Stories

The little stories that you share with people are often what brings along a good laugh, a good cry and everything in between. I was visiting with an friend who is quite elderly and he says that often those who pass away,  the stories that those people have are often lost because no one has taken the time to give a ear and listen or to write them down.
So I decided to write some of them down because from his stories there are always lessons to be learned.

Back in the 1970's he was a pastor of a church. During this time the government was willing to pay for half of the cost for someone to come over and become new Canadians (people who were refugees). His congregation suggested that they wanted to participate in this so they sponsored 2 families to come over, 2 moms and four children. Many of the details were uncertain but shortly after he received a call that the families had arrived in Canada. He and his wife then came and picked them up and set the families up in there own home and he and is wife slept in the trailer out back.

During this time, to take a sabbatical was also being pushed onto pastors (my guess is that this was relatively a new thing) so two weeks after these two families arrived he was leaving to go to a school to take various courses. During these two weeks that they spent together him and his wife worked really hard to teach these ladies all that they needed to know to live here in canada. They taught them about how to use the tools in there home. He said that the first night that they stayed in their house they left all the lights on becuase they did not know how to turn them off.

He left for his sabitical and the other members of the church were able to find the family a new home and the families got settled. Now many years later in 2011 these ladies found this pastor and called him and asked to visit him. He, due to his poor health was only able to see them for a short 20 minute visit was imensly blessed. These women stayed true to their word and only stayed for twenty minutes but gave him the biggest hugs he has ever recieved, never has been squeezed so hard in his life.

When he finished that story I was amazed how times had changed and how one person can change another person's life. People should not forget these stories and be remind how a little care and hospitality can go a long way. I hope that more people now will remember these stories and be encouraged by this mans wonderful life.