Continued…
The next morning, I had a voicemail. “Anna, it’s Jim. Just calling, like I said I would. Thanks again for what you did for me.”
I spent about ten minutes online looking for homeless shelters in the area. The closest one is 45 minutes away. “That’s not so bad,” I reasoned. “I could find him a ride.”
I had a job pulling weeds that morning (which, as God would have it, ended up replacing nearly the exact amount that I’d spent on Jim the night before.) as we were finishing up, my friend HAPPENED to mention the very shelter I was looking into earlier. ”confirmation,” I thought. “I’ve GOT to call over there.” now, this was a Saturday, which meant that it was probably not open. However, my lovely friend happened to have the personal cell number of the owner.
Long story short, called the owner. No room. She referred me to a shelter in Pocatello (75 miles away.) I wrote down the information and tucked it away in my wallet.
I went to a missions conference that night where I had been invited to speak (I was the only short-term missionary there, and it was an amazing privilege to be invited.) I told the story about my World Race, and then I shared Jim’s story to illustrate the ways God was already preparing me for the mission field. (this was the first time my mom heard about it. She took it relatively well.) She went with me to meet Jim.
As soon as I saw Him across the parking lot, my heart swelled. I can’t explain it. It felt like I wanted to do whatever it took to make sure he was cared for. I knew I had to pray with him.
“Hey, stranger!” I handed him the paper with the information from the shelter on it. “I found this place. I think they might be able to help you.” He took it, but went on to say that He had already found a place he wanted to move into. A local bishop had agreed to pay his first and last month’s rent if he could come up with the deposit on his own. “Well, if I could help you with that, I would, Jim. But I’m broke.” He nodded. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” He replied, “Ask the Big Guy if He’ll kick some money my way.”
And then, crazy girl that Jesus has somehow made me into, I grabbed his hands and prayed out loud in front of the grocery store. “God, I know that You can provide for Jim. So please, send him what he needs, and make it clear to him that it’s from You.”
The next day (a Sunday) Jim went to church with me. It was the second day of the missions conference, and there was a potluck afterwards. We ate some lunch and I dropped him off at the park.
When I got home, I couldn’t think of anything but Jim and the fact that he had nowhere to sleep. I prayed, “God, what am I supposed to do for Him? I have nothing to give him but prayer. Please provide.”
to be continued…Stay tuned for Part 3!!
