Only the deepest love could make a man to fly from Naples, Florida to Camden, New Jersey to rescue his estranged, drug-addicted
brother.
Ed Burnham hadn’t spoken to his brother Artie in years. All he
knew was that Artie was living in his truck in Camden, one of the
most dangerous cities in the U.S. Still, Ed says, “Artie had been on
my heart.”
During a Bible study, God spoke to Ed through a verse in the book of James:
“My brothers and sisters, if one of
you should wander from the
truth and someone should bring
that person back, remember this:
Whoever turns a sinner from the
error of their way will save them
from death and cover over a
multitude of sins.”
James 5:19
Convinced that it was his mission to bring Artie back into the fold, Ed contacted his friend Vann Ellison, President and CEO of St. Matthew’s House. The friends flew to Camden to search for Artie.
“It seemed like a desperate situation,” Vann recalls. “There were broken people everywhere. We saw people literally collapsing from overdose.”
Then Ed spotted his brother sleeping in his truck. “I just started weeping,” Ed says. “He had this long beard and he was very, very thin.” Worse, Artie wanted nothing to do with Ed. “We prayed for him and left.”
Eventually, God answered Ed’s prayer. Artie contacted Ed and said, “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get help.”
Artie returned to Naples with Ed and Vann and came to Justin’s Place. Here, with your support and his brother’s love, Artie experienced total healing and transformation. “I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ the very day I got there,” he says. “I want to know more about God. I want to be a light in this world.”
The brother Ed sees today is the man God intended Artie to be. “I believe that the Lord is going to use Artie to help a lot of people. It’s exciting to watch that.”
As for Artie, he sees a clear path before him. “I want to do everything to glorify God. I’m free from bondage and I can walk in victory today.”