I'm Leaving Portland with a Handful of Hope!
April, a twenty-five year old woman who
worked in a bar and had not eaten a meal for
three days, said, "Today I'm leaving Portland
with a handful of hope! Our neighbor, John, an
alcoholic that lives across the street from us,
asked if we would help take April to the MAX
station so she could catch a plane at the PDX
airport to fly to California. Her parents had
sent her a ticket to go home. We went a step
farther. We took her personally to the airport.
After we checked in April's luggage, as we sat
around a table sipping coffee, April's story
unfolded like a novel, too difficult to have a
good ending- a very sad story! She said, "I need
hope, peace, direction, people who care for me,
and a place where I belong!"
I then suggested that all four of us around the
small table join hands and talk to God. That was
the moment when April trusted Christ as her
Savior! Then we went outside to say goodbye.
That's when April said, "I'm leaving Portland
with a handful of hope!"
The next day, as I shared April's story with the
men in the Bible class I teach at the county
jail, the impact of her story was so strong that
they stood to their feet and said, "We need to
pray for April." Two of them did immediately.
A few days later, we met John in the parking lot
where we live. He shared with us the struggle he
is having with alcoholism. June suggested that
we pray about it right then. She prayed for
John's struggle with alcohol. He seemed grateful
for our prayers. Please pray for both John and
April, that God would give them victory.
Tom & June Skipper 6/7/2005
P.O. Box 3123
Gresham, OR 97030
"Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness!" (Psalm 115:1, NIV)
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