A widow's affliction produces compassion for the homeless

“No, not me, Lord! Homeless people are lazy, smelly and violent people who deserve to be on the streets,” exclaimed Susie Jennings, just months after being widowed in 1993. Now Susie is the Founder and President of Operation Care International (OCI), formerly Operation Care - Dallas.

I met Susie in the winter of 2004 when she was rallying help for what would become our nation’s largest Christmas party for the homeless. On December 18 of that year, the first of many OCI’s “Christmas Gift” was held at the Dallas Convention Center with 1,500 volunteers serving food, washing feet, cutting hair, distributing clothes, blankets and gifts, along with 10 hospital facilities providing medical care and more, for approximately 8,500 homeless men, women and children.

Motivated by her devotion to her first and greatest love, Jesus Christ the Lord, Susie is a true servant-leader who works tirelessly to love the homeless with the same comfort and compassion she receives from God (2 Cor 1:3-4). Susie says, “When I get to Heaven, I want to hear God say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ I don’t need accolades here on earth. I just want to be unconditionally obedient to the Lord. Numbers don’t matter to me, only lives transformed by Jesus.”

Through Susie’s effervescent leadership, she’s captured... [read full article]