Nothing is Impossible

by Terri Conlin


Judy Miller is a willowy brunette who sings in church on Sundays, but her song of hope carries beyond the walls of the sanctuary. Often you can find her downtown serving Portland’s homeless youth. Her heart for the homeless is a rare note of harmony from a childhood of discord.

As a little girl Judy helped around the house, played piano and completed her schoolwork on time. Even so, she remembers running from the fury of her pastor-Dad and hiding her little sister in the closet. The swinging leather belt with its bruising buckle always found its mark.

This summer Judy seized an opportunity to take her music to street kids at Royal Ridges Camp. Despite severe allergies, she spent three days in the woods, slept in a moldy cabin and mingled with homeless kids around a smoking campfire. For three days, she was allergy free. One night after devotions a young man sat alone on a log around the fire. While her sad story is not her first choice for conversation, this night she shared it with Nathan. He was stunned. He was living on the street as a result of a childhood similar to Judy’s with the haunting fear of becoming his own abusive father. Until he heard a new song in the timbre of Judy’s life, Nathan thought he was simply keeping time until the inevitable refrain repeated.

Judy sang to Nathan a medley of forgiveness, hope and a ligature of love. At 22 she had approached her Dad in overtures of truth and mercy and while he owned nothing and didn’t ask for it, she left him with forgiveness. This marked her life with a Christ-clef and changed the key of all notes to follow. Judy met and married Todd, her perfect duet. Still, parenting two little ones revealed Judy’s deep childhood scars which Todd soothed with a patient and tender heart. It was music to her soul. Nathan listened in awe to the tinkling sound of chain breaking free. He left the campfire that night asking for prayer.

The next morning Judy awoke to birdsong. Nathan desired the melody of Judy’s life for his own. He was one of seven homeless kids baptized in the river that summer day. Today Nathan sings his own song of impossibilities. He is a clean and sober church-going man living in a house with a steady job. He is lit up from the inside by the conquering love of his Savior and more recently his fiancé. He and Judy just celebrated their close-together birthdays with new shoes for Nathan. His walk has a new cadence, his heart a new beat.©

He has given me a new song to sing,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what He has done and be amazed.

They will put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:3

Judy is the new coordinator of the clothing closet at Transitional Youth.
Contact Terri at whitepitchers.com