Unlocking a Broken World
A Story of Discovery
by
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One—Strange New World
I felt her breath on my face and wondered if Elaine knew anything about body space. Her eyes, six inches from mine, seemed awkward, yet didn’t ruffle me. I’d had others unleash their hostility before, hoping to change my mind, but this time surprised me.
A moment earlier, Elaine had sat on the couch relaxed, nodding and smiling. Now she was leaning across my desk, glaring, her hands planted on my paperwork.
“Okay,” I said calmly, “you don’t have to follow our curfew. But if you don’t, it’s simple. You cannot stay here. It’s your choice, Elaine. What do you want to do?”
Silence wedged between us as she weighed her options. Moments like this are pivotal and allow us to see the real person behind the presentation.
My wife, Connie, was sitting on the edge of the loveseat, watching.
I managed not to jump when Elaine bolted upright, announcing, “Well, then, I’m leaving. I can’t stay in a place that won’t respect me.” Whirling around, she snatched her belongings from the couch and stomped out of the office in an over-the-top, exaggerated sort of way. “No one tells me when to come in at night,” she spewed, outraged. “I’m not about to let you start now.”
Seconds later she charged back in, rescuing her abandoned suitcase from the corner. Dragging it out, she slammed the office door behind her—an end to our apparent absurdity.
“What just happened?” Connie asked, wide-eyed.
“I wish I knew.”
Elaine’s reaction shocked both of us. Why would something like a curfew be a deal-breaker for someone needing shelter?
We had been working at the mission for three and a half years, yet we still found ourselves with more questions than answers. Every week unveiled a new aspect of homelessness we failed to foresee. Were we just naïve?
Connie and I had both grown up in small farming communities in central Illinois. Miles of cornfield surrounded our childhoods, insulating us, keeping our lives simple, safe.
When we got married, we thought we had all the answers. With a faith to follow God’s leading, we tackled life with great expectation. Our first thirteen years produced four of our six children, two successful ministries, and a desire for a new challenge. Then divine providence led us to Inner City Mission, a homeless shelter in Springfield, Illinois, for children, their parents, and single women.
I have to admit, homeless work wasn’t in our life plan. Before coming to the mission, I had accepted my dream job with a church-planting organization, only to resign a few months later. God made it clear he had a different plan for our lives.
Not long after, a friend on the board of Inner City Mission asked if I would consider working with the homeless. “A full time position just opened up there,” he said with enthusiasm. “Why don’t you stop by and see what you think?”
Three days later, we did. While visiting, Connie and I felt God’s spirit tugging at us, telling us this is the place. After praying and talking about it for several days, Connie confirmed my own thoughts by saying, “How can we walk away? It feels right—like we’re home.”
In truth, homeless ministry lay buried at the bottom of things I wanted to do in life. I remember telling God at eighteen, “I’ll go anywhere, do anything for you. Just don’t send me to a third world country or make me work with the homeless.”
Well, God has a sense of humor.
Before accepting my new position, I remember telling Connie, “Don’t worry, it’s only a bridge to our real ministry—the one God has waiting for us.
“How hard can homeless work be, anyway?” I added. “All we have to do is provide food and shelter while they find a job and save money. After that, they find housing. Move out. Problem solved.”
Except homelessness didn’t turn out that easy.
After Elaine’s dramatic exit, Connie and I sat for a few seconds pondering this strange world of poverty and homelessness. She jumped up, watching Elaine through the window. I heard her say quietly, “Lord, help Elaine find your peace.”
I stayed at the desk replaying the events of the past hour.
When Elaine first arrived, I never would have guessed she’d stomp out like that. The woman on the other side of our front door appeared lighthearted, fun. With red sunglasses, a floppy hat, and a flowery bag over one arm, she radiated a beautiful smile.
“I’m Elaine,” she told me, presenting her hand. “Do you have any openings?”
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About the Book
"When Scott and Connie Payne first arrived at Inner City Mission, they thought they understood homelessness. Then they met Elaine."
About the Author
Scott and Connie Payne celebrate forty years of marriage and the raising of their six children, now grown, and serving the Lord. Their greatest achievement in life, they attest, is their family, which includes not only their children and spouses, but also their grandchildren, and their spiritual children.
Unlocking a Broken World is the Paynes’ first book and testimony of how God’s love invaded the lives of broken people. Prior to working with the homeless, Scott had spent six years working as the administrator of a Christian nursing home, and then four years as a full-time pastor. He is now in his twenty-ninth year at Inner City Mission.
Alongside his ministry positions, Scott served in his local church as an elder, and then as chairman of the elders. He also served on various non-profit boards as a trustee or chairman, and filled in as an interim minister and supply-preacher for area churches. He later became a consultant for new homeless shelters.
Connie, while raising their six children, worked part-time as the volunteer coordinator at the nursing home where Scott worked, and later as a pediatric dental assistant for four years. She then joined the staff at Inner City Mission in 1994. Her ministry roles at ICM have changed through the years. She began as a lodge supervisor, and then moved into case management. Later, she worked as the administrative assistant before becoming the director of operations for five years.
Connie is now the director of communications at ICM, writing and editing publications for Inner City Mission. Her interests include family, studying scripture, and creating art in its various forms. She enjoys reading, writing, journaling, painting, drawing, baking, sewing, health, fitness, worship, and prayer.
The Paynes are currently writing their program, Stability for Life, which they hope to publish and make available for others to use. They continue to enjoy their children and grandchildren, while still serving in the field of homeless ministry, and staying connected in the body of Christ.