Being a spectator to human suffering can be one of the most uncomfortable situations to be in. When you see a situation that breaks your heart heart, every fiber of your being wants to help, but it isn’t always possible or realistic to do so. As one Florida couple found out, sometimes to be truly helpful, you have to make a sacrifice yourself. Pastors Ronnie and Crystal Stewart actively served the homeless community in Pasco County, Florida, by conducting charitable events for two nights every week.
But one night they witnessed something tragic and it would truly test the very limits of their charity. Also, if you have not done so already, please subscribe to our channel and click that notification Bell to get inspired by these real life stories every day. Now, back to the story pesters, Ronnie and Crystal Stewart knew their Pasco County, Florida, community was hurting. The homeless population only seemed to grow and grow, so the married couple did whatever they could to make an impact. The stewards created Refuge Church, which partnered with Metropolitan Ministries to serve free hot meals to the homeless.
Every Tuesday and Saturday, they fed 500 people per week. In November 2015, however, the couple witnessed a truly heartbreaking scene. Ronnie and Kristol have been working when they saw a toddler watching them through glass doors. The little boy stood beside his brother and their parents, who Crystal knew to be drug addicts. The family had been sitting on a trash heap all day. The parents had been attending the feeding program for a few weeks, Crystal later wrote. It was evident at the time that the children were in need, and I knew we were placed in this community to meet needs.
She wasn’t exactly sure how she could help, but she felt that she needed to somehow. Unfortunately, storm clouds were rolling in that evening, we began imagining the night these boys were about to have. As we were getting ready to go home to a warm, dry house, Crystal wrote. She couldn’t stomach the thought, so she proposed a radical idea, since the parents are high and refused to go to a shelter, she said to Ronnie, should we just ask them if they want us to take the babies home for a warm bath in bed for the night?
It was crazy what parent would let their children stay with complete strangers? But Ronnie asked anyway, and when he returned to his wife’s side, he delivered shocking news. He started. They said, yes. Crystal was stunned. My heart stopped as I heard my husband’s words. Permission granted. Crystal, a practice mother of three, noticed the brothers had no clothes, and both were wearing very soiled diapers, she said.
he toddler, who did have a pair of shoes on, didn’t have any socks on with them. And when we took his shoes off, the little skin on the top of his feet actually came off.
She grabbed an old Polo shirt for the youngest and loaded the boys into the car. Was she doing the right thing? She had an answer quickly. Within five minutes of driving down the road, she wrote, the rain began to fall, and I couldn’t help a star in my rearview mirror, amazed and overwhelmed that God provided a refuge for these boys. Ronnie and Crystal brought the boys, whose name she kept private home where the couple’s three kids, 15 year old Ronnie, junior, 13 year old Riley and eight yearold Salem, were waiting.
The couple went right to work. Giving the boys everything they needed first was obvious. Crystal drew a bath and gave the boys a good wash. She fed the boys, too.
They were covered in bug bites. I mean, head to toe. They were so filthy that we actually had to bath and drain and bath again two different times.
Meanwhile, Ronnie was hard at work preparing the bedroom. There, Ronnie set up a playpen and a twin mattress for the boys to sleep on. After their little house guests were clean and fed, Crystal recalled them going right to sleep. The little toddler slept for like 10 hours. When was the last time they’d had such a peaceful night? As much as the stewards enjoyed the two boys company, they knew they had to bring them back to their parents. The following morning, we gave the parents our phone numbers, Crystal said, and told them, if you ever need us to take the boys, we’re willing to do it.
Crystal and Ronnie then tried setting up the parents with housing, but regretfully, they were met with resistance because of their lifestyle of substance abuse. They wanted to live out with their homeless population, she said. But what would become of the boys? Just one day later, on Sunday morning, the stewards had an answer. As Crystal and Ronnie left their Church, the boy’s parents approached them along with an unknown person in Toe, a social worker. The social worker explained that they had been investigating the family for some time and had determined that the children would need to be removed from their parents for safety reasons.
The parents, devastated, had proposed a solution of their own. The homeless parents asked if Ronnie and Krystal would be willing to temporarily watch the children in order to keep them out of the foster system.
They said, Would you be willing to temporarily take our children? And we need a decision right now because if not, the social worker is going to have to take them.
Crystal and Ronnie didn’t have to dwell on the question long. Of course, they’d watch over the voice for a while.
Well, we decide what we’re going to do. So again, this was not talked about, but we just looked at each other and we knew there was no other option. Of course, we said yes.
In an instant, their family had temporarily grown from five to seven. Little did they know that months later, the stewards would have to make a tough choice. We’ve now been faced with a decision to adopt or place the boys in foster care, Crystal wrote in March 2016. We’re absolutely positive that God has placed them in our lives for a purpose and to love them as our own. There was only one problem. Though Crystal and Ronnie had signed the consent forms and worked through the legal process. They needed $10,000 to make the adoption final.
The couple shared their story with GoFundMe, hoping to earn the necessary money to keep the boys in their home. Miraculously, the couple exceeded their fundraising goal, earning four times the amount they’d originally asked for. We had to get a bigger car. We got to explore the seat. Seven takes a little longer to get out of the house. With enough money in their pockets, they could adopt the boys as permanent members of their family. A beautiful blessing, as Crystal called it. From that moment, Crystal and Ronnie learned a lot about what she dubbed God’s sense of humor.
My husband laughed as he remembers the conversation that we had the day before we met the boys, Crystal wrote. I was six weeks postal from a total hysterectomy after battling an early cancer diagnosis. And sadly, we said, Well, no more kids for us, wrote Krystal. Little did she know two little ones would be waiting for her in the near future.
We don’t look at it as we are. Somebody special. We look at it as they are special, and we’re just excited to be a part of their journey.
Just take a look at Ryan Crystal’s amazing feat of human compassion because of their love. Two young boys who were formerly homeless now have a stable, loving home to grow up in. If you liked the video, please give it a thumbs up and consider sharing it with someone who may find it interesting. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you. You in the next video.