A Search for Warm Things...

Last night and today were very cold days and for some reason my heat wasn’t working. Yikes! So all day I was bundled up until the East St. Louis Housing Authority came to fix my heat, which I was so thankful for. Before my heat was fixed I began to think of the homeless guys who hang out around the neighborhood, one guys in particular who I will call Derrick. I asked God if He would show me if there was anything I could do to help Derrick since it was so cold. This evening I was on my way to my sister’s house and saw Derrick shoveling snow off of porches in John DeShields for money. He had a spring trench coat on and no gloves. I knew he had to be freezing. God was showing me the answer to what I asked Him earlier today. I stopped and asked Derrick what size long underwear he wore and told him that I would like to get some for him. He got a huge smile on his face and said THANK YOU! As I drove away, I wanted to get him a warmer coat, but knew I only had the money to get him smaller things like gloves, long under wear and warm socks. So, I called my Dad to see if he had an extra coat that he didn’t use anymore. He said he did! When I showed up to my parent's house to get the coat, sitting on the kitchen chair was a very thick, warm coat. It was perfect for Derrick! After that I went to K-Mart and purchased the items to go along with the coat. It was POURING down snow and it took me a little bit longer to get back to ESL. I saw one of Derrick’s friends and asked him to let him know that I was looking for him. I asked God if he would have Derrick come around soon because I couldn’t stand thinking about him wearing that thin trench coat any longer. As I went to open my apartment door, Derrick called my name. I handed him the coat and the bag full of warm things. He was thankful, we hugged and told each other I love you. I pray that receiving those items, would make him feel the care and LOVE of God towards him.