My wife Cathy and I couldn’t tell if anyone was home.
We walked up the cluttered approach to the old mobile home and knocked on the door. There was no car in the driveway and no tracks in the snow that had fallen overnight. Chilly wind whipped across an open field nearby as we waited, wondering if we should come back another time to deliver the gift to the adolescent boy who was supposed to live there.
Suddenly the curtain in a window moved. I called out, saying that we were from Prison Fellowship and that we had brought Christmas gifts. The door opened slowly, revealing a woman with a haggard, fearful face. Our hearts were immediately broken. She looked like a woman who was drowning amid the cares of her life.
Behind her stood a tall, slender young man, eager to see what his incarcerated dad had sent to him. They did not expect to receive anything from Angel Tree, and the woman did not understand who we were, and how her estranged husband could have arranged this gift delivery.
The young man excitedly accepted his gifts, and Cathy extended a few presents she had brought for the woman, along with a couple of Bibles. She took them hesitantly, without a smile, as if wondering what we would expect from her in return.
When we left, we pulled our car over a few blocks from the trailer, asking God to use those few Christmas gifts to bring healing and grace to that family. We prayed that they would crack open the Bibles and read about the Father who would never abandon them. We prayed for a new beginning.
There are still nearly 5,000 eligible children who need to be served through Angel Tree Christmas. Can I count on you to help bring more new beginnings? You can help, no matter where you are—we will make sure any gifts purchased will find their way to families in need. Learn how by calling 1-800-55-ANGEL.