About 10 days ago, I received a phone call from a young woman who claimed to be Lori, that she was 17 years old, had a 3 year old, and a 4 year old and one on the way, due Dec 21st. She was new in town from Chicago, the Salvation Army had sent her here, and that she had just left the shelter and was in an apartment with the Housing Authority. She was too late to receive anything from the Salvation Army Christmas and Samaritan Center had also taken all the names they were going to, and could we help with Christmas for her children...
You must know that when these phone calls come, and they come often, my first reaction is to doubt every word I have just heard. And yet, more times than not, I find the story I can't believe is more or less accurate...and I am left with the image of Jesus knocking at the door of the church to see if anyone is at home.
I questioned Lori, about her family and what support she had here in JC..."none, her family didn't care about her and her children's father was in prison somewhere...." I questioned the whole Salvation Army connection and told her I didn't believe one shelter in another state would send someone across state lines...and her response was, "Well that's what happened." And then the big question...what was she looking for, for Christmas? Her children needed clothes and coats and boots.
Now, regardless of how much you believed or didn't believe of this story...couldn't we help with some warm clothes? I knew there were families in the church with children about the same size and even if they were handme downs...it was something. So I told Lori I would see what I could do for her and call her back the following Monday. As I told her story around the church, the Connections Sunday school class became an obvious place that could help...And to their great credit, they were more than willing to pour themselves out for this woman and her children. We talked about mentoring her through some of the hard times ahead, about developing a relationship that would last and maybe make a difference in her life. Truly a huge commitment for the class to take on, but in Christian love, they were willing.
On Monday, Lori called me, and I explained that there were many in the church that wanted to help her, and that I thought she could find support and care for her children as well as for her life. Did she want to make Jefferson City her home? "Yes" then could you come to church on Sunday, so the class could meet you and get to know your needs? In a moment, the dangling string began to unravel..."Well, I'm scheduled for a C-section on Sunday"...they don't schedule C sections on Sundays..."Well they did." I had some hand me downs for the 3 year old and told her I would drop them off and we could meet face to face...(yes, I wanted to see a pregnant 17 year old) and all of a sudden she had an errand to run (with who, she didn't know anyone?) But I could leave them with her neighbor...and she wasn't leaving for another hour...got the address and took off to deliver clothes...as I drove up, the "neighbor" was outside sweeping the porch...well I just missed Lori by a few seconds...she had just left! Hmm I said. I gave her the clothes and said I hoped there was a child that was going to benefit from those clothes and that if they were lying it was going to catch up with them soon...
I began checking stories with the Salvation Army, they don't allow 17 year olds in the shelter, there was no name that matched their records, and that one shelter didn't send people out to another...all I had was this telephone number...through the Food pantry records I had matched it to a name...and the Salvation Army recognized the name and there was a long pause on the other end of the line..."Don't believe a word they have told you....we know them well." But are there children that are in need..."not likely."
This time I called the house and got a new voice to talk to, an older woman, who wasn't in to lying quite as much...there was no 17 year old, there were two 20 somethings, with three children between them. They had nothing and were looking to have some way of giving their children Christmas. As if that made the lies OK...I asked where the children were now..."in daycare" and the moms were out hunting jobs....
And there you have it...another round of life in poverty and want. Why the elaborate lies? Have they been told no so many times that the truth isn't relative anymore? And where was God in all of this?
Here's the joy part....members of the church responded from their hearts and not from their skepticism or judgment seats...there isn't a 17 year old with three children alone in an apartment in Jefferson City - (well at least not that I know of)...a little girl got a new coat and boots that were gently used...and I am wiser but not any less likely to try and help the next phone call I get that asks for it. That is where God has been for me this past week...please pray for these two women...that they might really desire to make straight the paths and maybe, just maybe they will come looking to the church for that help...
Amen
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