Australian 'angel' saves lives at suicide spot

1:20 PM Sunday Jun 13, 2010

For almost 50 years Don Ritchie has used simple kindness to shepherd countless suicidal people away from the edge of The Gap.

SYDNEY - In those bleak moments when the lost souls stood atop the cliff, wondering whether to jump, the sound of the wind and the waves was broken by a soft voice. "Why don't you come and have a cup of tea?" the stranger would ask. And when they turned to him, his smile was often their salvation.
For almost 50 years, Don Ritchie has lived across the street from Australia's most notorious suicide spot, a rocky cliff at the entrance to Sydney Harbour called The Gap. And in that time, the man widely regarded as a guardian angel has shepherded countless people away from the edge.
What some consider grim, Ritchie considers a gift. How wonderful, the former life insurance salesman says, to save so many. How wonderful to sell them life.
"You can't just sit there and watch them," says Ritchie, now 84, perched on his beloved green leather chair, from which he keeps a watchful eye on the cliff outside. "You gotta try and save them. It's pretty simple." - AP (Full story here)
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I loved this story.....especially Don's words, "You gotta try and save them. It's pretty simple." If you have time to read the story you will find a man and his wife with a mission to save those who have lost all hope. Don considers this cliff his "mission field." The story translates well to our task. Like Don we are called to save the lost and downcast. As Don said, "You can't just sit there and watch them." As a Christian I see many walking near the cliff with death ahead. Shamefully I don't always go the cliff and stand by them....offering them a cup of tea....encouraging them to choose life. All around us are those walking towards the cliff. Jesus gave us a task. In Don's words Jesus told us, "You gotta try and save them. It's pretty simple."

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