Last weekend I received a miracle I desperately needed. I’m not really sure who I should thank for this miracle because it came in the form of an anonymous letter. But even though I do not know who sent this miracle to me, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you.

The letter said, “At 8:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, I prayed that God would give me a way to really serve him during the day. At 11:00 a.m. I read your article. I know this isn’t much and I wish I could be your miracle, but maybe you can at least get a good, hot meal. I will be praying for you. May God give you strength.”

Enclosed with the letter were two twenty-dollar bills. I read the letter several times in a state of total disbelief and then had to stop because I couldn’t see through the tears that gathered in my eyes. I’m not sure if the sender realized it or not, but he/she has sent me a miracle.

For me, last weekend was filled with a lot of desperately needed miracles. My entire life was on the utmost edge of financial chaos, and I was very scared that my family would no longer have a place to live by the middle of this month. Then a couple of things happened that guaranteed this would not take place.

On Saturday afternoon, I received two checks in the mail — one from this university and the other from my future father-in-law. The first check was for the overpayment balance of my financial aid. I knew that this money would arrive sooner or later but didn’t think it would be for another couple of months. The second check was sent because my father-in-law, who lives in Colorado, couldn’t afford to send Christmas presents over the holidays.

I had absolutely no clue that any of this money was coming, but it was enough money to pay off this month’s rent and the utility bills. We still had no money to buy food, but I’d gladly starve to have somewhere warm to live this winter.

But later on that day, my fianc‚e’s aunt and uncle decided to drop by for a visit. They had been told that we weren’t doing so well financially, and that we were practically starving to death. They brought food. Lots of food.

None of these acts were nearly as kind or miraculous as the letter I got from the anonymous sender, though. That letter touched my heart and my soul. It renewed my dwindling faith in humanity and created a new faith in God. The miracle that was really contained in the letter was not the money, it was the kindness and compassion of its sender.

However, I’ve been struggling with what to do with the forty dollars. Its intent was to buy me “a good, hot meal” because at the time I wrote the column I was starving, and had been starving for a long time. But my financial situation has been resolved for the time being, and I am no longer in the desperate situation I found myself in last week.

Coupled with this is my realization that there are people in this city who are a lot worse off than I am, people who desperately need that money to survive. So, this is what I propose and I sincerely hope that I do not offend whoever sent me the money.

I am going to take the 40 dollars to the grocery store and buy 40 dollars worth of food to donate to the Ames homeless shelter (a.k.a. the Emergency Residence Project). I believe that this is the best way of helping out those people who are in need. I’ve contacted Vic Moss, who runs the shelter, to let him know that this is what I am planning on doing and am waiting for him to get back in touch with a list of things that the shelter could use.

I will be delivering the food to the shelter by next Wednesday. But before I do that, I would like to ask each and every one of you out there to do something for me. Gather up some nonperishable food and some old clothes to donate as well.

You can either take these items to the shelter itself (it is located at 225 S. Kellogg Ave, which is a right turn off of Lincoln Way if you’re heading toward Duff Avenue), or you can drop them by the Daily office (108 Hamilton Hall) and I will deliver them when I head over there next week. Or you can send me a quick e-mail, and I can come by and pick them up.

But whatever you do, please donate something. There really are people in Ames who need this stuff. Not only will you make yourself feel good by doing this, you will be showing that the Ames community cares about humankind.

To the anonymous sender, thank you again for sending me a miracle and for enabling me to pass this miracle on to those who are even needier than I am. I wish that I could thank you enough, and I wish that I could reward you in some fashion — but I’m sure that God will give you your reward. I truly appreciate your generosity, and everyone at the homeless shelter does too. God bless.

Ben Jones is a sophomore in English from Ankeny.