The words I wrote apply to you, also.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah!
This has been a year of blessings for many the Lord has
brought into my life. Early this year, I
and a few friends moved Jackie out of her dangerous and bug-infested trailer
into a new apartment, culminating a 2-year effort, during which she grew in
awareness that her life was important, and we’d not give up on her. Now she maintains a clean home, attends
church each Sunday, has connected with once-estranged family members, and knits
and does other things “to help those in need”.
And now, when I see her, Jackie smiles.
This year also brought to conclusion my (and others’)
efforts to sustain a woman through her long and costly divorce. When our paths crossed, she was over $100
thousand in debt and at risk of losing her house and custody of her five
children, as the nearly 2-year long divorce process dragged on. The divorce was completed this year; she kept
the house, and has full custody of the kids, and she is now totally debt free.
The P.O.R.C.H. project --- Providing Others Renewed
Confidence and Hope --- I helped begin last year is now up and running under
the care of the Canton Community Foundation.
We are finding the lonely and forgotten in our community and matching
them with caring hearts. With God’s help
we will work out any bugs in the process and then next year teach other
communities what we have learned: Only people can solve the loneliness and
sadness problems in our country, not money.
And finally, I want to mention another effort I supported:
the launching of an orphanage for street kids in the Philippines. John Drake, from Jackson Michigan, was on
business in the Philippines about 10 years ago when God put in HIS path a small
dirty trailer which used to be a pig slaughterhouse. He was revolted by the smell, but looked inside
and saw young children sleeping on the floor.
When he got back to Michigan, God wouldn’t let him forget what he saw,
and finally he KNEW he had to do something.
He went back to the Philippines and started an orphanage for street kids
there, and I was one of his early supporters.
The Lingap Center is now rated as one of the best run orphanages in the
country (see John’s latest newsletter and just a snippet of what his kids are
doing, attached). John calls me one of
the early Lingap founders with him, and the kids there, halfway across the
world, pray for me.
John and I took opportunities God put in front of us to
merge our talents with that of others God put in our lives to help HIS
children. We did a little thing, and God
brought together others to make it happen.
In my old age, I am still learning how we can all, together, make a
difference in this world if we are open to God’s call, and trust in His
help. Amazing things can happen; I have
seen them.
Crises and tragedies were the beginnings of the good endings
I wrote of above. So, in faith I expect
that the many crises and tragedies I and my friends now bear will also see good
endings. I have learned to trust in
God. I once read that without suffering
there cannot be growth, and there cannot be love. The above stories are a witness to that
truism. And I expect that those who are
suffering now will find it to be true also, if they can learn to trust, and
work with others to make good things happen in this world.
All these people, and you my friends, are always in my
prayers.
No comments:
Post a Comment