While many college students are lying on the beach or spending time at home, Autumn Williamson is ministering to inner city youth and senior adults in Houston, Texas.
Williamson, 20, a junior at William Carey University, is a West Marion High School graduate and the daughter of Calvin and Cindy Williamson of Foxworth. She is spending the summer at the Mission Centers of Houston and is now trying to raise funds to help feed some of the city’s homeless for a special project.
“Mission Centers of Houston serves the homeless and poor through food and clothing ministries, but on July 22, we’re planning a special event to reach the homeless downtown and in surrounding neighborhoods,” she said. “Our goal is to feed and share the gospel with as many people as possible, and we need the support of other followers of Christ to do that.”
Williamson left May 30, and began her work with MCH, a Baptist organization.
“We have a children’s ministry and one for senior adults,” she said. “The days are busy. We have Kids Club on Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesday each week from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. We have two sites and have clothing and food distribution from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We have the Senior Adult program on Thursdays from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. and Youth Club Thursday and Friday from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.”
Williamson said Houston has some similarities with South Mississippi.
“The community we live in looks a little bit like the community around William Carey University,” she said. “It’s really interesting to talk to some of the older people. There is one lady, Miss Mary, and when she got married it wasn’t common for husbands to send their wives to college, but that’s what her husband did. He sent her to beautician school and he helped her open her own business. She kept it until about five years ago as she was getting close to 80.”
Williamson serves with many people who are around her age.
“There are two other girls from Mississippi, but a lot of people are from Georgia,” she said.
Williamson explained the upcoming project.
“Mission Centers has programs around the Gano and Joy communities,” she said. “But we’d like to branch out. What we want to do is go out and deliver sack lunches to them and let them know that if they need food or clothing they can come to these locations. We want them to know that we’re not charging them anything. We want them to know that we are sharing the same love that Christ has shown us. We have less than a month until we do this on July 22.”
Williamson said that any money raised above the cost of the lunches will go to Mission Centers, a non-profit organization.
“They rely on donations,” she said. “It’s been really cool here. A lot of the people we work with are from Hispanic backgrounds. There is a language barrier between some of us, but we interact with them. In these communities, there is a lot of gang activity and human trafficking and things like that. Many of those people are immigrants from Mexico and Latin America. It’s really cool to be able to show them what actual compassion is.”
However, the language barrier has not been a stumbling block for Williamson.
“It’s taught me a lot,” she said. “It’s taught me patience as I try to understand what they are saying. It’s a valuable experience.
Williamson said many of the skills she is developing will translate well into her future career.
“My plans are to work with human trafficking victims,” she said. “What’s great is that Mission Centers partners with a Christian organization called Rescue Houston that works with human trafficking victims. It’s been really cool to see how the partnership works.”
To help Williamson in her efforts to raise funds for the sack lunch project and Mission Centers of Houston, visit https://my.reason2race.com/autumnwilliamson/feedinghoustonshungry2017
Pictured Above: Autumn Williamson is shown working with some of the children at Mission Centers of Houston, where she is spending the summer. | Submitted Photos
