Hi, I'm Joni with a pretty poignant Christmas story…
Welcome to "Joni and Friends" and welcome to the week before Christmas, can you believe it? And as you know, rescue missions all across the U.S. are gearing up to give help and hope in Christ to countless families who are homeless: mothers with their children, and more. And I want to tell you what my friend Mike; what he did, at the Los Angeles Mission right in downtown L.A. You see, some weeks ago, Mike came out to our Joni and Friends office to purchase some of my Christmas cards. Of course I thought that was pretty neat, and I didn’t ask him much about them—I mean, Christmas cards go to family and friends, right? Well, Mike had a different idea. You see, he and his wife have an outreach down on Skid Row—a pretty hard-core picture it is of life on the streets. It used to be just older men, but now? It’s young women—single mothers and their children. It’s pulling a small mattress up against a grocery cart lined with cardboard to block the wind. It’s people huddled next to trash cans where they have some shelter. It’s a difficult life for homeless families, and I applaud Mike and his wife for putting their Christian compassion into action.
Mike tells me that in the lobby of the rescue mission, there are usually gathered a hundred or so homeless men and women, and in the outdoor patio, another hundred or so. All of these folks are waiting for a meal, a shower, or maybe a pair of clean overalls or a sweatshirt, and best of all, an overnight bed. Some—not many—want to talk with the chaplains at the Los Angeles Rescue Mission about joining their recovery and rehabilitation programs.
But of all these folks, the chronically homeless are the toughest to reach. So a couple of weeks ago, Mike and his small team went out on the streets and approached them with one of my Christmas cards. They showed my picture on the back and how I draw with my mouth (that certainly sparked their interest). What’s more, Mike offered to mail the Christmas card for free to any family member or friend that homeless person had. They even offered to help them write the note. And guess what: they ended up stuffing, sealing, stamping and mailing about 100 cards. For many, this was the first and only contact they had made with family members. Most of the chronically homeless were estranged from their parents or their siblings. But one hundred of those men accepted the offer; one hundred of them sent cards, and one hundred drew closer to understanding how practical the love of Jesus Christ really is. It sure made sharing the Gospel with those guys a lot easier. Mike wrote and told me, “Reaching out this way helped us initiate our sharing a message of hope in Christ. Joni, your photo on the back, your life in a wheelchair and your victory over difficulty gave us a great opportunity to minister.”
Wow, I don’t think anyone could give me a better Christmas blessing than this, to be used of God that way. I'm so grateful to the Lord that my wheelchair and the artistic talent I have with my disability, well… I'm glad God used my story to touch the hearts of those homeless men and women. Galatians chapter 2, verse 10 tells us to continue to remember the poor. The Los Angeles Rescue Mission and organizations like them across the United States are providing shelter for the wanderer, just like Isaiah chapter 58, verse 7 tells us to do. So today, during this Christmas season, be praying for the success of the Gospel at rescue missions in your own town. My friend, Mike, and his wife Georgie, would be very grateful if you did.
© Joni and Friends, 2013
Compliments of Joni and Friends
PO Box 3333 Agoura Hills, CA 91376