Dearest Friends,
THE HELPING UP MISSION
Saturday night, we were in downtown Baltimore at a rescue shelter for homeless men. As we faced the crowd, we saw hundreds of men staring at us who did not look very happy. Some had complained and asked why they had to go to a puppet show. I began by telling them stories about the children we serve around the world. I asked them to give us a chance and listen. God was very kind to us! As the puppets came up, their unhappiness was replaced by smiles. They clapped for absolutely every part of the show. They lined up to give me hugs when we had finished. Some of them even give us a standing ovation. They were genuinely surprised that they enjoyed the program and were challenged by it. I honestly was not surprised that they enjoyed it because I knew that God could do this, because He can do anything.
It was not until we started the program that I realized that God has given us just the right things to say to them. All of our songs were about forgiveness and hope and how God never gives up on us. I told stories about really bad men that Jesus rescued. I dressed as a slave ship captain and Drake dressed as a viking king. The Bible story was the story of the prodigal son, whom the Father forgave and welcomed home. The young people’s testimonies were challenging and encouraging. By God’s grace, it was the best program for these men.
One of the young men told me I was “boss.” I think this was good. Another young man asked me, “How did you become real.” I shared my testimony with him and that seemed to be enough for him. Before we started the program, a young man said, “Why do you do this?” I told him that once I was a little girl who was afraid and had no hope. I told him how Jesus rescued me and took away my fear. I explained that I did not want any children to live with fear and without hope. He nodded his head and said, “Good enough. I’ll listen.”
It was an incredible evening where we saw God pour His Spirit on everything that was said and done. All of us left very blessed and very happy. We rode home full of joy, thanking God for all He had done. Please continue to pray for all of these men and ask God to call them to Himself.
THE CLOSING CEREMONY
We had so much fun doing the closing program for Covenant of Grace’s VBS on Friday night. We did our new drama and shared our new stories. It was very sweet to see how the children responded to what they heard. The children that attended VBS closed the program by singing Pharaoh Pharaoh and our Egyptian puppets joined in.
They collected boxes of colored pencils to use with the Syrian refugee children in Lebanon in January. We really appreciated their generosity! However, we need hundreds and hundreds of boxes of colored pencils. We need the packs that have 10 to 12 pencils in them. We also need small pencil sharpeners. Please help us gather these supplies so we can make packs of art supplies for the children. These gifts will be keys that will open doors so we can tell the children about Jesus.
WE NEED A SHOW!!!
We have no scheduled program for this coming Sunday morning. If you are anywhere around Baltimore and can help us schedule a show, please contact me by email. Please pray that God will open a door for us.
In Jesus,
Linda for Heather, Drake, Garrett, Kelsey, and Leslie