Hanging by a Thread . . . Until They Lifted the Truck Off!
Last month a truck in our parking lot loaded with wood accidentally rolled over and pinned a man. It was literally crushing him to death. The homeless men in our community banded together and lifted the truck off while Bart, our house manager, pulled the badly injured man
to safety. Literally lifeless, local law enforcement rendered CPR and quickly transported him to the hospital. Because of the efforts of many, today, he is alive and doing well!
This tragic ordeal caused feelings of past trauma to emerge for many of those in our recovery community. These amazing individuals have themselves faced countless, life-threatening challenges, and this incident served as an unwanted window into their own tragic life stories. It was a tangible reminder of how their lives were also once hanging by a thread before they were rescued and spared.
For the homeless, brushes with harm or even death are a daily reality. Poor health, drug overdoses, exposure from the elements, psychological challenges, abuse, and violence can all pose potentially life-threatening circumstances. I have talked with so many residents in our community who said they were on death’s door when they came to The Shepherd’s House. The odds were clearly stacked against them.
Those who come in off of the streets and receive care at Shepherd’s House Ministries have a chance to beat those odds. They have a chance to get food, clothes, and shelter from people who truly love them. And, they can also receive needed medical advice and care, advocacy, spiritual direction, mental health counseling, and a host of other services that would otherwise go unmet.
The picture of a person being crushed and hanging by a thread is a reality very close to home for both the men and women in our program and for those on the streets. Their circumstances are often desperate and life threatening. To survive, they truly do need help from others. They need help from people like you, people who will rally around them to provide love and support.
That is why we need your help to continue to provide these critical services. And, it is why we are asking you to support our immediate needs by giving today. It only costs about $20 a day to provide a bed and a hot meal for a person in need. Or, it cost about $49 a day for a person to enter our grace-based recovery program. This may not seem like much, but it can be the starting point to help a hungry, homeless person get a second chance at life. Your generous donation will provide the needed help and hope to make a tangible difference! Will you lift the weight that has kept so many homeless pinned down and helpless, clinging to life?
Would you consider giving to this effort today? Please, be as generous as you can. We have as many as 70 men, women, and children at Shepherd’s House Ministries every day who need help.
So please give, and know that your gifts are truly helping people find hope and new life.
