SOS Family Album: Jonquil (Quil) Lindsey
Gather ‘round, SOS family! We’re pulling out a few pages of the family photo album.
We love good stories. And old pictures. And timeless lessons and encouragements and reasons for hope. Who better to share all of those things than some of the SOS alumni family?
It’s a special joy to watch people grow up at SOS and this particular alumna has been that and more. We first met her as a smart, innovative, quick-to-serve high schooler and have loved every opportunity to work with her since!
Jonquil Lindsey
SOS Summer Staff ‘14-’19
“I started out as a volunteer for SOS through my high school’s Key Club not thinking it would lead to me actually working there. I was only doing it for community service credit hours, so I volunteered for three days to help out with kitchen duties for the spring break camp in 2014.
A close teacher recommended I sign a job application to work there for the summer, so I did and the rest of my experience unfolds from there.
I started working at SOS in 2014 as a shy and timid high schooler and got to work on Support Staff for the summer of 2014 and 2015. I also went to the leadership summit for us high schoolers in 2015 as well. In 2016, I came back for a mere three days for the summer to help out on support staff. I came back on staff in the summer of 2017 as Kitchen Manager and as a team leader in the Summer of 2018. I’ve volunteered to photograph during the spring break camps in 2019, too. I’ve been associated with SOS for about 5+ years.”
Memphis Favorites:
“Favorite food: Chicken Tacos from Taqueria la Parrillada and the Falafel Big Macs from Casablanca
Places: Big River Crossing and Shelby Farms are my go-to places. 90% of the time I’d recommend being either in Downtown Memphis or Midtown.
Orgs: Choose 901 Alumni Program”
What did you learn through your years and experiences at SOS?
“The main thing I learned at SOS is that everyone is impoverished in their own way. Before being on staff, I thought that poverty meant someone was only lacking the tangible things but that it can also be the intangible things, too. We are all lacking “something” that only God can provide, which gives us all the more reason to lean less on ourselves and more on Him. I learned that the most in my time as a team leader.”
How did your time at SOS impact you?
“Before I ever stepped foot onto SOS, I didn’t think evolving was possible for me. I thought I was always going to be afraid, insecure, depressed, and pretty much stuck in the same place. I’ve learned that I am always evolving, whether I notice it or not.
I pretty much grew up at SOS in my latter teen years. I started working there when I was 17 years old and now I’m 23 and it has been a constant place of refuge in my life. I will never grow tired of the people I’ve met there, full-time staff, the culture, living there, and knowing that it was a guaranteed second home. I was welcomed all the time with open arms and smiles.
I came in a shy, timid, and depressed teenage girl whose relationship with God was pretty much non-existent at the time. I was taken in and loved by a team who accepted me and saw something in me that I didn’t know was there.
Because of SOS, the light I hid can shine as bright as it wants to, I can dance and not feel ashamed, I can share my heart because there is no judgement there. I can be as free as God wants me to be. I’m 23 and I see my worth more clearly than when I was 17. I see the value, tenacity, and richness within myself 23 year-old self. I see a changed person. I prayed for some kind of change to happen in my life but I never thought it would lead to such a great blessing like SOS.
I flaunt about SOS everywhere I go. I feel proud and confident to say this it was my first job and I don’t think there will be any other job(s) like it. It’s unmatched to me. Most of my growth happened there. A plethora of life events happened within that building, but I was always surrounded by good people. I was there when I lost my mom. I was there when I had my first and second heartbreak. I was there during my dreaded depression phase. The whole point is, I was there. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly, SOS was my safe haven. Writing this down reminds me of why I love this place so much and how good of an impact it’s had on my life.”
What does your life look like these days?
“I am currently in school and working part-time. I’m a senior at the University of Memphis studying to receive my BFA in Photography. I was featured in a few art shows at the beginning of 2020, but it was cut short thanks to COVID. I hope to continue to make art that comes from my heart. To explain it in short, I make fine art portraits and I create my own narratives based on personal life experiences. Aside from photography, I was working at the Memphis Rock N’ Soul Museum and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame as a museum associate before COVID happened, but now I’m am currently working at Amazon as a fulfillment associate.”
What’s your prayer for the SOS family?
“I pray for the SOS family to continue to be the safe place for those who are looking for good and steady community. I hope that SOS will be a place for everyone to feel seen, cared for, and loved. I pray for the hearts and minds that go there year after year to experience and endure roof repair, spiritual discipleship, and leadership. I pray that those hearts and minds will be influenced in a positive way, for lives to be changed so that they come back wanting to be fed more. I pray that this organization stays alive for as long as possible for it to carry out Your will for Your people.”
