It's Not About Gardening: A day at The Warrior's Refuge

What a beautiful day to spend in the garden. But hey, if you know me, any day is a good day to be in the garden. I took my teenagers to spend the morning with a few of the residents—and the peer support specialist—at one of our CROP members, The Warriors Refuge, in West Columbia, TX.

The Warriors Refuge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry serving our nation’s homeless veterans by providing transitional housing and a variety of resources to help end homelessness in their lives. Through housing, case management, counseling, training, and employment support, veterans are equipped with the tools they need to succeed.

According to their website: "Our mission is to end veteran homelessness in Texas and ultimately throughout America. We believe that since our veterans fought for us, it is our turn to fight for them. We do this by providing shelter, transitional living, case management, counseling, and vocational training, along with job placement. We have brought people in from all over the state of Texas and from several other states. Our goal is to help the men and women who fought for us have a place to push the restart button on life."

Reading their mission gives you an understanding, but to fully grasp what The Warriors Refuge is doing, you have to meet the people walking this journey. On our drive to West Columbia, my son and I were talking about gardening. “Why gardening?” he asked. I explained that it really wasn’t about the gardening. That’s just what we were doing with our hands so we could build relationships. It was about the people. About taking every opportunity to truly get to know someone.

After signing in as visitors, we met up with Jeremy Reynolds, the Peer Support Specialist and Social Media Manager (among many other roles). He showed us the original in-ground garden plot, and then we crossed to the other side of the fence where we discovered several beautiful raised bed gardens that had been donated. TWR receives great support from the Brazoria County Master Gardeners, who come out monthly to work and learn in the gardens.

Once the Garden Club participants arrived, Jeremy taught us how to “train” young cucumber plants to climb the trellis and demonstrated how to hand-pollinate using Q-tips to transfer pollen from male blooms to female blooms. After we practiced our new skill, we moved back to the in-ground garden to tackle some weeding. As the saying goes, “Many hands make light work,” and we had it done within the hour.

But the real growth was happening in the conversations. From open discussions about how each resident came to TWR to honest answers to my questions, I felt the impact of a place where masks are unnecessary. The Warriors Refuge isn’t just a place to stay—it’s a place to grow into a healthier, hope-filled future. I met Mike, Elliott, Michael, Jose, and Lois, and I can still picture their faces and hear their stories as I write this. I feel like each one gave me a gift by sharing a piece of their story, and I am filled with hope for what’s ahead for them.

After we wrapped up in the garden, Jeremy invited my son Jonathan to bring his guitar and play during lunch. Jose quickly chimed in, “The guys would love that.” While Jonathan played, I asked Pat, who runs the kitchen, if I could help serve. She handed me the cobbler (which smelled amazing!), and I dished it up before joining everyone to visit while they ate.

Lois shared that she came to TWR after a fire destroyed her apartment in Houston. She spoke with gratitude about the small-town feel of West Columbia, where neighbors regularly offer her rides as she walks from place to place. (Most residents don’t have their own transportation.) Since arriving at TWR, she’s been able to receive the healthcare she needed—including cataract surgery. She told me that, at 70 years old, she went from feeling like life was winding down to realizing she still has so much ahead of her.

Throughout lunch, I continued connecting with veterans, each with their own story of how they arrived and what TWR means to them. Whether they had been there a year or just two weeks, a common theme resonated: they had once felt alone, but now they were surrounded by people who cared—peers, counselors, staff—functioning as family. Christian community runs deep at TWR.

I can’t wait to go back. To embrace these new friends. To continue building relationships. To support a ministry that is truly changing lives—lives of the people who served our country. People who served us. Me.

On the drive home, we reflected on the morning. I mentioned to the kids that I already had a plan for our next serving opportunity. Jonathan's response? "If Jose will be there, I’m in."

It wasn’t that he wouldn’t be in otherwise. He was simply voicing what we had already talked about earlier that morning. It’s not about gardening. Gardening is just what we’re doing with our hands—so we can serve with our hearts.

Amber Cole, Justin Vaughn and Robert Heckler, the Director of the Warriors Refuge