Conference yukon::christian

           <<< YUKON::DISK$ARCHIVE:[NOTES$LIBRARY]CHRISTIAN.NOTE;2 >>>
                          -< The CHRISTIAN Notesfile >-
================================================================================
Note 84.10                   Christian Perspectives                     10 of 10
JULIET::MORALES_NA "Sweet Spirit's Gentle Breeze"    87 lines  28-FEB-1995 17:42
              -< Be satisfied having food, shelter and raiment. >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Family,
    
    Last evening I went with my kids to a small shopping center where we
    could play some games.  As we walked in I notice a very small young
    woman resembling a little girl standing by herself with an umbrella
    stroller loaded with bags and different items.  Everything looked
    fairly new.
    
    Clayton and I played one game of pool together and then we left.  As I
    walked out of the door, she was still there.  Something inside of me
    pulled me back to her [I had already passed her by].  I turned around
    and I said, "I hope you aren't offended, but are you homeless?"  She
    began to weep and said, "Yes we are."  I asked her who "we" was and she
    pointed to a man and a small boy standing at a telephone booth.
    
    She cried and said that they'd been kicked out of their apartment just
    days ago and had vouchers from the welfare department to keep them in a
    motel, but that they had been unable to get the vouchers that day in
    hopes that his mother was going to pick them up.  But his mother never
    appeared.  She ended with she was so ashamed and frightened.
    
    I said,"Well you can't stay out here with a 3 year old boy.  Get your
    husband and your things and I'll take you home with me tonight."
    
    She called her husband over and the boys and I helped them load their
    things into my van and then we all piled in. we were driving we began
    talking and my youngest son said, "Are you a Christian?"  And the
    husband asked me if we were.  Of course I affirmed that we were.  
    
    I asked them if they had contacted Agnew's Shelter and they said no
    they had not.  But that they didn't know where it was.  Guess what I
    just live blocks from it.  I told them that we would try there first
    but that they were welcome in my home should this not be available. 
    Which btw, I doubted would be, Agnews fills up fast.
    
    Meanwhile enroute I told them that God does love them and that today in
    the U.S Christian charity is hard to find due to the enormous amounts
    of violent crimes committed.  That people like me, single woman with
    children would be considered a tad touched to pick up strangers and
    bring them into their homes.  They agreed.  But I told them for some
    reason I couldn't just walk by when I saw his wife.
    
    We arrived at Agnews and I had no clue which building was the shelter,
    yet I drove straight to it.  There were some people outside and they
    were leaving.
    
    He went inside.  The wife told me that she'd been in this country for
    only 5 years, 4 years married.  He was a car salesman.  She just kept
    saying over and over and over again that she appreciated me.  She said
    that she'd never seen a family like mine in this country, since she'd
    been here.
    
    She then told me that she had asked Jesus to be her Savior [her mother
    had become a Christian in the Philipines] about 6 years ago.  But that
    she'd not continued in her faith.  
    
    Her husband returned and said they have a room.  That those people
    who'd left just as we arrived allowed this vacancy for, Byron, Racquel
    and Byron Jr.  Talk about timing! :-)
    
    Clayton asked Byron Sr., if he would ask Jesus to be his Savior.  Byron
    said that he was 2nd person in 3 days to ask him that and he was really
    considering it.
    
    I walked them inside the shelter with their belongings.  As I was
    beginning to leave, they both hugged me so tight I thought I'd break. 
    I gave them the money in my wallet and told them to please use that to
    get a hold of his family and I gave them my telephone number.
    
    As they thanked me again, I told them to thank God as well and that God
    really does love them.
    
    As I left the shelter with my boys, I began to cry I just sobbed. 
    Matthew and Clayton asked me what was wrong.  I said I felt so ashamed. 
    Clayton very angry and confused said to me, "You make feel like you did
    something wrong.  Mom, you did right.  I'm proud of you."
    
    I told them I felt ashamed for I've taken for granted the wonderful
    things God has given us.  And I thanked Him for resetting my
    perspectives.  Clayton didn't understand.  Matthew did and I could tell
    this event was having a profound effect on him.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

      Absolutely wonderful Nance!  This is certainly a part of what
      it is all about!  I hope we're all convicted to want to be
      more like this more of the time.
    		
    						Thank You,
    
    						Tony

    Fellowship and supporting your fellow Christians is another way in
    which Christ can be seen through you in a very practical way.  My
    neighbor, my Sister in Christ, knew that I was very sick recently and
    without my asking stopped by in the morning and picked up my boys for
    school.
    
    I thanked her by letting her know that through her I felt loved by our
    Father in heaven, because even this small need was met through her.
    
    

      I think a nice inconspicuous thing to do is to visit older
      church members once in awhile.  I've done it a few times and
      every time they (and I) have been thoroughly blessed.
    
      Usually we break bread (the word) together.
    
    						Tony

    
    	Last night I brought dinner to my nieghbors, who just
    	had a baby girl.  I called first to be sure they
    	weren't inundated with pasta dishes, and she laughed.  I
    	don't think anyone who was not family brought a dish over.
    
    	We do this routinely in our bible study and through an
    	agape meals program at church, so it was second nature to
    	me, but the family really appreciated it.  I was grateful
    	to be able to serve in a way that the family felt would help.
    
    	Karen
    

    .5
    
    Amen, Karen! In today's society, where Christians are typically shown
    through the entertainment and news media as mentally ill, deluged,
    and unstable or the Bible is portrayed in films as telling people to
    murder, it's time for Christians to be recognized for their charity
    efforts.
    
    Thank you for sharing!
    
    Love,
    Nancy

    I saw Jesus in my Sister these last 2 weeks.  She was Jesus to my
    children as she loved them unconditionally and served them while she
    was here.  She got up early in the morning and prepared breakfast for
    me and my boys, she did the laundry while I worked and ironed all of
    our clothes.  She cleaned house and she smiled every day and told us
    how much we were loved.
    
    Thank you Lord, for my sister and her visit to us.  Though the years
    were many between our visits, the warmth of our hearts was ever
    burning.  She is your daughter, Father, and I thank you for her and
    your planning her in my life.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

      I felt bigtime depressed over something last Sabbath (Friday after
      sundown).  So, I did what the Lord says and visited the widows.
    
      We broke bread together and I was thoroughly blessed.
    
      God is good!
    
    						Tony

    Amen, Tony.

    .8
    
    Nah, it's more fun to argue.  8^)

    .10
    
    er, uh, argue with the widows??????????????????????????????????