A Tale of Two Guests
Welcome to our first edition of the eHope Report! We will be bringing this new electronic magazine to your inbox once a month. Our hope is to continue sharing the stories of Convoy of Hope, while at the same time being good stewards by taking advantage of the low delivery cost of the Internet.
This month I want to share a story of two people who attended a recent Convoy of Hope: One guest came early; the other came late.
It was 7:30 a.m. and the finishing touches were being put on the Convoy of Hope site, where 6,000 guests would come to receive their groceries, haircuts, medical examinations, job information and more. The temperature was about 40 degrees… yet many guests braved the cold to be among the first in line.
A man with no coat to shield him from the biting cold, his eyes filled with uncertainty, came up to me. He was deaf, so be did his best to communicate his need with his hands: he put his hand to his mouth then rubbed his stomach, as if asking for food. I fought back the tears as I escorted him to get some hot dogs, then took him to his place in line. Two hours later. I ran into him again. A big smile came to his face. He patted his stomach to tell me it was full. Then he hugged me as if to say “Thank you.” After I introduced him to a few of my friends, he entered the haircut tent.
I knew we had given him more of God’s love and compassion that day than he had received in a long time. He had come early to make sure he received the best, and we had provided it, through the help of friends like you.
Another guest arrived much later, when the outreach was over, and all the food had been distributed. She was a beautiful 12 year-old girl, who had heard about the Convoy from her school counselor and had ridden the bus alone to be there.
“Is there anything you can give me?” she asked. “Do you have any food, soap or toothpaste?” One of the volunteers spoke up. Taking an envelope from her pocket, she said, “God saved this gift certificate just for you. It’s a $25 gift certificate to Wal-Mart. You can buy whatever you need.” The girl smiled as if she had just opened a large Christmas package. The volunteer knelt down, saving, “Jesus loves you. Do you know that?” ‘The girl nodded her head and the two embraced. I asked myself, who knows what this child goes through every day? Does she live with her parents? Does she get enough to eat? Where does she live?
Again, I fought back tears and was suddenly reminded that Convoy had come just in time for her, and for the man I had met earlier — just in time for these two precious people and for 6,000 others who desperately needed help.
When you give to Convoy of Hope, your gift often comes just in time. Thank you for caring; thank you for giving so stomachs can be filled, tears can be wiped, and the love of Christ can be shared.
People like these two guests are the reason we do what we do, and we count it a privilege to have you be a part of this ministry. They are the reason we have planned a bold new year of ministry for 2008, and the reason we count on friends like you to make it happen.
With God’s help, we have demonstrated God’s love to more than 20 million people at home and abroad. Thank you for being part of the vision. We treasure your prayers and partnership again this year. The Bible says, “Blessed is he that considered the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble” (Psalm 41:1).