So many times, we look for that bigger ministry in life. You know, the one that is in the limelight, that everyone notices or gets recognition for. Let’s face it, we’re all human. But this is a story about how one life is worth it, and through one life many lives can be changed.
My name is Jody. My husband and I started this small ministry down at the beach in Huntington over a year ago. We fed anyone who wanted to join us, homeless or not, anyone and everyone was welcome, as long as they were sober. This one particular guy, Thomas, wouldn’t join us in the beginning, and for the first few weeks would just walk by us very fast. We’d say, “Excuse me sir. Are you hungry? We have food if you want some.” And he would just hurry past us.
After a few weeks we were able to talk him into grabbing a hot dog and then soon we talked him in to joining us. One particular night we saw him and he mumbled, “I’ll be right back. I’ll be right back. I’ll be right back.” We asked Thomas, “Where are you going?” And he just responded, “I’ll be right back.”
Thomas went to the restroom, took a pair of scissors, and cut his beard off. We asked him, “Thomas why did you cut your beard off?” He explained to us that for his lower class friends he kept a full beard, but because we were his middle class friends he cut it off so he’d fit in with us. That’s how adorable our friend Thomas was. He just wanted to fit in.
We started giving each person a responsibility. Like Rick would be in charge of the fire pit, Thomas would help us set up, Bruce would help serve and so on.
Well come December we went out and bought gifts for a few of our new homeless friends and had them over for Christmas. My family and I got more out of giving than receiving and were overjoyed with watching them open their gifts. Since then we have had them back over for a football game and a few more events. They were becoming part of our family.
In February, we started a new ministry at His Place HB and we’d go and pick up Thomas and bring him to our new location. Thomas would then set up all of our tables and chairs for our ministry and set them up in a way as if it were a restaurant. So instead of being one that was fed, he would help feed those who were coming, that too were in need.
In getting to know Thomas, I found out that at one point he was receiving Social Security checks for his mental illness but had lost all of his ID a few years back and couldn’t cash his checks without his ID. SO one day I decided to go pick up Thomas and take him to get an ID. We first started with the Social Security office, where they said they couldn’t help without a picture ID, and they suggested for us to check the welfare office. We then went to the welfare office and waited there for a few hours, to only find out he’s not in their system either, and they sent us to the DMV office. The people at the DMV told us that he can’t get an ID without his birth certificate. So I came home and sent away for his birth certificate, to find out three weeks later that you can’t get a birth certificate without a Social Security card. It was very frustrating. So frustrating that I posted a story about Thomas on a forum in HB, asking if anyone out there had any suggestions on how I could help our friend Thomas.
I received a response back from an attorney who said all I needed to do is call his secretary and give her his information and she’d send for his birth certificate. Meanwhile, I also received another message asking if Thomas wants to find his family.
Thomas believed his mother and father had passed away from old age, and his three children, he was told, had gotten into an accident and died. He said he had a brother but that he wanted nothing to do with him, but I gave her his information and told her to go ahead and try. The next day she sent me a picture of this lady and said, “I think this is Thomas’ mother.” Well, I sent a message to this lady and didn’t hear back from her and so I thought for sure, THOMAS WAS RIGHT.
About two weeks ago I finally heard back from her, “Yes I am Thomas’ mother.” I asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s his birth date?” And she responded back with his birth date.
I told her, “How come Thomas thinks you are dead?” She said her husband had passed away but that she didn’t and that his brother, Stoney, misses him too and that they’d been looking for him for over 10 years. I didn’t quite know what to do at this point because I didn’t really know if Thomas wanted to find them.
But then about five days later I received a Private Message from a girl named Ashley asking if I knew where her dad was. She also asked if I had any information could I please call her.
I dialed her number right away and Ashley answered. I introduced myself and she started to cry saying, “Do you know where my dad is? I have been looking for him since I was 14 and I am 25 now, and have two kids.” I told her how I knew her dad and what incredible father she had. I told her that I’d go and find him and I would call her back so he could talk to her.
I went down to the beach, found Thomas, and he climbed in to the back seat of my car. I told him, “Thomas I have a surprise for you. I found your daughter and she wants to talk to you.”
Thomas started to cry and he said, “But you don’t understand. My kids died.” I told him while I dialed her number, “Thomas, they’re not dead. Here talk to your daughter.” And I handed him the phone. You could tell that Thomas was confused while listening to her, as I drove him to my house. When I arrived at my house I pulled up a picture of his daughter on my computer and asked, “Thomas, is this her?”
He cried uncontrollably while I called his daughter back and he said, “Honey they told me you had died. That you and your brother and sister didn’t exist anymore.” They talked for a while and when I was giving Thomas a ride back to the beach, he said, “Jody, God is all powerful! He knew me before the world was formed. He knew me before I was ever made in my mother’s womb and He loves me.”
What can you say to that other then, “Thomas you are right. God is all powerful!”
A few days later I went and picked up a phone for Thomas, so that he could keep in touch with is daughter.
Now imagine giving a cell phone to a person who hasn’t had a phone for over 10 years and teaching them how to use it. He was sitting right next to me as I would say, “Thomas I am calling your phone. Answer it, that’s it ringing.” “Thomas, this is how you answer it, slide this little picture up.” “Thomas someone’s sending you a text, that’s what that sound is.”
Then when you see the text from his daughter, you can’t help but cry, “Dad, this is Ashley, and this is what I look like now.” And then, “Dad people say I look like you, what do you think?” And then, “I love you dad.”
I think I cried just as much as Thomas did that day. Ashley is flying her dad back to live with her and her family in the middle of this month or the beginning of next. Thomas not only has three kids but also six grandkids, and has since talked to his son and one of his grandsons too. My thought in writing this is this: If we all could realize that ONE LIFE DOES MATTER! Then if each of us could take one person, invest the time in to them, then think of how many lives we together could change. Thomas’ story has been followed by over 5,000 people so far, and he hasn’t even left yet. If those 5,000 could reach out to one person, then that’s 5,000 lives that could change.
The homeless population has grown tremendously and some, like Thomas, just need a bit of help finding their way back, and someone to help them. What my husband and I do, we do not get paid for as far as financially, but the payment in seeing lives changed, WELL that’s payment enough!
May this story bless you as much as it has blessed me to be a part of it. May it motivate you to not just pass that person by, but to sit and get to know them and their story.
