Paper bags full of hope. What a great idea.
From generating laughter for KWest kids at the expense of the Park Rangers skit characters all the way to leading Friday Fun lunches for co-workers in the market place, Joel Thomason has always been good at sharing hope. People love being around him.
Joel looks for ways to love people and meet needs. It's so simple that it's really profound. This time though, he may have more than he bargained for. God might just be up to something big.
His recent exploits to meet the needs of homeless people in the KC area caught the eye of the local newspaper. Joel was just passing out brown bags with lunch and warm gloves when a reporter stumbled across his path as he worked. What next? A front page article in the KC Star. A plethora of offers to help and assist have streamed in over the last 24 hours. It's almost surreal.
JT is used to that though. He doesn't mind. He's not typical (to coin a phrase he used a few years ago with our kids at Klife talk number 3). He isn't out to make a name for himself. He takes it all in stride and looks to see how God is at work.
The first time I met Joel was in his interview for Kanakuk. Although a tad bit nervous, as we talked I could tell that he was a man who wanted to live for the Lord and make a difference in others. You know what? He has.
Check out the link to the article and let me know what you think. Maybe we all need to follow his lead. The story has garnered him all types of support. Stay tuned to see what God will do. He is definitely at work. In the mean time, I have to ask myself, "What I am doing to deliver hope today?"
