One Story

Addie and the antifreeze

You never know when God will give you the chance to touch someone’s life. You never know when God will ask you to set aside your own schedule to do His work. You just never know.

Here’s one such story. The narrator? Christ Fellowship Outreach Coordinator Bill Tumulty:

“It was Christmas Eve, and I was helping out with worship down at CityPlace. After the last service, one of our Praise Team members handed me a Connection Card. ‘You’ll want to see this,’ he told me. I didn’t read it, just tucked it away in the pocket of my suit jacket.

“About the same time one of our pastors came looking for me. ‘There’s an older lady who drove here for worship and her car is overheating. How about running over to Publix and getting some antifreeze?’

Bill, meet Addie

“And here was this little lady, somewhere in her 70s, very proper, very dapper. Her name was Addie.

“Now, I’ve gotta tell you, I was done for the day. I did not want to be inconvenienced. I’d been working all day and my family was waiting for me. It was about 97 degrees, and I’m wearing this suit. I ran to Publix – literally ran, and it’s a pretty long run – and they didn’t have a drop of antifreeze.”

“I couldn’t in good conscious let Addie drive that car. So I ran back to church and told her to follow me to a gas station, where I could get some antifreeze and fill her radiator. And once we get there, Addie tells me her story.

The whole picture

“She starts to sob. She’s homeless. She’s scared she’s going to have to live in her car, this car that will barely start. She’d lost her job and her house and had been living temporarily in a hotel, but she was out of money. She’s holding my arm and saying, ‘They’re going to kick me out tomorrow.’ On Christmas. And I said, ‘Oh no, Addie. No, they’re not.’

“We prayed together right there at the gas pump, and I made some calls to make sure she had a place to stay as long as she needed it. Eventually we were able to reconcile her with a daughter in Port St. Lucie. But at least for this Christmas Eve, I could send Addie on her way knowing that she wasn’t going to get thrown out into the street on Christmas Day.

“Finally I got home. That nice, freshly pressed suit I’d put on earlier that day was a mess. I just threw the jacket on a chair, and out comes that Connection Card I’d shoved into my pocket earlier.

“You know what was written on it? My name is Addie. I’m 78 and I’m homeless. Please pray for me.”

You and your friends and family are invited to Christ Fellowship’s Christmas worship services at Gardens, CityPlace, Royal Palm and online. Click here for a schedule and directions.