What does it mean to love like Jesus loves? Or to live as Jesus lived?

These are questions that I asked my fourth grade students. We read stories from the Bible about the good Samaritan, Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, and we read account after account of who Jesus chose to hang out with. When I asked those questions, there were a lot of great responses, but one stuck out to me. “Well, Mrs. Lyzenga, we need to feed the homeless.” She explained that if Jesus came to earth to be with the people that others rejected, then that is exactly what we should be doing. 

Salt + Light is an organization whose mission statement is “to cultivate community by providing dignified homes, jobs, and healing through relationships to lift our neighbors up off the streets of Tulare County.” I had heard of them before, and when the students started talking about how we should feed the homeless, I immediately thought of Salt + Light. 

We partnered with Salt + Light to bring dignity to our neighbors experiencing homelessness in Tulare County. As a fourth grade, we made one hundred peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches weekly for most of the school year. They have a food truck that goes out five days a week and brings hot meals to our neighbors experiencing homelessness, and with their hot meal, our neighbors are given choices to take a sandwich, chips, cookies, and maybe some dog food for their pets. Offering a choice is part of what brings our neighbors dignity. 

On one particular day, we took a little field trip to the Salt + Light warehouse. We were randomly assigned a bus driver, and off we went. We prepared sandwiches, saw the food truck, made cards, and started our relationship with the people of Salt + Light. On our way back to school, bus driver Karen got on the bus intercom and told her story. Through tear-drenched eyes, she told the students how thankful she is that kids are learning about homelessness and working to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people that society has cast aside. She shared about her son, who lives up in Washington, and how she hoped that there were kids up where he lives doing what these kids were doing. “I saw Jesus today through you because as you learn about homelessness, maybe you won’t look down on my struggling son. Maybe there is hope.” 

The best part of this entire experience was the growth I saw as each student admitted their perceptions regarding homelessness. “I used to think it was their fault that they are homeless, but now I know sometimes it's different.” “They are kind and loving people, just like us.” “I thought they were all addicts, but mostly they’re just like us.” 

Throughout this school year, the fourth graders at CVC have made over 3,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for our neighbors experiencing homelessness in Tulare County. They have fed the least and the lost. They have learned to view people as more than their current situations. They look at them as children of God who may have had trauma over their lives that have brought them to where they are.