A gentleman with whom we have a relationship with recently came into the SonShine Shop, the thrift store in World Impact’s Los Angeles ministry. He is a professor emeritus from a prestigious university and he grew up in the church. After years of hanging around academia, he said that he had lost much of his faith.
He spent some time looking around and he chatted with me for a while. Conversations with him are always interesting. He settled on buying a fancy book on magic and some DVDs. He then asked me to help him carry some things to his car. Once outside he stopped and turned to me and said, “The reason I came into the store today was that my wife left me and I am devastated.”
I talked with him a bit about what happened, and I prayed for him and told him that our staff will be praying for him as well. I also invited him to our Bible study on Wednesday nights. I told him, “Would you come spend some time with people who love you? People who will also remind you of a time when God was very dear to you?”
Would you continue to pray for the SonShine Shop? I can't tell you how many people like this wonderful man have told us that they keep coming back to our store for reasons beyond just buying a little trinket, a fancy book on magic, or a toothbrush. People tell us they feel something different about our store. Many say they feel the love of God here. For others it is a place where they come to de-stress from the worries of the day. Others say simply that it is their favorite store. Whatever reason they come, our reason is clear – to share the love of Jesus with each person that comes through our doors.
Read more about our compassion and justice ministries.
