“As soon as I read what it said I had a moment with God saying ‘Thank you for being so faithful.’”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Many Christians are constantly looking for ways to show God’s love to others, especially as they prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth. One local believer was going through her daily routine when God gave her the idea for a simple, but impacting outreach.

“I was cleaning at my work and talking to the Lord,” says Linda LeBrun, a cleaner in a down-town office building. “I was excited to hear the things the Lord was telling me He wanted me to do for the homeless near where I work. He started telling me to buy miniature cakes in the shape of loaves of bread and small drinks of juice.”

LeBrun had recently received a package of beautiful Christ-focused Christmas cards. She felt God lead her to give them to the homeless in a gift bag with the loaves and juice, and to include a message about how it represents the body and blood of Christ given for the sins of the world.

As she started getting the things for the gift bags, she asked the Lord to give her a prayer to include for the recipients in the cards.

“Lo and behold, the next night I received some spiritual literature with different prayers. One was called ‘The Work of Christmas Begins’. As soon as I read what it said I had a moment with God saying ‘Thank you for being so faithful.’”

The short prayer referenced Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus coming to proclaim the Good News to the poor and healing the broken in spirit.

“As I handed him the bag his whole face lit up.”

LeBrun also put some chocolates and a Tim Horton’s gift card in each bag. She excitedly shared her plans with a Christian friend and her friend asked if she could give LeBrun some coffee cups with packs of instant coffee to add to the bags.

A few days later, she brought the bags with her to distribute before work. God had placed one homeless man on her heart and she prayed that he would be in his usual spot when she got there.

“As I got closer, it was amazing, we both got there at the same time. I gave him the bag, said, ‘God bless,’ and continued on my way.”

There was another man she wanted to give a bag to, but he wasn’t in his usual spot, so she asked God to show her to whom she should give it.

“He pointed me to a young boy sitting on a ledge by a coffee shop. He reminded me of my prodigal son.”

As she went on, she noticed how polite and appreciative the people were, but it was the last homeless man she met who really touched her heart.

“I know those bags were anointed.”

“As I handed him the bag his whole face lit up. His hands reached out for the bag and he said, ‘Oh, thank you so much lady.’ He was just like a child, full of excitement. I touched his shoulder and said to him, ‘There’s a message of hope for you inside the bag,’ and he said, ‘Oh! Hope?! For me?’ I was so touched.”

LeBrun was so excited and encouraged, she says she was on a spiritual high all day at work, praying and believing that these men would find Christ.

“I’m so thankful that God used me to reach out to the less fortunate. I know those bags were anointed because God told me exactly what to put in them.”

The next day God encouraged LeBrun even more. During her devotional time she opened her Bible to Isaiah 58:10:

“If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday.”