Fellowship Hotline Offers Relief from a Life of Hopelessness
The Fellowship | January 30, 2017
Fellowship Hotline operators receive phone calls from some of the most desperately needy in Israel on a daily basis. Many of these callers have psychological, physical, and financial needs. One caller, 67-year-old Ori, called in October 2016 asking for help with home repairs and for emotional support for his desperate situation.
Ori lives in the city of Ramat Gan, Israel, which is in the Tel Aviv district. He’s blind and physically handicapped, and lives alone on a high floor of an apartment building.
Ori explained that his apartment is in very bad condition and needs many repairs. While he wishes he could fix his home, he doesn’t make enough money to cover these costs and also pay for treatment for his physical disabilities. But the run-down apartment makes living with physical disabilities almost impossible.
The stress of worrying about his health and mobility inside his worn-down home causes Ori to live in a state of despair. As he confided in the Fellowship operator, he expressed such pain and hopelessness.
After listening intently to Ori, the Fellowship Hotline coordinator first calmed him down and assured him that he was right to call The Fellowship for assistance. Ori then told the coordinator that he trusted The Fellowship.
She quickly identified one of the hundreds of social volunteer organizations that partner with the Fellowship Hotline and mobilized support for Ori. The organization sent a team of volunteers to paint Ori’s home and perform simple home renovations.
In one day, the volunteers completely changed Ori’s apartment. They brought this shattered man new hope that allowed him to live in dignity. “Thank you so much for everything,” Ori said with sincere gratitude and joy. “You sent me angels.
“If there were thousands more like you, Israel would be paradise,” he said. “I would like to put a picture of The Fellowship over my bed, so I could thank you every night for what you have done for me.”
Learn how you can help others in need like Ori receive lifesaving help.