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Student lives on the streets
to learn thankfulness

Freshman Ferrin Cole knew he had a spirit of ungratefulness. So this Thanksgiving, while most Multnomah students went home to a home-cooked meal and a time of sharing what they were thankful for, Cole did an experiment to learn about thankfulness. He spent Thanksgiving alone on the Portland streets. Wednesday, he headed downtown with a sleeping bag, the clothes on his back, a Bible, a pen and a journal.

He decided to spend the break this way because he had been unsure what he would be thankful for during the break -- for friends, for family, for his education? He wondered if he had been thankful at all during the past year, other than on the day set aside for giving thanks.

Cole figured out that he was not really thankful for anything. At lunch, he would pray to thank God for the food he was blessed with and then complain about how awful the cafeteria food was. "My comments were clear; I was ungrateful," Cole said.

While at Multnomah, Cole had found himself constantly complaining about the cold Oregon weather but knew that he had never experienced true cold. He planned on experiencing true hunger and loneliness during the break, as well.

Cole's roommate, Brooks Doherty, said, "Ferrin was so determined to be thankful for all that God had blessed him with that he said he would risk death to understand all of his blessings.

"He didn't think he'd be able to understand all he'd been blessed with until he went without it."

Cole experienced deprivation and much more. The cold: He slept on a park bench and behind a planter by the waterfront. Hunger: Cole left MBC Wednesday and did not get to eat until Friday night. The loneliness: He found most homeless people do not talk to other homeless because they see them as a threat.

When saying "Good morning" to a morning jogger, Cole was told that he was a disgrace. His gloves were stolen. He was kicked out of public buildings for loitering. When seeking shelter from the rain by going under a bridge, he was threatened by other homeless men who said, "This is our camp; get out of here now!"

During each of these experiences, Cole thanked the Lord for answering his prayers. Cole said, "I gave thanks more than I ever had. But when I returned to a warm building, a soft bed, two pillows, clean clothes, dry socks, food and a chair, my heart was truly joyful."

Cole experienced all that he had expected and more. A passage of scripture that he said he has "internalized and made my own" is Philippians 4:12-13.

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."