The hustle and bustle of Christmas.  Presents, decorations – food and family. Don’t forget Christmas carols and all the festivities at your churches!

This Christmas, JESUS is asking you a question:

Will you help one who belongs to Him, who is in dire circumstances?  I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty.  But I am attempting to have the readers go before the Lord and ask Him what they should do.

On November 29th, a brother in Christ, Anthony LeMasters, was doing yard work. He lives with his mother in W. VA. An explosion occurred, ignited by a can of gasoline.  Anthony was on fire – all of him. He ran in a panic. He remembers that a still small voice said to him:  Stop, Drop and Roll.  And he did. But he had already sustained 2nd degree burns over 80% of his body. The doctors said that if he had continued to run, he probably would have sustained 3rd degree burns over his entire body, and most likely he would have died.

He thought that he just needed to get to some water and that would help the burns.  When he got to the source of water and began pouring it on himself, he realized that he had only intensified the pain.

He began to scream “Jesus help me……Jesus help me!”  And then he blacked out. Anthony was airlifted to a local hospital, but then had to be air lifted once again to a burn unit in Huntington, W.Va.

He spent almost two weeks at the burn unit. Anthony was in unspeakable pain. He had surgery at this hospital and netting was placed over his burns to help facilitate healing.  He was then released, and the plan was that he would go for acute and subacute care at another hospital.

But his mom was told that there were no beds available. His mother had no idea what it takes to care for a burn victim. Although Anthony left the burn unit hospital with pain medication, he was almost completely out of it as of yesterday. I suspect that they thought that he would get the medicines he needed from the acute care hospital.

His mother had done as much as she could, but then she realized that infection was setting in – she knew that her son needed to be in the hospital.  Today he was transported to the ER of the nearest hospital.  Because Anthony had not been cared for in a hospital for the last couple of weeks, he is now at risk of becoming crippled.   He needs physical therapy after they get his infection and burns under control.

Anthony’s mother, who is in her eighties, has been traveling around in an attempt to find a doctor who will care for her son, and follow up with his care. She has been repeatedly turned down.

Earlier in 2016, Anthony lost all of his possessions, after the basement apartment of his mother’s home was flooded.  I could not help but think of Job from the Scriptures!

Chaplain Bill Herrmann, who has an online ministry on Facebook, has been alerting other Christians about this fiery trial which has beset our brother Anthony and his mom.  Chaplain Bill is also trying to get medical help – a doctor who will be Anthony’s attending physician.

There are two things which are so needed for our brother right now:

• Prayer – Will you pray for this brother in Christ at this time?  Will you ask others to pray?
• Any amount of money that you can afford to send to Anthony’s mother is SO needed right now.

The address to send a check to Anthony’s mom for whatever amount the Lord tells you:

Annette LeMasters

102 Verna Drive

Elkview, West Virginia 25071

Thank you all for reading this very sad Christmas story. I pray that the outpouring of love shown to Anthony and his mother will warm their hearts.

I know that Jesus will consider this a wonderful gift given unto Him:

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:34-40).

May God bless each of you.

MARANATHA