We have a responsibility to one another

Heart of the Treasure Valley - Idaho Statesman Article, Dec. 8, 2008
by Katherine Jones

At precisely 6 p.m., she opens the doors.

More than 100 people are waiting outside to come into the warmth that she offers. It's both a literal and figurative refuge: This is a nighttime shelter for people who find themselves homeless, for people who have no place of safety. And there she is.

She says: "I try to be (a) sanctuary - to provide sanctuary for them in my heart."

She welcomes them by name, offering a friendly greeting. She listens to their stories; asks about their day, about their health. She problem-solves, she sorts out snafus; she firmly enforces rules to people who hoped to stretch their limits. She calms what she can out of the turmoil of inebriation or frustration or despair; she is equally as free with her laughter.

"Hospitality is about allowing people into your heart, keeping your heart open, welcoming people - you become hospitality. It's not what you do; it's something you are."

Jayne Sorrels is the shelter director at Interfaith Sanctuary, a place that welcomes men, women and families. To look at it, it's a practical building with beds, walls, heat and lots of blankets. To really see it, though, it's something far more profound.

"Sanctuary is based on the values of love, compassion, dignity, and responsibility for people. To one degree or another, (volunteers and workers) embody that: We are compassion, we are respect, we are love.

"Our people know that. They say, 'This is the most different shelter I've every stayed in. I've never been at another shelter like this before. You respect us and we know that.' "

"She's a saint," Yolanda Anderson says, touching her heart. Yolanda and her husband have lived at Sanctuary for six months.

"She looks out for you. She watches your progress through here and monitors if you're a successful candidate for housing," says Jeffrey Williams, who has lived there since August. "She backs it up with paperwork."

"My family is the greater world. I know I've heard the words, but it goes deeper than words - I've always felt any child is my responsibility and tried to do what I could."

Jayne organizes volunteers, funding, and the workflow to put 150 people to bed every night. She's a tireless voice for the underserved; she offers counsel to heart and spirit as well as the practicalities of life; she is a bridge between agencies, personalities and needs. She's a visionary, working on a 10-year plan to end homelessness.

If you were being flip, you'd say that she has no life outside of work. And, in fact, she'd agree.

"My life and my work cannot be separated. They must be the same thing. Work cannot be about making money. It's nice to be able to support the basic needs, but I've not ever been driven by that (which is evidenced by my bank account). I live very simply. I'm working on living more simply."

Her work is, equally simply, her spiritual path. It's a path where service to others is the active expression of her love and compassion.

"Service is part of human life. It's as essential to our life as eating. It's a necessity; you have to serve.

"But you get to choose - or it chooses you, the type and way that you serve.

"(For instance), my mother was an example of serving within the family. She dedicated herself willingly to that family service. One way is not better than another.

"(Service) can't be a job. It's too hard, physically, mentally, emotionally. It really has to be some kind of calling. It doesn't have to be in a religious framework; but it's how you understand your purpose and mission in life.

"I believe we all come encoded with some things we're all here to do and work out. Ideally, we're going to wake up to those things and realize the purpose that we're here for. For each person it's different"

As she has moved through her life, Jayne has always pursued intense spiritual practices. She took vows as a nun in a contemplative spiritual order for six years and, though she no longer wears a habit, she still integrates monastic rhythms in her daily life.

"It's the call of my soul that I can't escape. You can't not know it when you know it."

Jayne lives in a Catholic Worker house; and she spends time in prayer, contemplation, meditation and study - the well from which she draws the compassion that she radiates.

"You have to connect to the Source, to God, to love, to be able to be full. That's how I fill myself up. It can't be you doing the work. When you are drawing from your own resources as an individual - I couldn't do this. There is no way. There is no way that this person here, Jayne, this container, could give at this level.

"So it is about connecting to Source, to God, moving out of the way, and allowing that to come through."

Jayne is clear that service isn't for the faint of heart. She tells stories where compassion looked very fierce and harsh - when she has had to escort belligerent, inebriated people out of Sanctuary or break up fights. Plus, she says, when you see yourself in the people you serve, it can be daunting.

"Doing service, at this level, with this intention, evolves you. You get to see: Where do I hold separation between me and another? Where do I hold judgment?

"The commitment I made when I was just beginning was: I'm not running. I'm going to face (my fears and challenges). It's important. Even when you feel like running, don't."

Jayne pauses in an expression of gratitude.

"They're our teachers. The people who present the greatest challenges to us are our greatest teachers."

And she looks up, determined.

"The essence of life, from my own understanding, is that we're all one. And because we're all one, we have a responsibility to one another - truly.

"It's not something you say. It's something you do."

Interfaith Sanctuary Housing Services is a collaboration of people of faith and people of conscience who have joined together to shelter and serve individuals who are experiencing homelessness. We recognize the dignity of each person and therefore offer our services in an accepting and respectful manner. Our partners include El-Ada Community Action Partnerships, The Interfaith Alliance of Idaho and the Interfaith Religious Leaders Network, Catholic Charities of Idaho, Corpus Christi House, and Boise City Ada County Housing Authority.