The War Cry | APRIL 2015
34
Sarah's Christmas Miracle
Essence
S
arah Thomason is an 84-year-old with a 50-year-old son named Ricky. Ricky is
handicapped, and was born with life-threatening medical problems. Sarah and
Ricky are friends of Jackie and Gene Humes. Gene is like a father to Ricky, whose
real father was a police office killed in the line of duty five months before Ricky was born.
The Thomasons and the Humes got to know each other through The Salvation Army in
St. Petersburg, Florida, where both families have dedicated their lives to God.
Just before Christmas, while Gene was
cutting Ricky's hair, Jackie noticed his coat
was a little dirty. She told him to have his
mother throw it in the laundry when he got
home. He responded that his mother was
washing their clothes in the bathtub and
couldn't do his coat, as their washer had
broken. Jackie learned that Sarah had been
without a washer for six or seven months;
she couldn't afford a new one, and was
embarrassed to let anyone know.
The Humes decided to buy the Thomasons
a new washer and dryer, and went shopping
at Home Depot. There they met Carlos
Valenzuela, who listened to their story and
asked them to return the following day.
That evening, Jackie's church group
offered to help.
The next day at Home Depot, Jackie
found out that Carlos had gone to his boss
and arranged to have $50.00 taken off the
price of both the washer and the dryer and
to have free delivery and pickup of the old
machines. Now Sarah and Ricky would have
a new washer and dryer for the first time in
their lives, thanks to the kindness of friends
and strangers alike.
-- By Jackie and Gene Humes
We pray that God uses the War Cry to bring the message of
hope and eternal life where needed, whether to someone coming
to the Army corps for practical assistance, facing personal trials,
suffering loss due to a natural disaster or incarcerated.
Each issue carries a coupon readers can fill out and return
to request prayer, information about The Salvation Army and
personal contact. And thanks be to God, last year
153 individuals
indicated on the coupon that they found Christ through reading
the War Cry. Another
156 asked for guidance on how to receive
Christ as Savior.
Each and every inquiry is referred for follow up to Salvation
Army command centers where the request originated.
Research indicates that for every person who responds, quite
a few others had a similar experience. Now that the War Cry has
upgraded the coupon to make it easier to detach and return, we
look forward to even more people turning to the Army and the
Lord this year. We remember Jesus's words that
"there is joy
in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner
repents" (Luke 15:10).
May we serve well as God considers this still the day of salvation
.
THE ABCs of
THE SPIRIT ALIVE
THIS IS THE DAY OF SALVATION
God has said His Word would go through all the world and not
return to Him void. It brings Him saved souls who have accepted
with thankful hearts the best of good news--that Jesus Christ
made payment for all sin and that through His sacrifice God
offers to accept as His own forgiven and reborn sons and
daughters anyone who comes to Him through this sacrifice.
The War Cry has proclaimed this message through 135 years
of publication. Though the publication's form has changed
through the years, from tabloid to magazine to app, the
message has remained central.
For the Harvest:
COUPON REQUESTS FOR 2014
*