Healing Hope Newsletter
April, 2010
http://www.marionduckworthministries.com
The winter of 1963 in the Pacific Northwest was brutal. “When I watched the plight of the homeless on the news, my heart went out to them,” Annie* recalls.
The more she prayed, the more she became convinced that she should do something. “I decided to volunteer every Monday in the Salvation Army drop-in center where the homeless could get in out of the cold, drink a cup of coffee and rest. My job was to prevent fights, keep people from smoking or drinking inside, visit with them and help at the coffee bar.”
The first time she walked in the gathering room full of men, the odor was overwhelming. “I prayed for help and my concern for the men quickly overcame my sense of smell!” That day, she met Willie*, who was a wino. “He leaned on the counter and looked me straight in the eye. Once, he blew a raspberry and the alcohol was so strong it made me dizzy.”
I learned that Willy had walked away from his job as a long-haul truck driver in California years ago. Each Monday, his trust in her grew. Finally, he agreed to let her help him apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and an apartment. “My church provided household items. Willy was so very grateful.” Twice Annie was able to get him into rehab. “He’d fall off the wagon but always got back on.”
“I loaned him a book I’d written that had a Christian message.” After reading it, he called Annie on the phone, sobbing, that he wasn’t a Christian. I asked if he believed in Jesus Christ as savior and wanted to ask for forgiveness for his sins. He said he did. So, with the football game playing and my family unaware of what was going on, I led him in the sinner’s prayer.”
After he moved into his apartment, Willy never lived on the streets again. “He became a dear friend of my whole family and many of our friends. He even built a toy box for my grandson. Every week, he came to see Annie at the mission.
Finally, he was hospitalized with a diseased liver and died a week later. “I arranged to have his body flown home.” Annie smiles wistfully. “We miss him.” A large oil painting of Willie hangs in a prominent spot on her living room wall. “My son’s best friend in high school was an artist. He painted the portrait from a photo I gave him.”
Annie continued to help the homeless until family responsibilities required most of her attention. She is convinced, after studying the Bible carefully, that all Christians are called to help the poor. “To me, however, it was a special calling.
“I’m a good listener and the homeless need to be heard. No one on skid row is willing to listen.” During her years volunteering at the mission, she got to know four other men especially well. “Eventually, I brought them home for dinner, took them to church, and helped them wash their clothes. With assistance, some of them got off the streets and into an apartment.”
When regulars failed to show up at the drop-in center for a week or more, Annie was concerned because she knew that some became violently ill with colds during the winter. Were they still alive?
What did she learn during those two years? “Everyone needs a friend who will listen.” Once she got to know them, they became more than a Monday friend. “I assured them that they could call on me when they needed. That’s what friends are for. That’s how God’s love shines through us.
“They can spot a phony a mile away so anything we do must be genuine. When one of the homeless asked why she was at the mission, Annie replied honestly: “I want to be your friend.”
Blessings,
Marion
http://www.marionduckworthministries.com
http://www.healinghopeonline.com
*Annie and Willie are pseudonyms
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