Take time to love!
From Solomon Downs, Australia 

A very frail elderly woman approached me outside a shopping mall and asked where she could get a taxi. I was in a hurry, so told her quickly that there were no taxis that time of day and suggested she go phone for one. At that, she started to cry in frustration.

She needs My love, God seemed to say to my heart. Slow down and share it with her.

I put my arm around her, helped her inside the mall, found her a seat, and called a cab for her. Something was obviously upsetting her, so I sat down beside her and asked what was the matter. She explained that it was the third anniversary of her husband's death, and she was missing him. I told her about the wonders of Heaven, as described in the Bible, and assured her that she and her husband--both of whom were believers--would be reunited there for all eternity.

No sooner had I said that, than her taxi pulled up. As I led her to the door, she thanked me profusely for stopping to help, and for those few words of encouragement. I'm glad I took time to show her a little bit of the Lord's love!

* * *

Words like no other!
From Jorge Solá, Chile

Eliodoro is a cripple who sells candied apples and other sweets on the street. He gets around on a hand-operated tricycle. One morning he received a "To You-With Love" tract from one of us, and I met and talked with him later that day.

"I've been an atheist and a communist activist all my life," he told me. "For five years I had to live underground to avoid prison. Recently, however, I've been wondering if there is a God. Since I work on the street, I have read tracts put out by every denomination and group, and my room is full of books on philosophy and politics. Still, I had never read anything that moved me as much as this! These few words have changed my life! Who wrote it?"

I explained to him that the text of the tract was a message from God, which someone had received in prophecy after praying for a special message for people just like Eliodoro.

"It's God speaking to you and loving you personally," I told him.

At that, Eliodoro became very excited. He opened his life to the Lord, and then hung on to every word I said! He asked me for more material to read, so I gave him some other tracts and encouraged him to read the Gospels, especially the Gospel of John because it contains so many words of Jesus.

* * *

Vietnam veteran freed from remorse
From J.D. Barnes, USA

My thirteen-year-old son Steve and I were in the parking lot when we met Robert. We had noticed him sitting in his car earlier, but had thought nothing of it. This time we felt the Lord wanted us to talk to him, so we walked over, greeted him, and gave him one of The Family's posters with a gospel message on the back. At that, he held up a little booklet of Bible verses on salvation and comfort.

"I just finished praying for God to help me," he said. "This is amazing!"

Robert went on to explain that he was a disabled Vietnam veteran. He had recently been robbed of all his cash, and his next disability check wouldn't arrive for several weeks. With nowhere to stay, he was living out of his car. We referred him to a homeless shelter where we do volunteer work, and then asked him more about himself.

It was soon apparent that he was still very troubled by his experiences in Vietnam. Before he was drafted into the army, he had enjoyed hunting. "Then I went to war," he explained, "and I began to feel the same way about the people I had to shoot." Then he started to cry. "I feel so guilty that I have thought about committing suicide many times. Can God ever forgive me?" he asked.

We assured him of God's unconditional love and forgiveness, and prayed with him for peace of heart and mind--"the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Right before our eyes, God lifted over twenty years of remorse and condemnation! By this time, all three of us were in tears. Robert was deeply touched by the Lord's love and care--living proof that Jesus can heal any wound and mend any aching heart!

* * *

One touch of love
From Hebe Rondon, Brazil

When my husband and I were ending our visit with one of our friends at his workplace, João, a young man who works for our friend, walked us to our car.

"The first time I saw you two, I thought to myself, Those people have Jesus," João said. We talked for a few minutes, said goodbye, and I gave him a "Somebody Loves You" tract.

A week later I visited that same friend, and João came over to talk.

"Last week when you gave me that tract, it was my 18th birthday," he said. "Nobody had wished me a happy birthday or done anything special for me--not even my mother. It made me very sad that nobody paid any attention to me or remembered my birthday. Then before I went to bed, I read the pamphlet you had given me, and it made me cry. I could feel the Lord's love for me. It flowed from those words."

João is a simple laborer and the sort of person who can be overlooked or taken for granted, but the Lord remembered him and gave him the most beautiful birthday present that any of us could ever wish for--a touch of His divine love!

Solomon Downs, Jorge Solá, J.D. Barnes, and Hebe Rondon are volunteers with The Family in their respective countries.