Greetings from the SoupMan!
We’ve all read the Biblical story of ‘Doubting Thomas’. He was a disciple of Jesus who doubted Jesus’ resurrection and demanded to feel Jesus’ wounds before being convinced. The story had a happy ending as Thomas ended up professing his faith in Jesus.
So let’s fast forward 2,000 years and let the SoupMan tell you about another Thomas. Unlike the original Doubting Thomas, our Thomas has complete faith in Jesus and has no doubt of who HE is. Our Thomas had a different problem. It seems everyone was ‘Doubting’ him. At every turn people were doubting his ability, desire and willingness to turn his life around. Let me tell more about our modern day Thomas.
Thomas W. is the Head Chef at the SoupMobile and also serves as our Warehouse Manager. His work ethic is second to none and he is passionate about our mission of ‘Feeding HIS Sheep.’ 
When we found Thomas a year ago he was homeless and living in an abandoned building. He had no hope, no prospects and no one was willing to give him a chance. Thomas will candidly admit he has taken some wrong turns in his life.
For Thomas it all started growing up without a father and on the wrong side of the tracks. At an early age he fell in with the wrong crowd and got in trouble with the law. Growing up things went from bad to worse as he fell into drugs. He lived life on the edge and many times he went right over that edge. Finally as an adult he hit rock bottom. Homeless and living in that abandoned house he reconnected with God and prayed that he would get a second chance to get things right in his life. Everyone was ‘doubting’ him. They doubted he was serious about getting back on the straight and narrow. They doubted he would give up the drugs. They doubted he could ever make a real difference in this world.
I remember the first conversation I ever had with Thomas. He was coming to me looking for a job at the SoupMobile. The first thing that impressed me was that he did not try to hide his troubled past from me. He was upfront about his history of taking wrong turns. He told me about his problems with the law and drugs. He held nothing back. Then he looked me in the eye and said, “SoupMan, all I want is a second chance. Let me prove to you that I am serious about turning my life around.” He capped it off by saying “I won’t let you down.” Wow, strong words to be sure! Now the pressure was on me to make a decision. Did we give Thomas a second chance or did we ‘doubt’ him as all the others had.
As I considered Thomas’ plea for a second chance, I could not help but think of Jesus. 2,000 years ago Jesus hung on the cross to give us all a second chance. And as I look at my own life, I am amazed at how many times Jesus has forgiven me for my own missteps, mistakes and failures. Who was I to deny Thomas a second chance. Somewhere deep in my heart I knew that Thomas was serious about turning his life around. I also knew that if I said no to him I would have to look at myself in the mirror each morning knowing that Jesus had given me a second chance but I was not willing to do the same. I’m pleased to tell you that Thomas kept his promise to me. Not only did he NOT let me down, he has turned out to be an incredible blessing to the SoupMobile and to the less fortunate we serve.
I’d like to tell you that I knew for sure Thomas would make it with us. Truth be told, I had a hunch he would do well but I was far from certain. What I did know for sure was that Jesus would have given him a second chance. How could I do any less.
Thomas’ story is what the SoupMobile is all about. We are all about restoration. We are in the business of restoring lives. We are in the business of reaching deep into the heart of the homeless community and giving homeless men and women a second chance in life. We are in the business of serving Jesus by serving HIS sheep. 
How about you? Would you like to be part of our mission? Would you like to get into the restoration business with us? Would you like to ‘Feed HIS Sheep?’ If the answer is yes, you can help us two ways. One is to come and volunteer with us. If you do, be prepared to put your heart and soul into your efforts. The second way you can help is financially. Good works don’t come free. Whether you support us with one dollar or one million dollars or anywhere in between, it all goes toward helping the ones Jesus called the ‘least of these.’ For more details about Volunteering or making a Donation, please visit our website: www.soupmobile.org.
May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.
Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
