Meant to be

As I was sitting at my desk I heard this light knock on the door. I wasn’t  sure if it was my son Daniel tapping or whether it was actually someone at the door. I peered through my front window and saw a young African woman standing near the door. So I went and opened the door to see what she might want. She explained to me that she represented a company that had been contracted by the government to upgrade light bulbs to the new energy efficient design and that they were giving them to us for free. Free! “well I can’t argue with that!” She said “Its Christmas in July!” “Amazing!” I said.

As we chatted, she asked me “and what do you do?” I said “just wait one second and I will show you!” I went inside and grabbed a copy of the book Identity Wars. I handed it to her and said “I am an author and I write about things like self-worth from a Christian perspective.” She said “Are you a Christian?” Yes I replied wondering what she would say next. “So am I” she said. She stood looking at the cover of the book and then openly said “Now I know why I am here.” This sounded very providential and I asked “How so?” “I am from Kenya and came to Australia to study. I could not get work in my chosen field and this job became available. I was crying to the Lord last night asking him what I was doing way out here, what is the purpose of it.” I invited her to come inside and showed her my other book My Beloved. I said “I don’t want to overload you with…” “Oh no she said, could I have that one also?” “Certainly I said.”

She then explained her mission and we began looking through the house for light bulbs that needed changing. We found 24 of them. “When I came this house, I though oh, this house will have lots of light bulbs, but I imagine the owner will be blunt and snobbish” she said. I laughed and said, “I can understand why you would think that. It’s a large house isn’t it.” She said “this is amazing! I have had more light bulbs here than in all the other houses I have approached this week.” “Praise God!” I said. “Would you mind if I prayed for you before you go?” I said. “Yes, that would be good,” she replied.

I prayed that our Father would bless her work and thanked Him that we could meet and that she could find the reason for why she had come this far out into the desert. (Mildura in Australia is on a river on the edge of the desert. Just google it and you will see how far from other places it is!) I prayed that she might get the bulb exchanges that she needed and then closed. As I finished I was impressed with the thought to check for more bulbs and then I found another seven! “This is a miracle she said!” “I have my quoter filled for the week from one house!”

We had to exchange all the bulbs so she could verify the replacements. As I was replacing one, I couldn’t quite manage to get the light cover to screw back in. I said “at this point I often would get frustrated in the past, but instead I am going to pray. Let’s ask our Father to help us.” She looked at me in complete amazement when within 10 seconds of finishing the prayer I had reconnected the cover. “It’s another miracle!” she said. “This is amazing.” “Isn’t our Father, wonderful,” I said with joy in my heart for these small tokens of love that reveal our Father’s heavenly care.

Sometime during our conversation, she mentioned her home in Kenya. I told her that I had a friend who worked in Kenya, Jonathan Otto and I showed her some of the pictures Jonathan had taken. “Those are my people,” she said. “This is amazing,” she beamed. She then showed me her website www.ablutionfoundation.com.au which helps provide sanitation facilities for the Kenyan people in difficulty.

We exchanged details and I said I would see if I could help her find work in her chosen field. We parted knowing that our Father had ordained that we should meet and that He indeed had heard the cry of one of His children and revealed to her why she had come so far out into the desert to witness His providence at work.

Thank you Father for your loving hand that brought this young lady to our home that we might share with her what a tender Father you are. May the books she took bear fruit in ways that we cannot begin to imagine. May I continue to be used by you to show the love of our Father to others. These things I pray in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen   

(This story took place about three weeks ago. I feel such joy in my heart as I recall these things. Thank you Father and Lord Jesus!)