FAITH IN ACTION

It was clear last night with a howling wind of bitter cold, with temperatures dipping into the twenties and wind chill of single digits. Far colder still in the various tent communities in Douglasville served by our ministry partners at Daily Bread, Making a Change, Project One, and others. Yesterday one of our FIA team leaders Mark encountered Cynthia and Sam again. She drinks and he is partially crippled by a stroke, hobbling about with a walker in the dark woods. Mark just wanted to get them into a hotel for a few days to clean up and escape the weather and willing to pay for their stay; but, no room at the inn because the hotel folks were scared their bedding would be ruined by Sam’s incontinence. It was hard and sad for Mark to watch them retreat back into the woods as darkness fell.

A few weeks ago the United Way Homeless Task Force came out, visited the encampments and offered help in the form of shelter and program resources to anyone willing to come out. No one did. So last night, Leila, Mark, Alma and I resolved to pray together than Cynthia and Sam would agree to come out in the morning; Mark agreed to drive them to Atlanta. Morning came and there was no relief from the cold. We started a new partnership between The Pantry, FIA, and Daily Bread that involved me making the bread and pastry pickup from Publix on Highway 5 and giving all the blessings to Daily Bread. For the first time Leila tells me, “everyone received, and they even got to pick what they wanted. What a blessing; thank you Jesus.” But Cynthia and Sam refused to come out of the cold.

Fast Eddie said he would; in and out of jail, three weeks homeless, sick, hospitalized last night, ready to leave it all behind this morning. One came out; not the one we prayed for to be sure, but one nonetheless.

It’s a start.

Sandra (not her real name) broke down and told Debbie at the Pantry (our local food ministry) there would be no Christmas presents this year for her three grandchildren.  She was a custodian at one of our schools but a work related injury put her out on workman’s comp and the benefits would expire in January.  Her husband had sustained multiple heart attacks and was out of work also.  Her children had lost their jobs and suddenly 9 adults and kids were crammed into her tiny household in western Douglas County.  Debbie approached us the week before the big day and asked if we could help.  Sometime ago, my next door neighbors Jon and Donna asked us to provide them with a family they could bless at Christmas.  This was the one, I thought.

We were four short days out and I had not heard from my neighbors and got a little nervous.  Then they came over and showered us with abundance—remote control cars, some 15-20 wrapped gifts, everything Sandra had asked for.  Both families added a grocery gift cards.  The next day Paul and I were making our traditional FIA Christmas rounds delivering presents, a truckload of children’s clothes for the Loving Hands ministry—that’s another awesome story, then the rain came down and the traffic struck.  We made it to Sandra’s house late and she was gone with her mother to the doctor.

The next day I came alone, to find the empty tree, one of the children sick and Sandra exhausted from being up all night.  She was not expecting what God had provided for her family and told me how anxious the children had been about the empty tree. We thanked and praised God together in her front yard.

There are many stories like this one of God moving amongst our churches and ministries in Douglas County to fill the empty Christmas trees.  At FIA it is our blessing to serve with you, and we pray that God’s peace be with you and yours always.