IT WAS ALL HE HAD TO GIVE!!!

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

It's February 2011 and I'm still thinking about Christmas 2010. Something extraordinary happened at our 2010 Celebrate Jesus Christmas event that touched me very deeply. As you know, ever year the SoupMobile takes 500 (YES 500) homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and puts them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. They all receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and we hold a huge banquet in their honor.

Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas morning it's in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt---NOT in a cardboard box under some bridge.

It was truly a magical Christmas for both our 500 homeless guests and the more than 1,500 volunteers that attended. As usual, our own Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert came in his tuxedo, rolled up his sleeves and led the serving of food to our homeless guests at the banquet. A special musical performance by the world famous VOCAL MAJORITY CHOIR made the banquet even more special for our homeless men and women. Lon Ricker, the Chairman of the Celebrate Jesus Christmas event received special kudos from the Mayor for making it a truly unforgettable Christmas for the homeless of Dallas.

As special as all of the above was, something happened at the very end of the event that I will remember for the rest of my life. Each year at the end of the event when our homeless guests are leaving, I stand at the hotel exit door and personally thank each and every one of them for coming, give them all a hug and wish them a Merry Christmas. As you can well imagine I hear a lot of grateful thanks from these homeless men & women for the magical Christmas they have just experienced. However this year was different. In addition to the normal thank you's, one homeless man gave me something I will never forget.

He was one of the last of our guests to leave the hotel. Like all the others I reached out to shake his hand and give him a hug. As I was shaking his hand he pressed something into my hand, drew me close for a bear like hug and whispered in my ear "SoupMan, this is all I have to give but I want you to have it." In a thousand years you will never guess what he pressed into my hand. As he walked out of the hotel I looked down in my hand and there was a Crucifix---with a gold plated image of Jesus hanging from the cross. I was stunned. Here was a man with virtually nothing to his name, yet he gave me the one thing 'HE HAD TO GIVE.'---a Cross of Jesus.

Every year I am approached by family, friends and supporters and asked what gift I would like for Christmas. I always respond by saying that I already have my gift---which is the privilege and honor of 'Feeding HIS Sheep.' However it seemed God wanted me to have a gift that would last a lifetime. This gift of the Crucifix is by far the best gift I have ever received. This man had nothing, yet he gave me ALL HE HAD TO GIVE. I promise you that I am not worthy of such a gift but I am so very grateful. A man with nothing to give except the love of Jesus and he gave it to me. I am truly humbled.

How about you? Would you like your own special gift? Christmas 2011 is more than 10 months away but you can volunteer at the SoupMobile right now. I can't promise you exactly what gift the Lord will send your way but I can promise you that it will be very special. And if it's even half as special as the gift of the Cross I received, you will be very blessed. For more details about volunteering with the SoupMan & his fabulous SoupTeam simply go to www.soupmobile.org and click on VOLUNTEER. Also please give prayerful consideration to making a financial donation to help us 'Feed HIS Sheep.'

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan