The Christmas Miracle
-Sarah Stephens
It was a white Christmas Eve in London, England. The year was 1925. The streets were filled with honking automobiles trying to get home or to the store that had the best last minute sales. The noises in the streets were nauseating.
All the sidewalks were crowded with last minute shoppers and people in a hurry not really caring about the people around them. This lasted for several hours before the sidewalks quieted down and the streets were empty once more.
Many of the store lights were off because everyone had gone home to spend Christmas, quietly, with their families. There was only one store light still on, on Main Street. And of course there was only one person inside, me.
My name is Anna Marie Booth. I have no family waiting for me at home and perhaps that is why I am the only one still out. My husband was murdered almost eight years ago. The dreadful anniversary of his death was Christmas day, 1917. It was the saddest day of my life. So now I live by myself in a quaint little house on the outskirts of town. I own a little bakery called Sweet Treats.
I run it all by myself and have been since my husband, Richard, died. Now at Christmas I don’t buy any presents because I have no friends. Since Richard passed away I have been mad at everyone as if it were their fault that my sweet loving husband was murdered.
“Well it’s getting late. I better get home.” I thought to myself. But just as I cleaned the last counter a girl of about eleven knocked on my door. Sighing heavily to myself I went to the door, opened it, and asked grumpily, “Can I help you?” She looked terribly thin and very sheepish as she replied, “Yes miss. Do you have any leftovers from the days baking’s that you could spare? You see” she continued, “my poor mum and my wee baby sister are frightfully hungry and well, we have nothing to eat.” I sighed, somewhat annoyed, and went to my pantry. I pulled out a pound cake, two loaves of bread, and a bottle of milk.
The little girls face completely lit up when I returned. As she ran out the door she called back “thank you so much! God Bless You!” and she was gone just like that.
Mumbling to myself about how cold it was outside I quickly locked up my bakery and briskly walked the one mile to my home! I don’t have many neighbors and the neighbors I do have I don’t talk to. My red brick house has only three rooms. My bedroom, the kitchen/dining room, and my sitting room. When Richard was still alive we would have company over every Sunday evening after church services. I used to be very faithful going to church with Richard when he was alive but when he passed away I quit going and I haven’t been since.
When I arrived home I fixed a cold supper of turkey and mashed potatoes. When I had finished cleaning up my dishes I took a bath and went to bed.
As I was sleeping I had a dream. In the dream I saw the little girl who had come begging at my bakery. She was in an old shack that was barely still standing. In the house lying on a cot was a woman and a little baby. I naturally assumed that this was the little girl’s mom and baby sister. The woman looked awfully sick and terribly frail. The little baby was coughing and sputtering like nothing else. It was a terribly sad sight.
The following morning I was awaken by children laughing and squealing! “What is the meaning of all this noise?” I said to myself. Then I remembered, it was Christmas. Christmas brought back bad memories for me. Today was the eight year anniversary of Richards death. Every Christmas brought back the sad recollection.
You see it was Christmas morning and a Sunday. Richard and I were walking to church. We had to walk through several bad parts of town to get to our church which was two miles away from our house. We were in one of the worst parts of town when a drunkard came around the corner screaming obscenities. Before we could react he shot my sweet Richard twice in the chest and ran off. As I kneeled down beside my dying husband sobbing he said to me, “Anna, come to know the Lord as your personal Savior and I will see you again in Heaven.” And with his very last breath he gasped, “ John 3:16. I love you Anna.” And he was gone just like that. To this day I relive those moments and think about what I could have done to save his life. Ever since Christmas has been the worst day of my life.
Many times I have nightmares about it. Every day I wonder if I could have kept him from dying if I had ran and got help or screamed or just prayed. Many, many nights I wake up sweating and often times I am crying sub-consciously.
When I woke up this morning I ate a bowl of oatmeal and cleaned up my kitchen. After breakfast I went off to the bakery to start my baking for the day. Since it was Christmas day I don’t bake as much because I don’t have as many customers. Today I was in the middle of baking a pound cake and some cherry pies when my first customer came in. She was tall and she appeared to be very proper and somewhat snobby.
She bustled in humming Joy To The World softly to herself. She immediately walked up and greeted me. “ ’Ello! How are ye this fine morning’?” From her accent I could tell that she was most definitely from England! And without giving me a chance to reply she went right on babbling, “mighty beautiful day isn’t it? Well I for one just love the snow! Tis just so happy and cheerful!” Finally I spoke up. I was getting quite annoyed at her babbling when I said, “ what can I get for you miss?” She quickly replied, “ I would simply love to have a dozen of those amazingly decorated Christmas Cookies.”
“Oh, and I would also like a blueberry cherry pie!” she finally finished. Quickly I replied and said, “ Of course miss! Your order will be completed in just a moment.” I walked away before she could babble on any further. After a short time I returned with her deserts and bade her goodbye.
For the rest of the day I had my usual customers. I don’t understand how everyone can always be so happy this time of year! It just seems like your wasting your money on presents and someone usually gets hurt and it’s a hard time of year! I guess maybe they are happy because they have a family to love and all the snow and presents that they get.
I decided to lock up early today so I could relax at home. As I hurriedly locked up I saw a familiar figure walking briskly towards me in the wind and snow. It was the little girl. This time she was carrying a small bundle in her arms. As she got closer I realized that it must be her baby sister, When the little girl reached me I saw tears in her eyes. She looked so helpless and oh so very lonely.
After what seemed like hours of an awkward silence she spoke up, “I’m terribly sorry to bother you Miss. And I’m terribly sorry to inconvenience you like this but do you think you would be able to take me and my baby sister to stay the night at your house?” Very slowly I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Finally I replied and said “ of course dear. You and your sister may stay at my house for as long as you would like to.”
Before we left for home I went back inside the bakery and got some extra milk and bread for my guests. I also brought a pound cake because I knew that children liked cake and sweets. Especially on Christmas. As we walked home I learned that her name was Ruth and the baby’s name was Catherine. It wasn’t until later that night that I learned why Ruth and Catherine would be staying with me that night.
The first thing I did when we got home was get a bath ready for Ruth and Catherine. Catherine acted as if it was her first bath ever! While Ruth and Catherine were in the bath I prepared supper.
Of course I did not let Ruth and Catherine put their same old rag clothes back on after their bath. I went over to my neighbors and asked to borrow some dresses and some nightgowns for the girls. They were very nice about it and were very glad to help! I was very happy that the girls would have some good clothes that would keep them warm.
Later that night at supper I asked Ruth why she had asked to come home with me. She immediately burst into tears. I could not think of what could make her so terribly sad. Eventually when her tears had subsided and her sobbing was quieted she softly explained, “ You see, My mother has been sick for days and days with a high fever. I couldn’t do anything to help her and it was so hard to keep her warm. She died this morning!” and with that she burst into tears once again.
Slowly I stood up and I held her tight. I knew the pain she was feeling. My efforts, I feared, were not helping very much. Soon after her tears had subsided once again she looked up with a smile on her tear stained face and said, “ But we will only be apart for a short time because I am going to see her again when I die and go to Heaven to be with Jesus!”
With that she walked over to her cot, laid down, and went to sleep. Her last words puzzled me. I decided that I would talk to her the following day. So I did the dishes, gave Catherine some warm milk, put her to bed, and went to bed myself.
That night was a long one for me. I had the dream of that terrible anniversary, Catherine had to be fed, and I couldn’t get much sleep. When I woke up the next morning I was still exhausted. I fixed a breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and some pancakes.
The look on Ruth’s face told me that she had never ever been so happy. She saw the food and her face lit up. I thought about everybody that was a lot worse off then I was. As I was thinking I realized that I could help the less fortunate people out instead of spending all my extra time feeling sorry for myself.
I assumed that Ruth was religious because she often talked about Heaven and she prayed before she ate. After she finished her prayer of thanks to God she heaped her plate full of food. I thought at one point that she would not be able to eat all of it! She had so much and she was so little! But of course I was wrong and she ate all of it!
She explained while she ate that Catherine wasn’t her real blood related baby sister. Her father had died not long after Ruth was born. One day they had been walking on the sidewalk when they saw Catherine just sitting there. They decided to take her in even though they barely had enough food to feed themselves. They gave her a home, fed her as best they could, and most importantly of all loved her. I thought about this and I could not imagine how selfless Ruth’s mother must have been to take in a little baby without even thinking about their own conditions.
I admired Ruth for being so selfless and willing to help Catherine and told her so. She just blushed to the roots of her beautiful strawberry blonde hair. While I cleaned up the breakfast dishes and leftovers I thought about taking Ruth and Catherine to the bakery with me. Finally I decided that I would have them come. I had Ruth get herself and Catherine dressed.
When we got to the bakery I put some thick blankets on the floor for the girls to sit on while I worked. Business was really booming and every single customer asked about the girls. When I would tell them their eyes would fill up with tears and they would go over and talk to them as I filled their orders.
Business got so busy that eventually I had Ruth come and help me with the baking and order filling. She was a really big help and I kind of enjoyed having somebody to talk to as I worked. Finally the work day was over and we picked up the blankets and locked up the bakery.
That night as a Thank-You I gave Ruth the tips from the day as her pay. As I handed her the money her face lit up and she squealed with delight! It made me feel good to know that I had brought so much joy to someone that easily!
After supper Ruth and I took turns playing peek-a-boo with Catherine. Finally I decided that it was time to go to bed and rest! We had worked so hard that day and were very tired.
As the days progressed I became happier and I had more fun with the two young girls around the bakery and my house. Ruth became such a big help at the bakery. I think she really enjoyed having a job and being able to earn some money. She would use the money to buy toys and fun stuff for herself and Catherine. She was a really caring child and I admired her for that.
The longer they stayed with me the more I got attached to them. One Tuesday I left Ruth at home with Catherine and went to run some errands. I returned half an hour later out of breath. I told Ruth to put her best dress on and to dress Catherine in something nice also.
We walked into town and up Main Street to the court house. As we walked up the steps Ruth looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, “Miss Anna, why are we here? You aren’t giving us away are you?” As I looked down at the little girl I replied, “no my dear I would never do that. Just wait and see what happens.”
That night we had a celebration! I welcomed Ruth and Catherine into my family as my daughters! They were now the only family I had! While we were at the court house I adopted them. The judge asked Ruth if she wanted to be my daughter and how I treated her. Of course she answered, “yes very much.” and “Very well. Like I’m her daughter.” I was very happy to have a family.
That night in the celebration we had a “feast.” For desert we had chocolate cake. We all went to bed that night safe, warm, full, and most importantly a family that loved each other! It was a great feeling!
The next few weeks seemed to fly by in a blur. Things at the bakery were going extremely well. Catherine took her first steps at ten months. Ruth continued to grow and help at the bakery and at home. We were all very excited about her upcoming birthday. She would be twelve.
One night after Catherine was in bed Ruth and I sat down to talk. “Ruth, when Richard, my husband, died some of his last words were John 3:16. I don’t know what it means but I think it might have something to do with God. Do you know what it means?” I asked.
Her pretty face lit up as she got up and got out an old book. It was a Bible. She opened it to John 3:16 and quoted “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
She then looked up at me, smiled, and said, “ That is the first Bible verse that my first mum taught me as I grew up. This verse and others from Romans led me to Christ.” With a quizzical look on my face I asked, “what are those other verses? My husband wanted me to come to Christ when he was alive but I never did because I didn’t think that it was important. When he died I sort of blamed God for his death. I ignored Him and everything that He wanted for me. Could you show me those verses from Romans?” She immediately replied, “Of course I can!”
“The verses from Romans are called the Romans Road. These verses have been so special to me my whole life.
Romans 3:23- For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23-For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:8- But God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
Romans 10:13- For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:9- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus, that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
John 1:12- But as many as receive Him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” Then moving right along she explained to me exactly what she felt these verses meant. “ These verses lead me to my Salvation. I believe that we have all sinned and none of us are perfect. If we were perfect it would not have been necessary for God to send Jesus to die so that we could be saved. God is all powerful and He loves everyone so very much. The death on the cross was very hard and cruel.
“I can’t begin to imagine how hard that would have been for Jesus to go through all that pain, suffering, and humiliation. But the great thing about it is that He sacrificed His life so that he could save millions of people from a horrible life in Hell when they die. And because of that one death I am going to keep on living when I die. I will not be living her on earth but I will be living in Heaven with God!”
We continued to talk about those verses and before I knew it I was down on my knees asking for forgiveness and for my salvation. Afterwards I felt completely wonderful! I opened up the Bible to Genesis and just soaked up all the verses about God creating the beautiful world that we live in! And to think that He created it in just six days! That is truly amazing!
The joy on Ruth’s face was just magnificent as she looked at me, her new mother, and thought about how we now shared the same faith and would help each other down the road. I could have spent hours and hours just reading the blessed Word of God and talking to Ruth about all the amazing things that were in the Bible but I knew that it was already getting late and it would not be good for the business if I was half asleep all day. After a little while Ruth and I went to bed.
That Sunday we all went to church for the first time as a family. This was the first time that I really actually understood the sermon. I learned so much that day it was truly amazing! That night I had a wonderful time talking about God’s creation and all that He has done for us.
The weeks to follow were busy but fun. Catherine continued to grow, Ruth and I had the time of our lives going to church and meeting new people. But most importantly we both grew in Christ.
About two years later when Ruth was fourteen and Catherine
was three I purchased a large building. I decided that I would open a large home for families without homes and supplying the women with things that they could do to earn money for a living. The home would also be for orphans. What really started this home up was Lily telling me about the horrible sicknesses that they would get from the cold during the winter and the heat in the summer. She said that day to day you wondered where your next meal would come from. This really alarmed me and that is how Our Home was established.
The very first thing we did after I bought the large building was clean! It was a great blessing having all the overly willing church members there to help us out. The great building had a great amount of mold and dust and dirt. The real blessing was the prayers from our church family and all their abundant donations. In fact after everything was worked out we ran Our Home solely on donations.
It took around a week to get Our Home clean, filled with food, furniture, and everything that would make a great home. Finally the day of the grand opening came! The very first day we had two families and three orphan children.
The days coming were filled with new families and orphans moving in. Each day of the week at some point we had a devotional and someone would tell the story of their life. On Sundays we hold services in the large parlor. Many souls were saved in that very room the first week that Our Home was opened! Our Home was a real blessing!
One day I met a very special orphan, Lorraine. She was special in one way because she had a brain defect. And in another because she smiled all the time and was always happy! She stayed with is about two days before I asked her if she would like to be a part of our family. Very excited she said yes and she is now my third daughter. Lorraine was a big help because she always had a smile and she could cheer up the saddest orphans and families. Often times she would reassure them that their dreams could come true one day.
Unfortunately because of her brain defect and her poor health she died a little over three months after I adopted her. The comforting thing about her death was we knew she was a Christian and we knew that we would see her one day when we got to Heaven. Her last wish was that we adopted all the children with special needs like brain defects, physical disabilities, health problems, and more. We made sure that everyone that ever came to Our Home left feeling loved.
It was always a sad time in one way when someone left Our Home because we developed a strong bond with each family and each orphan. But in another way we were happy for them because they would be able to live independently and the children now had a loving family.
The running of Our Home was a great experience. We met so many people and we were able to lead so many people to Christ. The stories that we heard were just amazing and we remember every single one. In fact we have quest books where everyone that has ever stayed here has signed and written down their life story.
The experience that Ruth got from being able to work with so many of the people was just amazing. Just watching her I could tell that she would go into some type of ministry when she got older.
As the years went by Our Home continued helping people. Many, many people came to know the Lord.
Before I knew it my beautiful Ruth was swept off her feet by a handsome young believer named Joseph. He came to know the Lord at a young age and he was on fire to spread the Word of God. He was led to mission work and about two years after they were married I received a letter from Ruth saying that they had opened another Our Home where they lived.
I continue to be mother to all the special children and all the orphans until they find homes. I still get sad when a family leaves or when an orphan gets adopted but I know that their stay at Our Home has helped them so much and I pray for each person every day as I look at the number of precious guest books.
I am always overjoyed whenever I receive a letter from someone that we have helped saying that they now have a nice home and are very happy.
Soon after Ruth was married Catherine left to attend college to become a teacher. She had always enjoyed working with children and God bless her she seems like an Angel! I pray every day for the non-believers in this world and I pray that the people we have helped at Our Home have had a positive affect on others! God Bless!
~Let me know what y'all think
