God's hand is in everything we do. All we have to do is open our eyes to see God at work in our lives.
There is a cause near and dear to my heart thanks to the grace of God. It all started in January 2007 as a participant in the annual Homeless Count in downtown Seattle. While walking the streets of downtown Seattle counting the men and women who were sleeping on the streets on a cold Winter's night, I met the director of Noel House in Seattle. Eileen McComb was the leader of the count team I was on. Noel House is affiliated with Catholic Housing Services and provides permanent shelter for women in need of a roof over their heads, a warm bed and a hot meal.
She seemed very suspicious of a member of the media wanting to participate in such an important exercise. She was quite direct in asking me why I was there. I shared with her KOMO Newsradio's mission to be a good community steward. I told her we do that by telling stories of need in the community and letting our listeners do the rest. She was still wary. Can't blame her. Eileen is a longtime veteran of the mission to tend to the needs of the homeless and has probably had her fill of the morbidly curious. As we walked the streets, she told me about Noel House and about the overwhelming need. I listened. At the end of the night, I promised to be in touch.
It took several months before the right opportunity arose to help out. The event was a gala for Noel House and the attendance needed a boost. I promised to tell the story on KOMO Newsradio and assigned one of our most gifted storytellers Corwin Haeck to share the need. He did a beautiful job.
Mary and I attended the event and were surprised by how packed it was. God's work in full display.
Another opportunity came about this time last year. Noel House needed help with a gift card program. KOMO Newsradio did a Saturday morning interview and a good Samaritan listener stepped forward to fill the need. Again, God's will be done.
Word of the biggest need came around Thanksgiving of this year with the revelation that a 10-thousand dollar grant had gone away and Noel House's nightly feed program was in jeopardy for 2010.
I took the news to my counterpart at KOMO 4 News and shared with her an opportunity for the Problem Solvers unit to get involved in making a miracle happen. She enthusiastically agreed. The story aired on Thanksgiving eve.
Noel House has closed the gap on the 10-thousand dollar need by half thanks to viewers and listeners. But they still need more cash donations to keep the program afloat.
A Facebook post by my friend Eileen tugged at my heart a few weeks later. The post was sort of a prayer for the women who would be sleeping in the frigid cold that night. Women Eileen knows personally. I asked her what KOMO Newsradio could do to help. She said the women needed blankets. Lots of blankets. And gloves and hats.
What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. God's handiwork on full display in the secular media.
My KOMO Newsradio colleague Brian Calvert went to work and found what Noel House needed.
If we all pay attention to the quiet whisper of God's voice, miracles are still possible.
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