IT TOOK A MIRACLE

The snow was beautiful on day one, not so bad on day two, disgusting on day three and almost gone today. I’ve had my snow fix for the year. Bring on spring.

I got a very nice email from a friend yesterday. He was talking about miracles and had reviewed a number he had personally experienced. Many he listed were miracles of healing. I think that is wonderful and I am thrilled for him and those blessed with God’s healing touch.

I have also experienced a number of miracles, but most have been of the “things” kind. Many amazingly cool.

I did not grow up seeing the hand of God in everyday life, but I have been encouraged to do that very thing.

There may have been things while I was in Bible College, but the first I really remember was attending the first summer camp of my ministry. I had been thrown into the directorship only a week earlier. The camp was in Northern Saskatchewan. I believe the area is best known for exporting mosquitoes to every other part of Northern America. The sky was black. Since those pesky little things seemed to love me, I did not want to get out of my car. A counselor came and said Harrison Weaver wanted all the leaders to gather in the dining hall. We did and he said we need to pray that God will remove those bugs or nothing good will come of this camp. I have my doubts, but we did and when we walked out of the hall, the sky was clear and it stayed that way for the week.

I had never seen anything like that in my life. Admittedly my faith was low, but was strengthened immediately.

For the next years camp we moved it to southern Saskatchewan to get away from the mosquitoes, but there was a new problem. Our side of the lake was full of algae. The swimming hole was green. Harrison asked us to gather on the dock and pray. While praying we watched the algae slowly move to the north side of the lake and stay there for the week. This was one of a string of five lakes and the algae remained on the south shore of all of the other four lakes. Right then and there I decided I would never do another camp without Harrison.

While planning a northern Saskatchewan zone rally that was to take place in our church, we had in hand a 16 mm film and were expecting a movie projector to arrive at any time. My secretary came to tell me she had just got a call from Mr. Lane and the projector he was bringing from work had been taken earlier by another employee. The zone rally was to begin that night. I gathered the group on the stage to pray and about thirty minutes into praying my secretary came to get me again and said, “You will want to take this call.” Mr. Ford call to ask if we needed a projector (all pre-DVD days). Did we ever.

When we were about to move from Saskatchewan to BC we had already begun paper work to adopt our second child, but that was only four months earlier. Our case worker doubted if everything would come together before our move but assure us she would forward everything to BC. We knew we would be starting from scratch and it would take at least two years.

There was nothing we felt we could do but accept the decision. But we did pray and asked God to intervene. He did and a week before we were to move we were called to Regina to pick up our beautiful and exceptionally happy new daughter. She came with love notes, a full diaper bag and gifts fro the foster family who cared for here from birth. We had her in five months and were walking on air. The following Sunday was her dedication and our farewell.

Vancouver was the largest challenge to our faith we had the most challenging experiences I had hoped we ever would. The parents of one of our youth asked if I believed in Demons. Well yes (at least theoretically). We studied it in college, but this was about to become real.

I listened to their story and agreed that I would pray. I don’t know what I expected. But I got a demonstration at a youth Bible study in North Vancouver. The girl arrived when the study was in progress. She moved in near the front of the group sitting on the floor. While getting settled she bumped into a boy to the right of her, got make at him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the floor and pushed him away. Everyone gasped that this little 95# girl could do that. As the group scrambled to the four walls, I saw something in her eyes that frightened me. It was scary. I took her to another room with a handful of leaders and we began to pray.

Thus began a seven to eight month ordeal of seeing this little girl delivered. I hit a hige block and finally got help from an experienced missionary from Indonesia who brought it all to the end. A funny sidelight was that the youth group Bible study grew after that experience. If something exciting was going to happen, everyone wanted to be there.

After only a year in Vancouver, we moved to Southern California for me to attend seminary. We did it with no money and no idea how we would survive. A friend encouraged us to start a little book to keep track of everything ever given to us or done for us that we did not ask for or deserve. We did. The first was a job working for Kinney Shoes. That was not going to work so I took the offer to work for a church in Long Beach. Still not enough, but we could survive.

Early in our time there we met another student who worked at a grocery store and was selling Banana boxes full of food cans and boxes damaged in the opening process. They were three dollars a box and usually valued at eight to tweelve dollars. Pretty cool. Friends often took us out to eat. They loaded our kids up with Christmas gifts. Canadians visited and left their unused Disney tickets with us (didn’t know we had so many Canadian friends that wanted to come for a visit). Church members had company parties at Disneyland and took us a guests or gave us their tickets. Out next-door neighbors were employees of Knott’s Berry Farm and gave us their tickets for a free company party. Friends gave us a years pass to Deer Park a cool little place (now gone) with lots of activities for kids, animal shows and deer to pet. Della took the kids there often.

We lived three blocks from Knott’s Berry Farm and the free cake decorating and candy making windows. Once a week they rode the 10¢ merry-go-round and every week after church we bought nickel ice cream cones at Long’s Drugstore.

At the end of our two years in Buena Park, we had been given nearly $8000.00 in cash and prizes. Unbelievable.

There is more, but this “little” note is too long already. It is just a sample of the graciousness of our God and a reminder to me that He loves us.

EMOTIONS GOT ME

I am an emotional mess. I am teary about everything that is tender and about all who are dejected. The emotions began at the end of the first service when a young man left the church and I reintroduced myself to him. I know I had asked his name before, but could not remember him. The worst about it was there was no reason.

Josh had lived in Kitsap County his whole life. He looks like a navy guy. No unexpected since so many around here are with the navy. But he isn’t. What impressed me was that he is very regular and appears to not know anyone in the church. At least I have yet to see him speak to anyone and no one seems to speak to him. He is very friendly and we spent a few minutes getting acquainted.

There was no reason to get emotional and he was long gone before it hit me. I was excited and proud to know a young man (early 20’s) coming to church alone and sticking with it without any obvious connection to people. I have no idea why that hit me in a tender way — but it did.

I was off to my middle grand daughters soccer game that afternoon and saw many injuries. Three within five minutes and one had to b carried off my face dripped. I do hate to see anyone hurt.

I went with friends to the see play South Pacific that night. There are several tender moments and the actors carried the emotions and I had tears running down my face. I could not stop them. When we learned Lieutenant Cable had died the tears ran. I know this play. I expected his death. Shish! Get yourself under control, man.

It was late when I got home so I picked up my J.A. Jance book Trial by Fire where Ali is in the burn unit of a Phoenix hospital and the victim’s struggles were described in detail. It’s fiction. Get a grip. (I’m shaking my head).

At coffee this morning, Maria came in to get some coffee and would not acknowledge any of us. I imagined the cold shoulder was directed at me because of out argument. I can usually sluff that stuff off. But my emotions kicked into high gear. I hurt her. That bothers me. I retaliated tit for tat. Sick. I got my licks in but wished I had swallowed her vindictive comments and kept quiet. I didn’t want to, but that ma is the still small voice of God speaking to me.

At 1:00 we have a birthday celebration and very few came. But CW showed up. He clearly did not know where to sit. Only the staff person spoke to him. He came and sat at a table next to me. I said hello, but was at a loss as to what else to say.

I had errands to run before I cam back to get materials together for our craft fair. I considered and teard up wondering of Maria would not back out. I didn’t want that. Then I put in a the movie, Father Damian, the story of a priest who moved on to a Hawaiian Island with lepers and ministered to them until his death from leprosy. He did all the right things loving these people as Jesus would. I think I’m cried out now. At least I hope so.

Friends, that is the voice of God talking and I hear Him loud and clear. I will let you know what happens when I obey that voice — first opportunity I get.

COULD BECOME A STAR

Just as you thing it is safe to go back into the water, the shark attacks again. Hazel was out front taking photos of the flowerless flowerbeds (are they still flowerbeds if there are no flowers?). She also had a notebook writing frequently and long. When her job was done, she walked off in great haste making if obvious she was headed to the administrative office.

The three on the porch watched her come out the front door. The conversation stopped as she walked down the steps with disposable camera in hand. They watched the 12-minute show in silence mentally noting every move. They watched her walk away and then turned to stare at one another.

What do you suppose that was about? Dunno! Where do you think she is going? To the administration office! Why? Dunno!

We will find out soon enough. Hope it’s as interesting as it looks.

Talked to Chas about the whole flower affair tonight. It was the first time we were alone. We talked about what he learned. He was surprised how many people found joy in the flowers and how many people genuinely cared about him. They didn’t like that he removed the flowers, but they understood. Someone even called the police to make a wellness check. It helped a great deal. We talked about the various people he could and should talk to before he takes any action of these conflict relationships. Then he surprised me.

He said he rode past my window five times hoping I would come out and order him into my room to talk. That was on day three. I was in my room working on the August newsletter and saw him. Even wondered why he was going in and out so often. My west window is right next to the back entrance. I wasn’t surprised he was using that door, just the frequency. He will often go out for coffee or to the grocery store. Both are close. It seemed obvious to me he didn’t want to run into anyone sitting on the front porch.

My window was open and he could have called out to me. When he’s at the door and I’m at my computer we aren’t more than 10-feet away. If God was urging me to go and talk to him, I wasn’t listening or was on a different channel. All I could really hear was the sound track for Joseph playing “And the man who can interpret can go far, He’ll become a star.” If this was my star making moment, I missed it again. I wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to anyone, let alone me.

I had better clean the wax out of my ears or at least having my hearing checked. Bas hearing runs in my family and the one losing their hearing is always the last to know. So tell me, I am I going deaf?