Faron Hall

Everyone is talking about Faron Hall. He’s the man that jumped into the Red River to save a teen who had fallen in. Mr. Hall also happens to be homeless.

I’m acquainted with Mr. Hall and he is a very quiet man, kind, and soft spoken. He generally keeps to himself…but that all changed last week. Mr. Hall was all over the news with the media announcing his heroics as, “homeless man saves teen.” He was overwhelmed by the attention and grateful for the many offers of help.

What I found interesting though was the fact that the story appeared to grab our attention more because of the fact that it was a “homeless” man who did the saving. It’s like we found it surprising that someone who’s homeless would do something like that.

Does being homeless make a person unlikely to do something heroic? Does homelessness mean that compassion and goodwill are lost?

When discussing the story with a Siloam Mission patron, her comment was, “homeless people have big hearts you know,” and she nodded her head confidently.

We assume that something strange happens to a person when they are experiencing poverty or when they become homeless. We subconsciously think that somehow this life circumstance voids them of normal human instincts and empathy. How ignorant we sometimes are.

I hope that Faron Hall is a reminder that those who have homes and those who do not are really the same in the end; we are all human. I also hope this is a reminder that will stick with us and not just fade away in a couple of weeks.

Sarah Enns

Community Education Coordinator and sj101 Coordinator