to return with a fish.” He let these families stay under his roof until they could get back on their feet. When two families were sharing, those who could not fit at the dining table “ate dinner on newspapers on the floor.” Neither family was given special treatment. This was in the 1960s, when there were sit-ins and marches across the south. Ms. H. and her family were black, and they shared their home with a white homeless family.

What the H. family did for the homeless was like the actions of the Good Samaritan. They did not walk past those in need. Instead, the H.’s shared their resources in an era when they may have been perceived as outsiders. The modern reenactment of a parable is a powerful reminder that God’s teachings are always relevant. Ms. H. credits her father in heaven and her earthly father with her decision to be a foster parent. Her story reminded us what it means to care for others, and how important it is to do so during times of adversity.