So there I set at the Adventures in Missions office and my phone begins to ring.
Hugh was on the other end and said he had a favor to ask of me.
I try to be one of those guys that would drop anything at any second to help a friend out who’s in need. It was the way I was raised, and I know that I have a handful of friends who I could expect nothing less of.
Hugh was at the grocery store with Sammie Jo. On the way to town, they have found a man who looked homeless, standing on the roadside. Hugh felt the Holy Spirit tell him to stop, so he did.
Hugh needed to run to Atlanta to take Kelly to the airport and was asking if I’d come to town, pick up Sammie Jo and Charles (the man), and take him home. So I dropped what I was doing, grabbed Kelly, and headed to town.
We arrived to find Hugh, Sammie Jo, and Charles standing outside waiting for us.
Charles was pitiful. He wore ragged clothes, hadn’t showered in God knows when, and couldn’t get around too well it seemed.
Hugh filled me in, then him and Kelly headed out.
Charles, Sammie Jo, and myself climbed into my car and it was then I realized Charles was deaf. He had no hearing aids, but only cotton balls in his ears. They gave him a lot of trouble.
To communicate, Sammie Jo had to write on paper and then Charles would respond.
We took him to Georgia Power to pay a bill for his Mom. That didn’t take long, and then we were on our way to find his house.
As we drove, I pondered about this man who sat shotgun in my car. I wondered what his story was… From the looks of it, life hadn’t dealt him the best hand of cards.
Sammie Jo filled me in about Charles. He had no family, lived alone, and couldn’t work because of an accident he suffered a few years back.
Eventually we arrived at his “home”, and immediately, my heart broke because I knew our Father’s heart was breaking for this man. What we were about to see, wasn’t something we were prepared for…
We parked, grabbed his groceries, and began the walk to his “front door.” This is his house…
He then informed us that it was his Mother’s place. She was passed on, but everything was still in her name. He just lived there, alone, in this shack that was nothing less than what I seen some folks overseas living in. Nobody had been there in years.
Before he walked in, he thanked us, Sammie Jo hugged him, and then she placed a note in his pocket to read later. Everything within me wanted to do more though!
As he literally removed his “door”, slid some foam insulation out of the way, and stepped into the shack, I WAS NOT OK with this…
That was it.
We returned to our car, and the entire time we both fought back tears. Our hearts were broken for Charles. Not only because his living situation, but more so because, he doesn’t know the Lord we were pretty certain.
Today, Sammie Jo, Hugh, and myself are gonna go and visit Charles. We believe the Lord isn’t done with this relationship. It’s very plain to see, The Father placed him in our path.
Pray for us as we go and try to minister to Charles. Keep him on your heart and mind, because it seems that the rest of society has forgotten about him.
I am absolutely 110% sure that God has so much for him. Whether Charles knows it or not, he is a child of God… He just hasn’t realized it yet.
We’ll keep you updated.
Love yall.
P.S. Pray for his ears to literally be opened. I know that each of our hearts is for him to HEAR the Gospel. Not just read it.
