Whether a person or family is homeless, or a family is taking in the homeless, patience is one of the most important ingredients towards success. The host family will rarely know the entire background that comprises the homeless family’s ability to make a decision. It is needful to understand that the homeless may not make decisions that affect their safety and future as quickly or easily as the host family may expect or prefer. 
God is always working, but He may be a little slower than we expect, therefore strive to be patient, and do not put the family under extreme scrutiny or rigid expectations. In our case, it was obvious that our lives were being directed. We would spend a little time in one home and then in another home, but God was obviously working His plan. We did not understand why things were unfolding the way they were, but we were willing to stay the course in order to find out the answers.
My brother shared this quip with me, “Expectations are nothing more than premeditated disappointments!” If we have expectations of our guests, lay them out plainly, elliminate the grey areas. How can anyone know what someone else is thinking? How can we fulfill someone’s expectations without knowing what they are? Families taking in homelesss should be clear and concise. Remember, homeless people are not mind-readers. These families are vulnerable. A family that invites a homeless person or family into their home will fair better if they are constantly praying for God to reveal His plans. We would expect that God’s plan would always be to show Himself faithful to accomplish the details that will make their transitions possible without damaging their souls. In this effort, He will need our help and patience. The decisions that lay before a homeless family, for them, may seem like walking on stepping-stones through a pond, in which a wrong move could prove to be costly. Also, it is appropriate to emphasize that families are raised differently, and a family being helped may not understand the manners and customs that are expected of them. This issue is magnified greatly when helping families of other nationalities.
As for a family that may find themselves homeless and invited to stay in someone’s home, it is necessary for them to be very sensitive toward any kind of help or assistance that they may be able to offer. It is important that the homeless family is open to the opportunities to fellowship and willing to answer honest questions that insure the trust of the host family. Self-control and good manners are necessities and are a must to insure and assist the host family in a good working relationship between the families. Certainly it is also important that the adult members of both the homeless family and the hosting family use common sense concerning privacy issues and protection especially for their young children that may be involved.
I would like to share a word to the spiritual head of a family who finds themselves homeless. I learned a long time ago while in sales, when someone offers something, be gracious and accept it, even if it is distasteful or an inconvenience to you personally. If a family reaches out to help, do not let pride or false humility rear their ugly heads. Be real, be yourself, be polite, take up any slack to help relieve burdens the host family may be suffering due to your presence. If you are invited to go somewhere or attend a function, GO! Every opportunity to see or be seen may open the next door that you are looking for. Finally, “Pray without Ceasing;”1 asking God to show the proper door or next solution for the problems facing your family. As Winston Churchill said in a speech, “Never give in. Nevery give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense, never yeild to force. Never yeild to the apparantly overwhelming might of the enemy.”2 As Americans we feel that we need everything at our fingertips the moment we want it, but humility and patience, are two of the most powerful virtues in this walk, and neither of these are gained quickly.
With the LORD, prayer becomes the seed with the Holy Spirit working to bring to pass God’s plan for our life. God has perfect timing, and it is usually our impatience that causes us to abandon the fulfillment of our prayer requests. Yet, as we “walk-it-out” we will see beyond all challenges that God’s timing was and is always perfect. Tenacity to wait on and believe in God and His revealed Word, then to move forward only when the door opens, equates to being single-minded and trusting in Him. If we have the faith to believe, it is the Holy Spirit that fills our hearts with the prayer requests that we utter. Scriptures say, “Delight thyself also in the LORD, and He shall give thee the dsires of your heart.”3 This does not mean when we delight ourselves in the LORD that He will give us anything we want, but that He will set the desires in our hearts to bring about His perfect will in our lives for our benefit. God is not a bellman, but a master builder of men and women’s lives that have devoted themselves to Him.
These lessons may seem like simple words on a page; however, understanding these principles may be our salvation in difficult times. Do not be deceived. God said, “Receive with meekness (humility) the engrafted Word (of God) that is able to save your soul.”4The engrafted Word is the impressions and revelations given to us by the Holy Spirit in our quiet time with Him. This is another seriously important lesson; do not ever abandon our quiet time with the LORD and never, ever stop reading the Word of God. These are vital keys to life. “We must be doers of the Word and not hearers only… for faith without works is dead.”5