Maria’s Lights Went Out — But Compassion Turned Them Back On
A few nights ago, I got a text message that hit the heartstrings:
“Hi Pastor John. My mom’s electricity was shut off, can you help? She would never ask for help, but she needs it right now.”
It was Maria’s daughter reaching out.
We’ve known Maria* (name changed) for 7 years. In all that time, despite daily hardships and a heavy load of responsibilities, she’s never once asked for help.
She’s a single mom, juggling raising kids and grandkids, and yet somehow she’s always the one giving. Need an egg? A stick of butter? A hand with the kids? Maria is the neighbor you can always count on.
That’s what makes this moment so heartbreaking.
Her electricity had been shut off. Two little girls were in her care, sitting in the dark. No warm baths. No hot food. No clean laundry for the next day of school. The fridge full of food — spoiling hour by hour.
It’s one thing to go without yourself. It’s another to look into your children’s faces and know you can’t give them the basics.
I can remember my own times of great need. The people who stepped in then left a mark on my life forever. As I thought about Maria’s situation, I couldn’t shake these words of Scripture:
“In you, Lord, the fatherless find compassion.” (Hosea 14:3)
“Look after orphans and widows in their distress.” (James 1:27)
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed.” (Proverbs 19:17)
And while we offer a lot of free resources to our community on a weekly basis, Greenhouse Project’s main purpose isn’t giveaways. We believe in building relationships, and most importantly, we exist to point people to the person of Jesus.
So, I called my team together to discuss what to do.
Here at Greenhouse, we make decisions as a leadership team and prayerfully steward tithes and donations from generous community members. Because we know Maria, and have seen her do everything possible to care for her family, we recognized this wasn’t a casual request. This is a specific situation that required serious thought and consideration.
In the end, we decided it was a moment of desperation and stepping in mattered. This is a real opportunity to show Maria, and those two little girls, the love of Jesus Christ. We made the decision to call the utility company and make a payment on their bill.
When we called to make a payment, we learned something sobering: the outstanding bill was a lot higher than the amount of money that Maria’s daughter asked for. She hadn’t been asking for the whole bill to be covered, only for the bare minimum that would get the power turned back on, just enough to get through the crisis.
The balance of the high bill remains, for now. When Maria found out, she called me and simply said, “The power is back on. Thank you.”
It wasn’t just gratitude — it was the sound of great relief. To each of you reading this who has been generous toward this ministry, thank you! You make it possible for us to not only build strong community in Chester, but to bring hope and support in how we care for neighbors in response to emergencies like this one.
In the end, this story isn’t about Greenhouse, and it’s not about me. It’s about what God calls His people — THAT’S YOU — to do: to look around, to see the needs right in front of us, and to respond with compassion, for His glory.
A call for compassion today!
If learning about Maria’s situation moved you, we are allocating all donations today to crisis relief for this situation and others like it.
Maria has been a faithful neighbor for years. Now, it’s our turn to be a faithful neighbor to her. Thank you for stepping in with us — and for being the hands and feet of Jesus in Chester.