Divine appointments, part 1- God speaks to my heart
Soon after Kyle moved on to his heavenly home, our daughter Kendra & her husband invited us to come to TN for a weekend just to get away for a few days. Ivan & I haven’t flown somewhere together since Kyle was born. When we flew somewhere one of us always stayed home with Kyle. If we took Kyle along we drove. I knew it would be hard but also thought it would be nice to visit Kendra & her family so we went. If you were one to follow our journey you know that I always said Kyle would bring the people to us, then I would start the conversations and share about the goodness of God in our lives. He was my ministry partner & people were just attracted to Kyle everywhere we went. I loved our partnership. I always told God please don’t pass us by, please use us for your kingdom somehow & He did. So to travel now without Kyle felt lonely & I guess I just wasn’t sure how God would use me in this new season. But God was ready!!
When we arrived at Harrisburg airport Ivan dropped me off at the door while he parked the vehicle. I had a bag to check in, he didn’t. So, I got in line. There was an older lady at the counter & she seemed to be struggling. I thought at first she didn’t have money to pay for her luggage. She was talking the someone on the phone as she was trying to check in. I walked towards her and asked if I could help. I then realized she was saying it was her carry on but was confused as to why she had to pay. The problem was she should have said it was her personal item which is free. I helped her understand this & the lady at the counter let her go through. I told her to just step aside while I checked in my bag & then I would help her since she was going to TN as well. As God had arranged this lady was on my flight. She was in her 80’s and had never flown before. What a great sport she was. Her son was driving around outside and staying on the phone with her until she got through. He was concerned for her, so we walked outside & he pulled up to the sidewalk. I told him my husband & I were going to TN as well & I would see that she got there. He was very grateful. She had a granddaughter picking her up in TN. We helped her get through security & to our gate. When we got to TN I quickly caught up to her again, we got our luggage & we walked outside. Drew & Kendra were waiting for us, but her ride was not yet there, and she was struggling to tell her granddaughter where she was waiting. You know how it is in an airport, you can’t sit there and wait in your car so Drew & Kendra knew they were going to be hollered at soon. I was able to talk to this lady’s granddaughter and let her know where her grandma was waiting. She was just pulling into the pickup area, so I gave her the phone back, we hugged & we parted ways. Oh, we did find each other on Facebook though & got a picture together just before we parted ways. She was a lovely Christian woman and we both knew God had planned for our paths to cross that day! What she didn’t know was how God was speaking to me through it, letting me know he would still bring people to me & allow me to minister to others. It spoke to my hurting heart in a big way.
My new sweet friend Joann, flying for her first time!! Such a brave woman!!
On Sunday we went with Kendra, Drew & Jack to Church. After church we got coffee at the coffee shop in their lobby area. Drew & Kendra were chatting with friends. There was a beautiful young lady standing near me & I’m not sure who struck up the conversation but as we chatted she told me her name is Melissa and she is a traveling nurse and had been living in Nashville & working at a local hospital. She loved the church & the friends she had made but her time was up, and she was moving to Texas for her next job. Now if you know me you know I have a soft spot in my heart for nurses. They really are amazing people, and a good nurse is better than gold!!! She continued to tell me that she really hopes to find a good church quickly because that’s very important to her. She wouldn’t know anyone when she got there and would have to learn the way things work at the new hospital. That would not be something I would sign up for, seeing new cities would be great but starting all over in a new hospital every 6 months would not be me. I love her sense of adventure. As I was standing there my son Virgil’s words came to mind, “don’t just tell someone I will pray for you, pray for them right there.” So, with my heart beating wildly, I said can I pray for you? She of course said yes, please! And so right there I put my arm on her & was able to pray for her and the new adventure she had ahead. We hugged, took a picture together & connected on Instagram before parting ways. What I really loved about Melissa is that she is a traveling nurse because she feels it what God has called her to. In each city she tries to find a church and get plugged in. The day I met her she was a volunteer at the Church there. Even knowing she isn’t staying she hops in and volunteers. Thats pretty amazing!!
My sweet friend Melissa
What’s the main reason I take pictures with people I chat with? Because it reminds me to pray for them again and again. I also often put a someone’s name in my phone, so I don’t forget it. I’m just terrible with remembering names.
What did I learn from this? God was sweetly letting me know He still had plans to use me. He would bring people to me however He wanted to, I just need to keep my eyes open & my heart open as well!!
Why am I only now sharing this if it happened in November? Well because at first when God speaks so loudly and lovingly, I often just have to ponder it for a while. Then sometimes I just can’t quite put it into words. As time goes on its easy to push it off! I’m learning to share the moments like these in hopes that it will give you hope when going through the hard things and also so people can see that our God cares!!
God is Good yall!!