How have you seen God's faithfulness?
When asked this question Sunday morning, Philip shared about God's incredible faithfulness in the birthing of our ministry, but since that contains more ministry details than I can share here on a public forum, I am going to share one of the "runner-up" stories. (We had multiple possible stories for each interview question. Imagine that.)
This particular story happened at the time of our baby's second seizure episode. Leaving our big kids behind with a houseful of visiting Americans, Philip and I rushed Anne to the international clinic together. Because she was not bouncing back as she had after the first seizure five weeks before, the clinic admitted her. We went from hosting a Taco Tuesday at our house to checking into the hospital. Everything was chaotic, leaving our dinner party before cooking the dinner to fear for our baby to checking into a foreign clinic with everything in French. Finally, finally, they had her hooked up to an IV and she fell asleep. I looked up and saw a television mounted on the wall. I asked Philip, "Do you think you could find something in English on that thing?" It was a real question. I wasn't even sure English channels existed but with everything around me foreign and uncertain, I was looking for an escape.
As he flipped the channels, we were caught off guard by a documentary on Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Right there is that hospital room came the Kentucky accent of a park ranger in a big park ranger hat. Instantly, I felt like I was home. From that tv screen came comfort and familiarity and even the pleasing warmth of memories from celebrating my 30th birthday at Mammoth Cave. Mammoth Cave in a West African medical clinic?!?!
Five minutes later, the program ended and there was never another English speaking program like it.
It is with tears running down my face that I want to share with you what those five minutes of West Kentucky did for me in that foreign hospital room. When that park ranger came on the screen, I knew God was in the room. Though I had not reached for Him in prayer, He had reached for me just the same. When I looked for comfort in a tv screen, He crafted the one-in-a-million chance I would find it there. He is faithful when we are not. His promises rest on his trustworthiness, not ours. That park ranger will never know his unexpected Kentucky accent ushered me into the presence of God on a really hard day in a foreign land.
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