Imagine you are on a much-deserved beach vacation. You are relaxing alone on the beach, when you
hear a terrified scream, “Help! I can’t
swim.” A life preserver is attached to a
rope nearby. Of course, you would run,
grab the life-saving equipment, and throw it to the struggling swimmer. You’d do everything in your power to throw
the Life Line and help this person. Your
part is to throw out the life-saving equipment; the struggling swimmer must
also do his or her part in holding onto this equipment while you pull him or
her to safety.
The LifeLine Project exists to be life-saving help and
hope to prostitutes on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. The project was founded by Karen Monroe, who
we met during our “His Hands His Feet” mission project this summer. You may remember Karen, who spoke in October
during Taste of Missions. Karen, and
others working with her, relay the message of, “You don’t have to live this
way,” as they give a gift bag full of toiletries and information of where and
how to get help, as they travel around downtown Columbus.
How does this
affect you? How can you help? How can we, as a group at Orange Friends,
continue being the Hands and Feet of Jesus?
We have the opportunity to fill some bags that will be
distributed to the prostitutes in Columbus.
Huntington Bank is donating 500 string backpacks to Karen – how many of
these can we fill?
1. We are collecting items for the bags now. There is a basket in the lobby (next to the
mitten Christmas tree) for these type of items:
a. Travel
sizes of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush
b. Chapstick,
deodorant
c. Packaged
cracker sandwiches, granola bars, or other energy foods
2. Write a short note, expressing Jesus’ love, your
care, and your prayers; perhaps a scripture verse.
3. On January 11, you are invited to join Karen and
our youth to pack as many of these bags as we can, here at Orange Friends.
Karen will provide materials from the health department,
and rehabilitation facilities. We will
include literature that will tell about Jesus’ love for them. Our Outreach Commission is pledging $500 to
help pack bags. We can S-T-R-E-T-C-H those funds with items we may already have, or items we can purchase as we
shop. PLEASE HAVE YOUR DONATIONS HERE BY December 28, so that we
will know what needs to be purchased.
Being His Hands and His Feet,
Ron Clark
Missions Coordinator
