<http://www.guideposts.com/story/christmas-april>Christmas in <http://www.guideposts.com/story/christmas-april>April By Alexis Hurd-Shires, Carnegie, Pennsylvania January, 2007 The shelves in the orphanage pantry were almost bare. A jar of canned tomatoes and a couple bottles of oil. I checked the barrels on the floor. Cornmeal, powdered milk, oatsÂempty. All we had was some pasta left over from a donation we got in December, and now it was mid-April. How are we ever going to manage? I'd been volunteering for months at this Romanian orphanage and always marveled at how we'd survived, but our supplies had never been this low. Twenty kids to feed with just a little pasta. Unexpected bills had exhausted our funds. I'd sent a request to my church back in Oklahoma at Christmastime and they'd been generous. We'd also had help from a German relief agency and their leader Rosa, who normally visit in December. But all the food they'd given us had run out, and I was running out of hope. I went up to my room and turned on the computer. I'd send another appeal to my church. But even with e-mail, I feared their gifts wouldn't reach us in time. Dear God, we need something now. Later that evening I was in my room when someone knocked on my door. "What is it?" I asked. "Rosa's here!" one of the children shouted. Rosa? I wondered. She only comes in December. I ran down the stairs. "We're here in Romania to interview a new employee," she said. "We thought we'd drop by to see how you're doing. I hope this isn't a bad time. Is there anything you need?" Bad time? I thought. Perfect time! I hopped in her van and we went to the market. We returned with rice, beans, sugar, jelly, a box of bananas-everything we needed, and then some. That night as I climbed into bed, a passage from Isaiah came to mind: "Before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." And indeed God had. <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Custom Faith-based U.S. Postage <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://astore.amazon.com/halthekin-20>Catholic on Amazon <*}}}>< <*}}}>< <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/on+allposters+today.html>on AllPosters today <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}>< <*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Kingdom!<*}}}>< + "A person is a person, no matter how small." Dr. Seuss <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Custom Faith-based U.S. Postage <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://astore.amazon.com/halthekin-20>Catholic on Amazon <*}}}>< <*}}}>< <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/on+allposters+today.html>on AllPosters today <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}>< <*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Kingdom!<*}}}>< + "A person is a person, no matter how small." Dr. Seuss --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Please note that I do not send or open attachments sent to this list. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Catholics on Fire" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Catholics-on-Fire May the blessing of Jesus and our Blessed Mother be with you -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
