Dear Mission Family,
I just returned from a Thanksgiving celebration. Oh, there was no turkey dinner or pumpkin pie, but it was a festive moment none the less. Yesterday I received a telephone call from a young man named Greg. He, his wife, Amanda, and their four month old son, Tristen, were living in a trailer on Skull Bone Tower Road; way up in the hills. Greg had a need in his life and he was wondering if I could possibly help him.
Earlier this year Amanda gave birth to their boy, Tristen, during a most difficult pregnancy. I’m unable to relate the medical details, but she developed a most serious heart condition. The labor Amanda experienced in giving birth caused her to slip into a coma; a condition she lingered in for nearly a week. Since our local medical facilities are somewhat limited in their ability, Amanda was being treated at a hospital several hours remote from our little community. Greg chose to stay with his wife and newborn son, so his employer dismissed him. When the family did return home they were faced with the grim reality of no income in a region with extremely high unemployment figures.
As you can imagine, what money this family did have was soon gone. After two months of unpaid bills, the local utility companies discharged their right to terminate service to the family home; a small trailer in a very remote area. For a little over a month now, this mobile home in the woods has been without electric or water. These conditions would be difficult enough for any adult, but the need to care for a newborn child was causing this young family immense hardship.
After speaking with Greg on the telephone, I called a few people I know in the area where they live. I’ve learned that it is necessary to investigate most of the requests our ministry receives for financial assistance. It’s a sad reality that some folks would take advantage of our willingness to help them. My local contacts shared what few details they were aware of and I called Greg to arrange a meeting early this morning.
Greg, Amanda and Tristen drove up to the electric company in an aging car that sounded somewhat like the noise that an electric fan makes when you stick something into the blades as it is running. I met them in the parking lot and we discussed their situation as I looked intently into their eyes. The eyes truly are a window to the soul, and I could see the hurt, but also the hope, that they carried. Once I determined that their situation was genuine I asked them if they knew why our ministry was stepping in to help them. As expected, their responses focused on helping needy people and doing a good work. I was then able to speak to them of God’s great love for them personally. Greg told me that he wanted to get back into church, and he was somewhat shocked when I told him that that wasn’t what I was asking him to do. Certainly a church assembly can be a wonderful place to experience Christian fellowship, but what I was asking him to do was to recognize the True Gift Giver, and not simply the gift. I spoke of a Love that was intimate with his need and desired to satisfy all of it; a Savior who felt every shivering moment they had experienced while trying to keep warm without their electric heat; a Closest Friend who wanted to bring tap water back to their home, but also wanted to be their source of Living Water as well.
After satisfying the outstanding utility bills I prayed briefly for the family and wished them a Happy Thanksgiving. Greg asked me to stop by the trailer the next time I was up that way. I will no doubt do that. But my thoughts at the moment were more focused on the whole concept of Thanksgiving. Were Greg and Amanda truly thankful for the blessing they had just received? Were they hearts overflowing with gratitude to God for His provision? I really don’t know! I know they seemed happy to be relieved of these great burdens in their lives, but I have no way of really knowing if they saw the Lord in all this, or simply gleaned something from an outreach of Christian Love.
However, my personal Thanksgiving blessing came as I looked into little Tristen’s eyes. I can’t adequately describe what I saw, but a change had taken place. When I first beheld the infant there was a “cloudiness” to his gaze, but now I witnessed a sparkle that had suddenly appeared. The moment was brought to perfection when, looking back at me, this precious little boy smiled ever so widely, if only for a moment! Yes, thanksgiving was present, even if there was no understanding of what had really occurred. Hopefully Greg and Amanda will hold feelings of gratitude for what their Creator has done for them; not simply the satisfied utility bills but through all the recent health issues they have faced. As for Tristen and me, we know there is so much more to be grateful for!
May all of our hearts overflow with gratitude this Thanksgiving season and every day. Remember to give “thanks unto the Lord”, not simply for His material and situational blessings, but for the gift of each other. Rita and I are so thankful for God’s gift of your friendship and partnership in this ministry. Happy Thanksgiving to y’all!
Jim and Rita
