Dear Fellow Servant(s) of Christ:

 

“….Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8.

 

Matthew 12:20 – “A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.”  Since Christ is our life and His anointing flows through us, we are His vessels reaching out to those who are bruised reeds and smoldering wicks.  Hope and restoration come through Jesus Christ.  Here in the Pittsburgh area, we continue to give these bruised reeds and smoldering wicks hope through a small gift card for groceries half-way through the month when their money is gone.  Hope through clothes they receive that they need. Hope through small household items they can’t afford.  Hope through a listening ear or a heartfelt hug.  Hope through a bite to eat at a place they never would have been able to afford – Wendy’s!  Hope through a ride to the doctors, courthouse, or grocery store.  Hope through a piece of furniture they wouldn’t otherwise be able to acquire.  As always, these things are provided with the Word of God and His message of salvation through His son, Jesus Christ.

 

When obedient to His call, Jesus Christ often has a way of turning what we think is ministering to others into a blessing for ourselves.  Dawn recalls a recent visit to the Pressley Street Apartments: “This scripture comes to my mind, “You will be made rich in every way so you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God… Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”  2 Corinthians 9:11, 15.  I was amazed, once again, how hospitable and giving of spirit the residents are.  Residents greeted us with warmth and recognition, shared their stories, and asked if we wanted to come see their apartments.  They were so grateful for their homes and meager belongings.  The day began where I thought I would be the one giving.  Instead, these beautiful people showed me that it meant more to give of yourself than things.  I was blessed by their hospitality and kindness.  “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40.

 

We are praying about bringing some of our friends from the city to our homes in the suburbs to provide them with a beautiful lunch and a bible study perhaps once a month or so. Would you like to be a part of this idea?  It will show them they are special and provide a safe haven for them occasionally.

 

We were blessed to see a few of our immigrant friends be baptized into the faith of Jesus Christ in the Baldwin/Whitehall Presbyterian Church. Most of these people are eager to work, help and learn.  They have been touched by your kindness to them through furniture, diapers, winter coats, hats, shoes and boots.  We will continue to help them as God leads us.  One of them said, “Show me with my eyes and I will see; speak to me and I will listen; but get involved in my life and I will believe.  How profound.  Walk like Jesus did.

 

Over the past few months, we have helped several of the “Lost Boys of the Sudan” get set up with furniture so that when their wives arrive here in America they are able to provide a home setting for them.  What a joy they are!   In addition to the above individuals, the Avis Arbor Women’s Shelter (through the Washington City Mission) referred several women to SITG.   Some of these beautiful ladies needed everything, some of them needed gift cards to get supplies for their apartments and some of them just needed a few items.  Whatever the case, with your help, we have been able to impact their lives.  Most of them contact us later for continued encouragement or just thank us for caring.  Bruised reeds and smoldering wicks being changed into healed reeds and lit wicks a little at a time!

 

What else has been happening with your kindness to SITG:  Help with partial rent costs for a single, discouraged, middle-aged woman.  She is paying us back a little a month with gift cards to G. Eagle that we then use to bless others.  We want to help the people learn to give back instead of always being on the receiving end. It is God’s way and it works.   We have provided many grocery cards to single, struggling men and women.  Some more rent help for another of our struggling women; we continue to support our little girl, JyotiShankar, in India and are praying about supporting a child in Nepal (a nephew of one of our Bhutanese immigrant friends); we helped to buy a mattress for a battered woman starting over referred to us by Psalm 119 Ministries; you bought a used stove for a family living on the Northside that had been waiting for six months and a refrigerator for a family whose husband has been unemployed for a long time (they were so discouraged but you changed that); one of our ladies that we mentored through the Bethlehem Haven needed a small U-Haul truck to move to another apartment to be a better steward of her money – you did it!  A friend has been on house arrest.  Last week she was taken off.  During that time, we bought her yarn and she crocheted lots of blankets that we are taking out to the homeless this week.  We wanted her to be able to hand them the blankets she made!  We assisted a young, widowed woman with two children, depressed, and soon to be evicted from her home, referred by the Pregnancy Resource Center, with car repairs; G. Eagle cards in small amounts were sent with encouragement notes to five women to tell them that Jesus cares and His love is unconditional.  A woman from Colorado with both parents ill here in the Pittsburgh area was blessed with a monetary gift to help with meals, parking, etc. while away from her family; a gift card to a struggling family was delivered for groceries.  We met this family through the Pittsburgh Project. A Shop N Save card was sent to an elderly woman whose medical bills are expensive and living on a limited budget; you supplied many Christmas items for shoe boxes sent through Samaritan’s Operation Christmas Project; a gift card for Thanksgiving dinner for a Bosnian family; and a dinner for a woman with cancer, four children, and her husband lost his job.  Last, but certainly not least, you bought a large-print bible for one of our elderly, wheelchair bound men at Pressley Street!  He said he couldn’t see his small-print bible any more and could we get him a large-print bible.  Thought we should get one for him! 

 

Hey!  Jesus Christ, the KING of KINGS and the LORD of LORDS is coming back.  Have a beautiful Christmas celebrating His first coming and looking forward to His second!

 

                                                                                                                                Because He cares, gives and lives,

 

 

 

 

Standing In The Gap is a non-profit corporation that has been determined to be exempt from Federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue code.  Contributions, bequests, devises, transfers and gifts are tax deductible.