5 Friday
October 8th
Morning
Thought
Yesterday I spoke
about how my late husband had responded to a need for Wellington boots by
appealing for the goods over here in Jersey.
Very early on in my
time with Mustard Seed Jersey I realized that poor footwear and poverty go
hand-in-hand. Over the years I have come to realize that inadequate shoes and
lack of medication are keys signs of poverty.
I remember one time
nearly 20 years ago just before Christmas doing a phone interview with BBC Radio
Jersey.
Now it worked out
that that day we had visited an isolated and impoverished village to give out Christmas shoeboxes and
had been appalled to see children barefoot in the snow running out to get their
shoeboxes.
So I spoke about this
on the phone to the radio. Clearly that account moved different people in
Jersey because within a couple of hours one of the trustees was in touch to say
money was arriving to provide shoes.
It was really very
exciting and to our joy we were able to purchase shoes to help that desperately
poor community before we came back to Jersey ourselves.
Christmas is the
time that we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. This is what he said about
reaching out to those in need
“Come you who are
blessed by my father God. For I was a stranger and you invited me in I needed
clothes and you clothed me.”
Now His followers
couldn’t understand that and they asked “ Lord when did we see you needing
clothes?”.
And Jesus replied
“truly I tell you whatever you do for one of the least little ones you do it
for me”
That is quite a
thought to take with us through the day isn’t it.