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Juanita* looked very small as she stood pensively
just inside the front door of the Dream Center at the front counter.
She was of Hispanic heritage with her long black hair pulled back in a
tight knot at the back of her head. Sue,
one of the Dream Center staff approached her and gently asked how we can help
her. “I need some money,” she said to Sue, “I have two
little children that need to go to Ann Arbor for medical treatment and I have no
money to buy gas.” Then she
added, “I have to leave Kalamazoo at eleven today because the appointment is
at two o’clock this afternoon.” Looking
at the clock, Sue saw that it was nine thirty and went to her husband, Bob who
was also on the Dream Center staff to find ways to help Juanita.
Since the Dream Center provides only emergency food and clothing to needy
people and not funds, Bob went to Nancy, the co-director of the Dream Center, to
ask about helping Juanita with personal funds.
Nancy agreed and twenty dollars was given to Juanita.
In the meantime, another Dream Center staffer, Pat, had contact a local
human service center that also agreed to provide funds for Juanita.
Juanita accepted the invitation from Bob & Sue to ride in their car
to the human service center and along the way, Sue began to share with Juanita
about Jesus’ love for her and why He died for her.
Arriving at the human service center, Sue and Juanita met a tall
gentleman named Mike who exhibited incredible warmth and compassion and gladly
gave Juanita ten dollars; Sue thought that she saw Mike pull the ten from his
own wallet. Driving back to the Dream Center to pick up
Juanita’s car, Sue continued to tell Juanita the story of Jesus.
At the Dream Center, Sue got into Juanita’s car with her to accompany
her to the gas station to fill the gas tank.
Bob followed in his car. At
the station, Bob, who has worked on cars, found that Juanita’s car was low on
oil and the tires were critically low on air.
All of these problems were fixed and at ten thirty Juanita was ready to
pick up her children and start the journey to Ann Arbor.
Sue invited Juanita to accept Jesus Christ as her Savior, but Juanita
said she was nervous and wanted to wait. But
the seed was planted in her heart. This is an actual incident that occurred in October
2003 and is a typical scene of love, compassion and a desire to serve the poor
and needy in the Edison neighborhood. It
comes from a life of seeking God and living each day in the presence of God and
in His love. This love overflows
and births the intense desire to see other people become sons and daughters of
God and to care for the needy. Jesus
himself said, “assuredly I say unto you,
in as much as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to
me,” (Matt 25:40) All people have their being in God (Acts 17:28) therefore everyone is precious and valuable irregardless of their economic status, physical characteristics or limitations, ethnic origin or spiritual state. The Dream Center is visited by an average of thirteen
people per day, many of whom have desperate needs.
The staff is sensitive to the Holy Spirit to discern what God would have
us do with the visitor; to bless, to pray, to counsel, to offer free clothing or
whatever needs the person may have. God desires that all men be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4) In 2003, the Dream Center has led over thirty people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. One person was a drug addict and now is wonderfully changed and is living out her new life in Christ. The staff begins each day with prayer, giving thanks to God for the opportunity of serving Him in this neighborhood and asking God’s blessing on each visitor that comes in, that they will receive all that God has for them. It is not easy to serve daily on the front lines of a spiritual battlefield to win the heart and souls of men and women for Christ, for we fight against a ferocious spiritual enemy. But there is great joy when a lost sinner repents and believes in Jesus Christ as Savior and becomes a member of the family of God. This makes the mission of the Kalamazoo Dream Center a worthy calling and to one day in eternity to hear these words “Well done faithful servant.”
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