Crackers

Joshua and Clara visited Dallas Christian Ministry years ago when he lost his job for three months. “I remember being embarrassed,” Joshua shared, “but everyone was so kind. We only had to come one time for help with our electric bill and food. Then I found a new job.”

As Joshua walked into the ministry this time, he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “My wife is in the hospital. It’s been almost three weeks, and going back and forth to the hospital is taking all our extra money for gas,” he shared with tears in his eyes. “We are both retired now and live on a fixed income. I can’t make it stretch any farther.”

First, our volunteer sat with Joshua and listened. He and his wife are quite isolated, and he hasn’t had anyone to talk to about his new reality. Through the conversation, we learned that their heat was about to be turned off, and to save money, he wasn’t eating enough.

“I remembered coming here before, all those years ago,” he said. “I thought maybe you might be able to help me again.” We did help. We provided funding for his heat bill and we gave him a box of food that would travel well to the hospital so he wouldn’t need to buy food while he was there.

Joshua returned last week with a different expression on his face. This time, it was gratitude. “I never dreamed a pack of crackers could be such a lifesaver,” he said. “Clara is home. She is having trouble with her one side, but she improves every day. Thank you for listening to me. You really did help me get through a tough time in our lives. I am grateful.”

While we get to see joy on our clients’ faces and hear them say thank you, it is you, our donors and volunteers, who make this work possible. When you give, you provide the financial resources we need to support our neighbors like Joshua and Clara as they struggle with difficult times. We anticipate an increase in need this year. We stand ready to support all the Joshua’s in our community because of you!