Love thy neighbour
When 82-year-old John Linigen had his motorised scooter stolen from his south-western Sydney home, he slipped into a deep depression. Now, with the help of The Salvation Army, he has a new scooter – and a new lease on life!
“He was getting very depressed – he felt like throwing the towel in, you know?” says John’s carer, Thelma. She doesn’t like to remember the five months that her elderly relative was left house-bound after thieves stole his motorised scooter. John had become very depressed and even though Thelma and he tried to put money aside to buy a new scooter, their low incomes left them struggling to save for a deposit.
“With the rent and bills and paying for food, we just didn’t have enough money for the lump sum deposit,” says Thelma.
At the time, Thelma was attending a computer course at Macquarie Fields Salvation Army, which is within walking distance of her home. One day she poured her heart out to her teacher about John’s depression. She was blown away when The Salvation Army offered to pay for a deposit on a new scooter.
“We couldn’t believe it,” Thelma says. “When we got the new scooter John was like a kid with a new toy. Now he goes out again every day with the dog, down to the shops where he meets his friends and buys the paper.
“The Salvation Army has given him his life back again.”
Report by Lauren Martin
Jesus calls on us to love God and to love others. How are you and your congregation helping those in your neighbourhood? Some corps give service to their community by mowing lawns, others run after-school care and children’s groups. The possibilities are endless and only limited to our imaginations!
Tell us your outreach by commenting below or sending us an email at the ‘Contact Us’ section.
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