December 18, 2011
What are your thoughts?
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Miracle on CLE's Public Square
Dear friends,
Yesterday morning, my devotions brought me to Isaiah 61. I wasn't searching it out, God brought it to me ... I go to this Catholic website and I follow the readings each day. It's one of my favorite chapters. Let me share a couple of the verses I claimed when God called me to minister.
Well, I saw this verse come alive at We Care. So many things have stuck out from yesterday, however here is the Christmas miracle. One of the ladies we minister to at the square last Monday had Darlene, Homer, Karen, Tom and I over for dinner and Tom (who is also our bus driver) decided that he was going to wear his Santa suit and bring some Christmas cheer to the homeless and hand out candy canes. We all thought it was a great idea.
So, I pull up in the ally at the square and I see a bunch of kids looking out the window of one of the restaurants pointing and I can see their mouths saying "Santa! Santa!" My friend, Karen describes it best ... some women came out and asked if we could come inside ... "He went in and was received with yells and laughter and waves !!!
For the next hour or more Tom sat in the chair and held each child on his lap while they received their Christmas toy. But....the story gets more miraculous. The owner of the restaurant was giving this party for women and their kids of a homeless shelter !! (exactly our ministry) AND the Santa Claus that was coming had cancelled. She prayed earlier that day that it was God who would be the one who could make this happen. So here we were feeding the homeless but God brought Tom there at the right time to fill in. The kids were so excited and we all stood in awe at the timing of it all." It was so amazing to be a part of this Christmas miracle. I keep thinking, wow, what if Tom didn't have a Santa suit ... or what if he decided it was a crazy idea and didn't wear it? Can you imagine how disappointed those kids would have been with out a Santa. I mean that's not what Christmas is all about, however, to bring a little bit of joy to a child who live in a shelter ...
When we went into the women's shelter, I went ahead of our group and I walked into the common room and noticed a Christmas tree was up and decorated with home made ornaments. I was brought to tears when I saw this. The ladies at the shelter made each one ... and I talked to some of the ladies who asked "did you see my ornament?" they were so proud of their work. I had brought some candy canes with me too, and I was handing them out, when the conversation with one of the ladies, "C" turned to she wasn't doing good. I shoved my basket into the hands of someone else and said "here, you're in charge" and went and spoke with "C" ... she had shared that Saturday was her first night in the shelter, her son had thrown her out of the house because he wasn't on the deed she had to leave. She had broke into tears, I could see the fear and sense of loss in her eyes. Her father had passed away last month and she hadn't had time to grieve his loss. I asked her if she knew Jesus, she said she was a Muslim and wasn't ready for that. However, she said she has faith and she asked me to pray for her. And as we sat there, a group of volunteers were singing Christmas carols. "C" started to sing along to "O Holy Night". God is working in her, she even expressed interest in Bible study.
I also met "M" yesterday as well, a lady maybe in her 50's who said she was in there for circumstances she couldn't control. I knew she was a Christian and I just observed her walking around and ministering to the ladies there. She had a sweet spirit. When she saw me with candy canes, she told me about the candy cane poem and she went to her room and brought it out to read. Well it was loud and my voice was going because of the choir performance I had done earlier. Well, "J" said she would read it. She did ... well, I talked to "J" she shared that she was in the shelter because her husband tried to kill her a couple years ago, he's in jail but his family was trying to get her. Pray for "J" she is getting an apartment this week.
There was so much going on. It's exciting to see the ladies at the shelter and talk to them, some of the older ladies have taken the younger ones under their wings and they are also doing small Bible studies in their rooms. God is working, and I'm glad He has called me to be a part of it.
Serving Him,
Becky
Yesterday morning, my devotions brought me to Isaiah 61. I wasn't searching it out, God brought it to me ... I go to this Catholic website and I follow the readings each day. It's one of my favorite chapters. Let me share a couple of the verses I claimed when God called me to minister.
"1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.t2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come,t and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies."
So, I pull up in the ally at the square and I see a bunch of kids looking out the window of one of the restaurants pointing and I can see their mouths saying "Santa! Santa!" My friend, Karen describes it best ... some women came out and asked if we could come inside ... "He went in and was received with yells and laughter and waves !!!
For the next hour or more Tom sat in the chair and held each child on his lap while they received their Christmas toy. But....the story gets more miraculous. The owner of the restaurant was giving this party for women and their kids of a homeless shelter !! (exactly our ministry) AND the Santa Claus that was coming had cancelled. She prayed earlier that day that it was God who would be the one who could make this happen. So here we were feeding the homeless but God brought Tom there at the right time to fill in. The kids were so excited and we all stood in awe at the timing of it all." It was so amazing to be a part of this Christmas miracle. I keep thinking, wow, what if Tom didn't have a Santa suit ... or what if he decided it was a crazy idea and didn't wear it? Can you imagine how disappointed those kids would have been with out a Santa. I mean that's not what Christmas is all about, however, to bring a little bit of joy to a child who live in a shelter ...
When we went into the women's shelter, I went ahead of our group and I walked into the common room and noticed a Christmas tree was up and decorated with home made ornaments. I was brought to tears when I saw this. The ladies at the shelter made each one ... and I talked to some of the ladies who asked "did you see my ornament?" they were so proud of their work. I had brought some candy canes with me too, and I was handing them out, when the conversation with one of the ladies, "C" turned to she wasn't doing good. I shoved my basket into the hands of someone else and said "here, you're in charge" and went and spoke with "C" ... she had shared that Saturday was her first night in the shelter, her son had thrown her out of the house because he wasn't on the deed she had to leave. She had broke into tears, I could see the fear and sense of loss in her eyes. Her father had passed away last month and she hadn't had time to grieve his loss. I asked her if she knew Jesus, she said she was a Muslim and wasn't ready for that. However, she said she has faith and she asked me to pray for her. And as we sat there, a group of volunteers were singing Christmas carols. "C" started to sing along to "O Holy Night". God is working in her, she even expressed interest in Bible study.
I also met "M" yesterday as well, a lady maybe in her 50's who said she was in there for circumstances she couldn't control. I knew she was a Christian and I just observed her walking around and ministering to the ladies there. She had a sweet spirit. When she saw me with candy canes, she told me about the candy cane poem and she went to her room and brought it out to read. Well it was loud and my voice was going because of the choir performance I had done earlier. Well, "J" said she would read it. She did ... well, I talked to "J" she shared that she was in the shelter because her husband tried to kill her a couple years ago, he's in jail but his family was trying to get her. Pray for "J" she is getting an apartment this week.
There was so much going on. It's exciting to see the ladies at the shelter and talk to them, some of the older ladies have taken the younger ones under their wings and they are also doing small Bible studies in their rooms. God is working, and I'm glad He has called me to be a part of it.
Serving Him,
Becky
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