Miracle of the Lost Key

The Kenya Diaries (vol. 25)

July 18, 2006

Andy returns from Nyanza Province today! 

I asked Ania to get a bucket of water from the kitchen so that I could do laundry. On her way she discovered a cage in the grass with nine turkey poults and three ducklings inside. She came running back to the kitchen so full of excitement that we all came out to see the little birds. They were cute, and kept the kids entertained for quite a while.

I did laundry - only the shirts, underwear, socks and pajamas. My shoulder just can't wring out the heavier stuff, and will have to wait for Andy's return. As I was hanging the clothes on the line, wrapped up in my own thoughts of life in this strange land - a life that is full of unfamiliar customs, unfamiliar plants and creatures, unfamiliar food, unfamiliar ways of approaching life - I suddenly had a wave of homesickness and longed for something, anything that I would recognize.

At that moment I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye, and I turned to look at a tiny green praying mantis tightrope walking on my clothesline. Yes! A regular, plain old praying mantis! It was so ordinary that it was spectacular! How big God must be to answer my heart cry with such a simple little thing!

If that had been all that God did for me today, that would have been more than enough. But, God was only priming the pump for what He had in store.

Andy returned home about 4:30, and Philip was the first to discover his presence at the school. We were all so happy to see him back from the interior of Kenya safe and sound.

About an hour later Fr. Johannes came to our home quite distressed over the fact that he could not find his key to his room, which also doubled as the church sacristy. He sat down at our table with his head in his hands, wondering out loud how he would ever get into his room. He feared that the key was left in Nyanza Province, a whole days' journey away. His room, which was next to ours, was impenetrable unless one was willing to take an axe to the door.

I offered Fr. Johannes to stay for dinner, but he was too distressed to eat and left.

A little while later, Father returned. He obviously had not found his missing key. I was doing dishes in the kitchen when I heard him tell Andy that he didn't know what to do.

"Dear Jesus," I earnestly prayed, "please help this man find his key!"

No sooner had these words left my mouth, when I heard an inner voice say, "Go look in the grass."

I finished the dish I was washing, stood up, and said, "Andy, I'll be right back."

I really had no idea where I was going, other than to "go look in the grass." When I stepped outside, I turned right, passed all the grass in the courtyard, walked out the front door of the school, continued across the gravel turn-around, and stopped right at the edge of the grass. When I looked down, the toe of my shoe was less than an inch away from a skeleton key. I stooped down to pick it up, almost in shock of what had just transpired.

"Thank you, Jesus," I whispered.

Fr. Johannes was astounded when I returned to our home and produced the key. He asked me where I got it, and I just said that I heard a voice tell me to "look in the grass," so I did.

"You people!" Fr. Johannes repeated over and over. "You people!"

The grins on the faces of everyone present were indicative of a deeper joy, as we realized we had witnessed a miracle through the power of intercessory prayer. God is so good!

 

I Do

Weddings are one of my favorite things, and Robert and Johanna's was glorious! Everything was perfect from the last minute hand-beaded fix of the wedding gown, all the way to the gentle breeze on a picture perfect day.

Seventeen years ago Johanna was only twelve years old when she was a bridesmaid in my own wedding. She was too tall to be a junior bridesmaid, so she was upgraded to an older style dress and heels. I still remember her practicing in those heels so she wouldn't trip down the aisle.


When she asked me to be one of her bridesmaids, I tried to tell her I was too old, but she wouldn't hear of it. I'm glad she insisted, because standing next to my own thirteen year old daughter on the altar was just about the neatest experience. It isn't every day that a mother gets to be a bridesmaid with her daughter. Oh, what fun we had.

In fact our whole family was up on the altar. Andy was one of Robert's groomsmen, Lucia was one of Johanna's junior bridesmaids, while Kevin and Philip served at Mass. I must say that we were all proud and honored to be asked to participate in their special day.


Robert and Johanna's ceremony was beautiful! Our dear priest friend, Fr.Ted, celebrated Mass while on his annual visit home from Nairobi, Kenya. Fr. Ted is such a WONDERFUL witness to the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. He made the Sacrament of Marriage come alive for all present, as he reminded us all that we were about to witness the miracle of God taking two people and creating one.


God certainly was smiling down on Robert and Johanna as they exchanged their vows, because their "I do" to God's Will started long before this day.

So now, with Johanna off on her honeymoon, the house just isn't the same. When she moved in with us almost two years ago, I was just beginning my long road of breast cancer treatment. She was a God send for sure. She has been a wonderful younger sister to me, and an older sister to my children. Her room, which we cleaned out earlier this week, isn't the only empty space she has left behind.

But, as I witnessed the powerful Sacrament of Marriage only a few short days ago, I realized that it isn't just the bride and groom who said, "I do."

"I do" stand by you as you begin this journey of married life.
"I do" commit to praying for you and your new family.
"I do" promise to let God fill your empty room with the next person He sends our way.
"I do" let you have your way with me, dear God, so that others may learn of your love.
"I do"...

Ordination Celebration

We certainly do have cause to celebrate! My cousin Jacob was ordained a temporary deacon in the Catholic Church on Saturday, and he preached his first homily on this Pentecost Sunday. His homily, by the way, was Holy Spirit inspired, anointed and powerful!

As Mass began, and the processional hymn was being sung, the grandeur of the music filled the sanctuary, and the power of the Holy Spirit filled my heart. It was at this moment when yet another wave of gratitude hit me. There, processing to the altar, was not only Deacon Jacob, but Fr. Aaron Pidel, S.J., another first cousin, who was ordained a Jesuit Priest last summer. What an awesome sight!

Does it get any better than this?

The answer, of course, is yes, as Jacob's brother, Nick, pointed out. Next year Jacob will be ordained a priest, and that will still be even better than today.

It is a good thing that God doles out His goodness in increments that we can handle. If he dumped it all on as at once, we would never survive!

Seven Quick Takes (vol. 8)

National Day of Prayer

Yesterday was our nation's 61st annual National Day of Prayer, and Augusta Georgia joined its forces to plead for God's mercy upon our nation as we gathered in His name.

The event was put on by our South Augusta Pastor's Alliance and by the Office of the Mayor, Deke Copenhaver. The Pastor's Alliance is an amazing group of pastors from the churches and congregations in our area that set aside their differences to work toward unity in the Body of Christ. They include the Lutheran, Presbyterian, Bible Church of God, United Methodist, Church of the Nazarene, Baptist, New Creation Christian, Episcopal and Catholic Churches, Messianic Jewish Synagogue, Order of the Cross Motorcycle Ministries, as well as the Alleluia Community.

Rev. Mike Freed, Pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church emceed the evening, Ft. Gordon's Color Guard posted the colors, and  Alleluia Community's Music Ministry led us in patriotic song.

1. Mayor Deke Copenhaver - presented the Mayor's Proclamation to the South Augusta Pastor's Alliance, urging all our citizens to join him in pleading for our country. He said it is not secret that he is a man of prayer. He thanked God for blessing Augusta with many new programs and buildings, but to be careful not to worship the blessings. Give God the glory because it is God, not him, that accomplished this.

2. Chaplain Eugene Mack, Fort Gordon - prayed for strength and courage for our military men and women. Comfort them, restore them, and always return them to a grateful nation when you bring them home.

3.  The Honorable Daniel Craig, Superior Court Judge - prayed for wisdom and justice, and for the courts. For 38 years a man laid by the pool until one day Jesus was able to say to him "By your faith you are healed." "OBJECTION!" cried those who were hoping to judge Jesus guilty for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus replied that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath, and your objection is out of order! Jesus, source of all wisdom, hear our prayer.

4. Helen Minchew, Richmond County Board of Education - prayed for our students from many walks of life, that God would pour out His special favor on them. She prayed for parents, mentors, teachers, social workers, counselors, administrators, bus drivers, custodians, that God would give them strength, wisdom and patience to serve our children and prepare them for their future.

5. Chief Deputy Sid Hatfield, Richmond County Sheriff's Department - prayed for our law enforcement officers and first responders, that God would bring people of integrity to the force. He commended them all to God's loving care, and prayed that God would unite them safely with their families when their day was done.

6. Rev. Thomas Healy, Pastor St. Joseph Catholic Church - prayed for our local churches and unity among all Christians. He prayed that all Christians would realize that God's love knows no bounds of race, class, or ideology, and that we all have a common Father. He prayed for persecuted Christians around the world, and that the Christians in Augusta would stand in solidarity with them, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

7. Rev. Edna Bradshaw, South Augusta Pastor's Alliance - prayed the closing prayer, in which she came before Jesus with thanksgiving on her lips, claiming His victory over our petitions, boldly proclaiming that "All the glory will be thine, in Jesus' name. Amen!

And All God's people shouted, "Amen!"

Conversion Diary hosts Seven Quick Takes Fridays.

Turning Twelve

Today my eleven year old moves up to the last  pre-teen year. Here is a glimpse of the joy that this boy brings to my heart.




P is for PLAYFUL, yes, he's on the ball,

H is for HUNGRY, he's getting quite tall.













I is for INQUISITIVE, he always asks "Why?"














L is for LOVING, he's a sensitive guy.













I is for IMPRESSIVE, he's a Civil War buff,

P is for PROPHETIC, and if that's not enough,

I will tell you a story that showcases this,
but it just doesn't rhyme, so read my postscript:)

Happy Birthday, Philip! I love you!

Mama

P.S.  Here is a story about one of Philip's prophetic moments.  We were in Kenya having family prayers. It was 9:30, which was quite late for us since we never went out after dark. (The sun set around 7:00). We had a few minutes of quiet time to listen to the Lord, and then Andy asked us what we heard Him say. Philip said he heard God say that we need to go to Mass whenever it is available to us. About 10 minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It was Fr. Johannes. He apologized for the late hour, but said that he was about to celebrate Mass, and asked us if we'd like to join him. Needless to say, we all grabbed our shoes and attended Mass in our pajamas that night.

Oh, yeah, did I mention that Philip LOVES frogs?

Cross-Curricular Blizzard

This past week my class has been having a cross-curricular unit on blizzards. What makes this so unique is that it was very unintentional on my part. It just sort of "happened." Or did it?

I started reading a new book to them after Christmas, "Treasures of the Snow" by Patricia St. John. I had never read this book before, but the previous 4th grade teacher read it every year. This week, the characters encountered a blizzard.

Our reading curriculum is McGraw-Hill.  This week's writing assignment was to write a weather report predicting a blizzard, and the precautions to take in order to stay safe. Their reports were so good that they are displayed on the bulletin board in the hall, with corresponding artwork done in chalk.

Our science curriculum is A Beka Book.  This week's reading covered the different types of precipitation, including snow, and weather forecasting.

As part of learning about the uniqueness of snowflakes, I taught my students how to make six pointed versions. They caught on very quickly, and have produced blizzard-type conditions in the classroom. In fact, the snow continues to accumulate day by day, and there is no end in sight. I have a feeling that Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow tomorrow, and six more weeks of winter will continue, at least in our classroom. So while it is 74 degrees outside, it is a raging blizzard inside.


Thank you, Holy Spirit, for bringing it all together.

Pathetic or Prophetic?

Every Monday, Bible class is the same in fourth grade.  My students take out their weekly scripture verse, recite it together as a class, and copy it (in cursive) into their notebooks while commiting it to memory.  When they feel they are ready, they come up to my desk, and recite the verse to me. If they have done this accurately,  a triumphant, "signing of the wall" completes the activity

Last week's scripture was "Our mouths are filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy."  Psalm 126:2.

The first boy done, Joe, comes up for recitation.  "Our tongues are filled...."

"No, that's not right.  Go back and try again."

Others come up and proceed to sign the wall.

Joe gets back in line. "Our mouths are filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Psalm 162:3."

"No, the chapter and verse are wrong.  Go back and try again."

Others come up and proceed to sign the wall.

Joe gets back in line, handing me his notebook.  "Our mouths are filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.  Psalm 126:2."

"Yes, that is perfect, but you didn't change it in your notebook."

Joe, by this time is getting exasperated, and starts to laugh at himself.  The other students around him are laughing, too.  I am beginning to smile.

The others have all come up, and their names are all on the wall.

Joe comes back up and shows me his notebook.  Psalm 126:3.

"No, Joe, it still isn't correct."

Joe, who is used to being the first one done is so frustrated that he laughs out loud.  The other students are laughing out loud.  I am laughing out loud.

Then, the Holy Spirit shows up and gives me an encouraging word for Joe.

"Joe, do you realize that you are prophetic?  Our mouths really are filled with laughter, and our tongues with songs of joy!"

Joe smiles with relief.  We aren't laughing at him afterall.  We are filled with the joy of the Spirit.

Then a voice from the other side of the room calls out, "Mrs. Hatfield!  Did you just say that Joe is pathetic?"

I would like to think that pathetic and prophetic are not so closely related, but I think there are a couple things to be learned by this:  1) When you choose to look for prophetic through His eyes, the Holy Spirit will reveal it to you, and 2) when you choose to look for pathetic, you may just find it.