Ellie Ellison had grown up in a large, rambling house with her parents. They had taught her to go for her dreams, in spite of her blindness.
Before she had even received any physical limitations, Ellie’s mom and dad had taught her that she was a Christian first. Her blindness always came second. Since God looked at her abilities in Christ, the Ellisons told their daughter that she could do all things through Him. So she had a choice: she could glorify God with her life, or she could let her challenges stop her. Her parents’ attitude was born out of hardships they had faced, so they saw Ellie’s disability as a challenge.
When Ellie was a child, her parents tried to give her all the things they never had. The family lived in the affluent bedroom community of Woodland Hills, California. In that environment, Ellie had everything she wanted, but many years later she would put the faith she had learned on her mother’s knee to the test.
Although Ellie would always give her parents credit for not letting blindness shape her life, she wondered if her faith was only a pleasant memory. Since Ellie had left her parents’ house, she had spent many days on the street.
Now she sat alone on a hot and smelly bus on its way to Phoenix, Arizona. With every mile, she wondered where the God of her childhood had gone. But Ellie decided that she would leave the past in the past. Wasn’t she starting over, after all?
As if reading her mind, the driver slowed to a stop and called out, “Here we are in Phoenix.”
Ellie felt hopeful for a moment. Hopeful, that is, until the driver addressed Ellie. “Miss, is somebody meeting you here? This is a dangerous part of town.”
“That’s okay,” said Ellie, putting on a tough facade, but secretly wishing she were anywhere else.
Ellie scrambled to her feet. After getting her things together, she was determined to be the first one off the bus. As she reached the stepps, though, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
A woman’s voice said, “Can I help you find the bus depot? It’s a bit of a walk to the building.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Ellie replied, “that would be great, but are you going that way anyway?”
“Well, I’m stuck for a couple more hours on this old rattletrap, but we’ve got a 20-minute rest stop here and I thought I’d stretch my legs. How can I help? Please take my elbow.”
Once Ellen’s escort had helped her off the bus, she spoke up again. “Okay, we have to zigzag through a lot of cars and around some parked buses. By the way, we might as well be friends. My name’s Mary. What’s yours?”
Not wanting to give out any more information than necessary, Ellie promptly gave the woman her cousin’s name and changed the subject.
“Once we get to the depot,” Ellie told her, “I need to go to the information desk to ask a question.”
“Okay!” Mary was forced to shout as the sound of moving cars and buses, which had been in the background, grew louder.
Ellie asked what the environment looked like, but Mary only had time to describe the building. “Well,” she said with a sigh, “it looks pretty weather-beaten and it leans to one side.”
When Mary finally opened the door, the smell of the depot confirmed Ellie’s worst fears. It reminded her of an old closet that hadn’t been opened in years.
Mary glanced around and saw that the room was drab with bare walls. Trying to ignore the sad condition of the place, she led Ellie towards the filthy-looking counter without a word. It sat in the center of the room, and it was covered with papers.
The man sitting behind it wore a stony face, and he looked disheveled and dirty. There was a cage of bars protecting him.
As Ellie and Mary approached, the man frowned and nodded to them without saying anything. In spite of his brusque manner, Mary promptly left Ellie, saying she had to get her drink before the bus left.
“I hate to leave you here, but I don’t have a choice. The driver might leave without me if I don’t head out now.”
“That’s okay,” smiled Ellie. “Thanks for your help. I’ll be fine.”
reluctantly, Ellie faced the man. “Could you point me towards the women’s shelter?”
Slouching down in his chair, the man spoke in a rather caustic tone.
“Where’d your friend go? You can’t stay here alone. Find that lady you were with, or get back on the bus.”
Ellie put her hands on her hips. “And just what right do you have to order me around?” she shot back, feigning a defiance she didn’t really feel.
“Look,” the depot man said in a softer tone. “There are shelters a few blocks away that house dangerous men. I can’t imagine what would happen if they discovered you.”
But Ellie stood her ground. “Either you tell me where it is,” she snapped, “or I’ll find it on my own.”
“Now hold on a minute!” Leaning towards his customer, the man asked slowly, “Why do you have your heart set on that shelter? A pretty young thing like you shouldn’t be out here, not to mention the fact that you can’t see.”
“I don’t owe you an explanation!” Ellie shouted, feeling her temper rise. But she sighed to herself, mentally calming herself down. She knew it would be best to gain his cooperation.
“Okay,” she grimaced, “I’ll tell you anyway. I left everything for a fresh start, because I heard about this woman’s shelter in a Christian newspaper. It seemed to have what I needed, so if you could give me directions I’ll be on my way.”
The man only grunted as he motioned to a rough-looking character who leaned against the wall in the corner. Catching his eye, the agent pointed to Ellie and spoke brusquely.
“Take her to the woman’s shelter.”
Coming over without a word, the man grabbed Ellie’s arm, picked up her suitcase, and headed towards the door.
Ellie and the stranger walked along in awkward silence, stumbling a bit when the pavement ended a few blocks later. Ellie unfolded her cane as the fingers of hopelessness surrounded her. Wretched smells filled the air, and beer bottles and cigarette buts lined the path.
Then Ellie hit something hard and cold, which her cane had not detected. For the first time, her escort grunted, handing her the suitcase.
“Bread of Life Women’s Shelter,” he said, as he knocked on the door and walked away.
Ellie turned to face the door. “If God were only here right now, I’d pray,” she thought.
Thank you for reading this, and may the Lord give you a wonderful week! We are trying to reach people who are hurting, so if God lays it on your heart, please consider becoming a partner with us. If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.hcmachaplains.org and click on the Donate Now link. You can also send donations by mail to HCMA (Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association). Our ID number is 560. The address is 101 S Kraemer BLVD, Suite 123A, Placentia, CA 92870. Finally, you’re always welcome to join our Monday night Bible study or Tuesday night prayer meeting. Both are conducted by conference call, and they take place at 5:30 PM Arizona time. Our conference number is 712-775-7031, and our ID is 607518748. We hope to talk with you soon!
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