"A Christmas Story" by Judy Lee, ARCWP/Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests

Ben

Ben and Judy Lee

Judy Beaumont and Ben

Good Shepherd Ministries of SWFL, INC.

Dear Friends,
As we approach Christmas 2011 and the indwelling of Christ that brings new life, once again our hearts are full of gratitude for the love you have shown us and our people. We continue our work of housing the homeless and feeding the hungry. When Deborah age 60, moves into Goodwill Housing next week, she will be the 66th person we have housed. We also have expanded our ministry with children and youth. We now serve 20 youngsters full of life and joy and growing in their understanding of God’s love and Jesus’ way. This year has been full of stories of transformation, hope, growth and life that Christmas brings. We share our joy with you.
We are invited to Ben’s home.


A Christmas Story


 His Christmas tree stands proudly on a table




and he offers us homemade soup




as he brings his handcrafted ships for us to admire.




They are perfect replicas and one could never guess they




are meticulously and carefully carved from pop sticks.




His home is lovely and smoke free as a heart attack




last year gave him the strength to




put smoking and alcohol aside for good.




He leans back in his chair and recalls the day




we collected him from his Dumpster and




brought him to this home three years ago.




“I would have died there, I am sure of it”




he said. “And now I love my life and cannot say




thank you enough to God, and to you, my friends.”




“No” we say, “thank you, Ben, you are a master craftsman




carving a new life with the Carpenter of Nazareth.




It is a joy to share your life, Thank you, Ben”.




And a blessed Christmas and New Year to all.


(Judy Lee, ARCWP and Judy Beaumont, ARCWP, serve the poor and low-income people in the Ft. Myers area. They have a weekly Inclusive Catholic Mass at Joshua House. For more information, email: judyabl@embarqmail.com , judybeaumont@embarqmail.com )