Tribulation Network

Chapter Fourteen

A New Creation

Jerri Tuck

"Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new Creation.
Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new."
2 Corinthians 5:17

It was after 10:00 o'clock in the evening when the phone rang. There was a sound of desperation in Nancy's voice. "Miss Jerri," she said, "you have to come over right now. My friend is in terrible trouble."

Knowing that Nancy was at work at a local restaurant, I couldn't imagine what the problem was with her friend. "What's going on?" I asked.

"They're taking Joanie's children away. The police are here right now, and she's crying and doesn't seem to understand what's happening to her. Can you please come right now?"

Trying to listen to the Lord, in what truly seemed a desperate situation, I told Nancy that I thought it would be better to go over to see Joanie the next day and assess the situation at that time. I didn't think interfering with the police was a wise thing to do.

The next morning as Nancy and I drove up to Joanie's house, we saw her sitting on her front porch. A look of defeat and despair was written all over her face. Trash was littered everywhere, and the old chair she was sitting on should have been in the dump years ago.

Kneeling down in front of her, I said, "Joanie, are you okay?" Sobs rose up in her throat as she shook her head from side to side. "We're here to help," I said as gently as I could. Looking to the side, I noticed the front door was open just a crack, the filth and debris were obvious.

I had known Joanie (not her real name) and her family for years. We had tried to help them in years past when Joanie was still a teenager living at home.

There were a lot of children in the family, and I remembered that their house was always filthy and cluttered with clothes. It was almost like her mother was a rag lady who collected clothes from people and then dumped them on the floor when she got them.

During the last year she attended high school, Joanie had pressed charges against her father for molestation. Had he not molested her younger sister, she, no doubt, would have kept the abuse a secret. However, seeing that her siblings were going to suffer as she had, she chose to tell her mother. The result was a prison sentence for her father and shame for the whole family.

Knowing how she was raised, I put my arm around her and said, "Joanie, honey, I know this is awful for you, but I'm going to help you."

Lifting her swollen, tear-stained face, she looked at me and said, "You are?"

"Yes, I am! I know the welfare department has taken the children because of how dirty things are around here, but I also know your mother has never shown you how to properly clean a house. I'm coming back tomorrow and I'm going to teach you how to clean, and you're going to get those children back! Okay?"

Wiping her nose with the back of her hand, she gave a weak smile, "Okay."

Nancy and I prayed with her and committed her to the Lord. In the car Nancy was beaming. "I just knew you would help, Miss Jerri".

How could I let Nancy down. She had just gotten saved and here she was, trying to help someone in need. I was proud of her. "You're doing good, Nancy," I said. "That's what Jesus wants us to do. Help others. This is what it's all about."

"Oh dear," I thought. "What am I going to tell Charlie?" I knew there was a lot of work ahead. Praise God that I didn't know just how much!

Before Charlie got up the next morning, I was armed with cleaning supplies and on my way. "If I work fast, maybe I can get this done before lunchtime and Charlie will never know. After all, I'm supposed to be a professional real estate person, not a cleaning lady. Sometimes it's hard to make Charlie understand there are just some things I have to do!"

I should have suspected this would not be an ordinary cleaning job. When Joanie met me at the door, she was very hesitant to let me in. Did I ever do a double-take when I entered her house.

There was hardly a place to walk for all the debris on the floor. Stepping into the kitchen, I could feel my stomach churn. Food was strewn everywhere, and human feces was stuck to the floor. Flies were buzzing around, and the smell was terrible. Joanie gave a half-hearted smile and looked at me expectantly.

Drawing a deep breath, I started barking orders. "Okay Joanie, I want you to start gathering all the clothes and putting them into a pile." Looking at her husband, I said, "Pete (also not his real name) I want you to get all the trash off the porch and around the sides and back of the house. Put it by the street for garbage pickup." Not waiting for an answer from either of them I said, with a big smile, "I'll start here in the kitchen!"

As they went their separate ways to accomplish their assigned tasks, I opened the cupboard doors. I was not prepared for what happened next.Cockroaches, a good inch deep, started jumping everywhere, including into my hair! Oh no! Shutting the doors quickly, I squelched the urge I was feeling and told Joanie and Pete I would be right back.

I drove to the local hardware store where I purchased several cans of their strongest insect repellent. When I got back in the car, I looked up to God and said, "Father, isn't there any other way to help these people?"

That still, small voice responded in the precious way I knew He would, "I love them. Just remember, you are doing this for me."

No one ever told me this was in my job description as a "fisher of men". For a solid week we cleaned. I showed Joanie how to use a scouring pad and properly make a bed. Pete was using a paint brush and learning how to fix the leaking plumbing. My good friend Nanette Whedon, bought some curtains and a linoleum rug. Eleanor Mathews, another Christian friend, donated a huge packing box full of linens, dishes, pots and pans. Before long their house took on a whole new look.

With a new look, it wasn't long before Pete and Joanie also had new hearts as well. Sitting around their clean kitchen table, I showed them how they could be clean on the inside just like they were now on the outside. They didn't need coaxing. Simply and humbly, they bowed their heads and asked Jesus into their hearts. As they prayed, I too offered up a prayer of thanksgiving. What a joy to see God working in this couple's life.

A few weeks later I came by to visit. Sitting on their porch, Pete was patiently picking nits out of Joanie's long black hair. "Dear Lord," I thought, "This will never do. If the welfare department were to see this, they would never let them have their four children back."

Jumping out of my car I said, "Hi Joanie. How is it going today?"

With a big smile she answered, "Fine."

Completely oblivious to how gross it looked, Pete kept combing Joanie's hair as I talked to them. "You know Joanie, you have such pretty, naturally curly, hair. I bet it would look great in a short hair style." And it did! So much for the head lice. They became history. Whew!

For three months I picked Joanie up each morning at 7:00 a.m. We were on a mission. She wanted to lose weight, and I wanted to teach her scriptures. Combining the two, we started a program of losing and gaining.

Losing those unwanted pounds and gaining strength from the word of God.

During the months that followed, I talked with the welfare department, wrote letters of recommendation for Joanie and Pete, and tried my best to encourage my new brother and sister in Christ. Wanting the Lord to be central in their home, we held a service at the church so they could redo their wedding vows. My, they all looked spiffy! Including the children. I wish you could see the video of this event.

We lost contact with Joanie and Pete for about four years. They moved to another town. It was just today, as I was walking from my car to my office door that I noticed Joanie coming toward me with a box of candy in her arms.

"Joanie," I exclaimed. "How are you?"

With a big smile she responded, "Fine." As she sat in my office, she told me she was selling candy to help pay for a room for a Sunday School room addition to her church. She and Pete had experienced some ups and downs, but she told me she was keeping a clean house, living for the Lord, and even assisting in teaching a Sunday School class. Pete had a good job now, and best of all, they had their children!

With a beaming smile she proudly shared her latest blessing. "Our oldest son just got saved and baptized, and he's telling everyone about the Lord."

As she left my office, I tucked the candy into my desk drawer. "God, you are really something! Thanks for letting me see that you never give up on anyone. Thanks for letting me be a part of your marvelous plan for Pete and Joanie."

Oh, by the way, in case you were wondering about Charlie. He walked Joanie down the aisle when they reaffirmed their wedding vows. What a guy!

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord,

I’m so glad you left the beauty of heaven and came down to this sin sick world. Lord, you touched the dirty beggars with a hand of love. You didn’t care about their smell. You only saw the empty spot in their lives, and you knew you could change them…give them something to live for…make them realize they were people of value. Because of your example, Lord, I’m asking you today to reach through me to others. With your grace I will look past all the filth of this world and see people as worthy in your sight.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Jerri Tuck –

JERRITUCK@aol.com

If clicking on the e-mail address does not launch your email program, then simply copy and paste the address into your e-mail program and add "Please Subscribe me" to the subject line.




	Chapter Fourteen A New Creation by Jerri Tuck "Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new Creation. Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 It was after 10:00 o'clock in the evening when the phone rang. There was a sound of desperation in Nancy's voice. "Miss Jerri," she said, "you have to come over right now. My friend is in terrible trouble." Knowing that Nancy was at work at a local restaurant, I couldn't imagine what the problem was with her friend. "What's going on?" I asked. "They're taking Joanie's children away. The police are here right now, and she's crying and doesn't seem to understand what's happening to her. Can you please come right now?" Trying to listen to the Lord, in what truly seemed a desperate situation, I told Nancy that I thought it would be better to go over to see Joanie the next day and assess the situation at that time. I didn't think interfering with the police was a wise thing to do. The next morning as Nancy and I drove up to Joanie's house, we saw her sitting on her front porch. A look of defeat and despair was written all over her face. Trash was littered everywhere, and the old chair she was sitting on should have been in the dump years ago. Kneeling down in front of her, I said, "Joanie, are you okay?" Sobs rose up in her throat as she shook her head from side to side. "We're here to help," I said as gently as I could. Looking to the side, I noticed the front door was open just a crack, the filth and debris were obvious. I had known Joanie (not her real name) and her family for years. We had tried to help them in years past when Joanie was still a teenager living at home. There were a lot of children in the family, and I remembered that their house was always filthy and cluttered with clothes. It was almost like her mother was a rag lady who collected clothes from people and then dumped them on the floor when she got them. During the last year she attended high school, Joanie had pressed charges against her father for molestation. Had he not molested her younger sister, she, no doubt, would have kept the abuse a secret. However, seeing that her siblings were going to suffer as she had, she chose to tell her mother. The result was a prison sentence for her father and shame for the whole family. Knowing how she was raised, I put my arm around her and said, "Joanie, honey, I know this is awful for you, but I'm going to help you." Lifting her swollen, tear-stained face, she looked at me and said, "You are?" "Yes, I am! I know the welfare department has taken the children because of how dirty things are around here, but I also know your mother has never shown you how to properly clean a house. I'm coming back tomorrow and I'm going to teach you how to clean, and you're going to get those children back! Okay?" Wiping her nose with the back of her hand, she gave a weak smile, "Okay." Nancy and I prayed with her and committed her to the Lord. In the car Nancy was beaming. "I just knew you would help, Miss Jerri". How could I let Nancy down. She had just gotten saved and here she was, trying to help someone in need. I was proud of her. "You're doing good, Nancy," I said. "That's what Jesus wants us to do. Help others. This is what it's all about." "Oh dear," I thought. "What am I going to tell Charlie?" I knew there was a lot of work ahead. Praise God that I didn't know just how much! Before Charlie got up the next morning, I was armed with cleaning supplies and on my way. "If I work fast, maybe I can get this done before lunchtime and Charlie will never know. After all, I'm supposed to be a professional real estate person, not a cleaning lady. Sometimes it's hard to make Charlie understand there are just some things I have to do!" I should have suspected this would not be an ordinary cleaning job. When Joanie met me at the door, she was very hesitant to let me in. Did I ever do a double-take when I entered her house. There was hardly a place to walk for all the debris on the floor. Stepping into the kitchen, I could feel my stomach churn. Food was strewn everywhere, and human feces was stuck to the floor. Flies were buzzing around, and the smell was terrible. Joanie gave a half-hearted smile and looked at me expectantly. Drawing a deep breath, I started barking orders. "Okay Joanie, I want you to start gathering all the clothes and putting them into a pile." Looking at her husband, I said, "Pete (also not his real name) I want you to get all the trash off the porch and around the sides and back of the house. Put it by the street for garbage pickup." Not waiting for an answer from either of them I said, with a big smile, "I'll start here in the kitchen!" As they went their separate ways to accomplish their assigned tasks, I opened the cupboard doors. I was not prepared for what happened next.Cockroaches, a good inch deep, started jumping everywhere, including into my hair! Oh no! Shutting the doors quickly, I squelched the urge I was feeling and told Joanie and Pete I would be right back. I drove to the local hardware store where I purchased several cans of their strongest insect repellent. When I got back in the car, I looked up to God and said, "Father, isn't there any other way to help these people?" That still, small voice responded in the precious way I knew He would, "I love them. Just remember, you are doing this for me." No one ever told me this was in my job description as a "fisher of men". For a solid week we cleaned. I showed Joanie how to use a scouring pad and properly make a bed. Pete was using a paint brush and learning how to fix the leaking plumbing. My good friend Nanette Whedon, bought some curtains and a linoleum rug. Eleanor Mathews, another Christian friend, donated a huge packing box full of linens, dishes, pots and pans. Before long their house took on a whole new look. With a new look, it wasn't long before Pete and Joanie also had new hearts as well. Sitting around their clean kitchen table, I showed them how they could be clean on the inside just like they were now on the outside. They didn't need coaxing. Simply and humbly, they bowed their heads and asked Jesus into their hearts. As they prayed, I too offered up a prayer of thanksgiving. What a joy to see God working in this couple's life. A few weeks later I came by to visit. Sitting on their porch, Pete was patiently picking nits out of Joanie's long black hair. "Dear Lord," I thought, "This will never do. If the welfare department were to see this, they would never let them have their four children back." Jumping out of my car I said, "Hi Joanie. How is it going today?" With a big smile she answered, "Fine." Completely oblivious to how gross it looked, Pete kept combing Joanie's hair as I talked to them. "You know Joanie, you have such pretty, naturally curly, hair. I bet it would look great in a short hair style." And it did! So much for the head lice. They became history. Whew! For three months I picked Joanie up each morning at 7:00 a.m. We were on a mission. She wanted to lose weight, and I wanted to teach her scriptures. Combining the two, we started a program of losing and gaining. Losing those unwanted pounds and gaining strength from the word of God. During the months that followed, I talked with the welfare department, wrote letters of recommendation for Joanie and Pete, and tried my best to encourage my new brother and sister in Christ. Wanting the Lord to be central in their home, we held a service at the church so they could redo their wedding vows. My, they all looked spiffy! Including the children. I wish you could see the video of this event. We lost contact with Joanie and Pete for about four years. They moved to another town. It was just today, as I was walking from my car to my office door that I noticed Joanie coming toward me with a box of candy in her arms. "Joanie," I exclaimed. "How are you?" With a big smile she responded, "Fine." As she sat in my office, she told me she was selling candy to help pay for a room for a Sunday School room addition to her church. She and Pete had experienced some ups and downs, but she told me she was keeping a clean house, living for the Lord, and even assisting in teaching a Sunday School class. Pete had a good job now, and best of all, they had their children! With a beaming smile she proudly shared her latest blessing. "Our oldest son just got saved and baptized, and he's telling everyone about the Lord." As she left my office, I tucked the candy into my desk drawer. "God, you are really something! Thanks for letting me see that you never give up on anyone. Thanks for letting me be a part of your marvelous plan for Pete and Joanie." Oh, by the way, in case you were wondering about Charlie. He walked Joanie down the aisle when they reaffirmed their wedding vows. What a guy! Prayer for Today Dear Lord, I’m so glad you left the beauty of heaven and came down to this sin sick world. Lord, you touched the dirty beggars with a hand of love. You didn’t care about their smell. You only saw the empty spot in their lives, and you knew you could change them…give them something to live for…make them realize they were people of value. Because of your example, Lord, I’m asking you today to reach through me to others. With your grace I will look past all the filth of this world and see people as worthy in your sight. In Jesus name, Amen Jerri Tuck – JERRITUCK@aol.com Sign up for weekly articles for *JUST JERRI* - just ask Jerri (JERRITUCK@aol.com) If clicking on the e-mail address does not launch your email program, then simply copy and paste the address into your e-mail program and add "Please Subscribe me" to the subject line. Go to..... The Next Chapter . . . . Back to T.O.C.