CHAPTER
24
MIRACLES
NEVER CEASE
“I will go
before your face, I will be on your
right hand and on your left, my Spirit
shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”
This is the Lord’s promise to those who serve him! Miracles never cease for missionaries! We feel the presence of angels round about
us, protecting us from harm and they watch closely over our Elders and Sisters. When Sister Hum had an accident on her bicycle
she was miraculously cushioned, and
Elder Shipley was protected when the moto hit him. Angels never cease watching over missionaries!
We were shopping at the Russian market when we felt a
strong impression to hurry back to our car. We were surprised to find the police in the
process of chaining our car to tow it away.
It was already hooked up and ready to go! They were stern looking soldiers who couldn’t
speak any English! A tuk tuk driver translated
for us, he told Wilf to pay the money they
wanted and not argue with them. If they towed the car away it would cost us money
and inconvenience to get it back. Wilf paid the $20 they asked for and they
grudgingly unhooked our car and left in a huff.
We were miraculously saved from a lot of problems.
Sister Yang
was riding her bicycle near the church when a man on a speeding moto ran into
her. Wilf was with the Elders visiting a member when he got the phone call from
her frightened companion, Sister Lam. Sister
Yang was thrown into the air and landed on her head and back, but her helmet
and back pack, with her scriptures inside,
cushioned her fall. The drunken
man driving the moto, never even stopped to see if she was hurt! When Wilf arrived at the scene she was
sitting on a street bench, very shaken and crying, but not badly hurt. By this time, a few members and two Elders had
arrived and checked out her destroyed bike.
Right there, on the side of the street, Wilf gathered all the Priesthood
into a circle around her and gave her a Priesthood blessing. He felt prompted
to tell her that angels surrounded her and cushioned her when she hit the
ground, saving her life and protecting her from serious injury. She was bruised and her bike was destroyed, but she was miraculously protected. The next day, she and Sister Lam were back at their mission work riding together on Sister Lam’s
bike, two tiny but faithful Sisters riding around the streets of
Battambang for miles, on one bike! Nothing stops them!
We had a
sweet experience with an angelic family as we taught the gospel in their tiny little hut, not even
five feet wide. Wilf packed our blue plastic chairs in the car, it’s hard for us to sit on the wooden floors
like the missionaries and Cambodians.
While the Sisters were teaching a lesson, Somaly, the
mother, and her twelve year old
daughter, fanned away all the bugs from
my legs that were drawn to the light globe.
As I watched the sweet mother and daughter serving me in this way, I had
one of those moments when I found myself in awe of my amazing
mission. The spirit was so sweet, in that tiny wooden hut, with this beautiful family sitting on the
floor, and the Sister missionaries teaching words of truth and love! How was I so blessed to be a part of
this?
It was a
miracle that the Sisters found this family. They were riding their bikes in the country, looking for a less active family, when Somaly
stopped them and asked where she could find the church. The Elders taught them a year earlier, but
they slipped through the cracks when those Elders transferred. Their six year old son missed
the Elders who taught him to pray and often asked if they could have prayer
in their family. Somaly had been
praying to find the Church when the Sisters came down her street. She was overjoyed to see them in her neighborhood. Sister Yang and Sister Lam resumed teaching
the lessons and they started coming to church every Sunday.
They were so
excited about the gospel, and they loved
us to come with the Sisters. One night Somaly asked Wilf to give her a Priesthood blessing for her
heart condition. He blessed her that
she would be healed and fulfill her mission, and raise her three children. As we drove away from their little hut, the night sky was filled with stars and
fireflies in the trees. It was a wondrous
night and a wonderful sight, there is
something so magical about fireflies.
The Sisters wanted to jump out of the car and catch them! The day this
sweet family was baptized was a special day!
They were the fourth family baptized in just a few months. It is a miracle when an entire family comes
into the church!
We were on a
grocery run to Phnom Penh and a scheduled lube and oil change at our favorite
garage. As we drove out of town I heard a strange noise in the front end of the
car, for a small moment I questioned if
we should turn back, but I felt confident that the Lord would take care of us,
so we kept going. Two thirds of the way
there, just outside the city of Kampong
Chanang, I was driving while Wilf was dozing when we heard a loud snap, the car
bounced heavily, then came a screeching
grinding noise outside. I stepped on the
brakes, but they were gone. I began to
shake, but I felt something take control
of the car and guide us safely off the
highway, as we slowly ground to a stop. The front ball joints had broken completely
off and the whole wheel and brake assembly flew off, breaking the brake fluid
line. The only thing that held it to the car was the steering tie rod. What a
sight! Two white people standing there, looking
helpless, as the crowd began to gather and chatter in their native tongue, wanting to get a glimpse of this strange
looking car with its left front wheel and brake assembly dragging along the
side. To make it worse, Wilf’s cell phone was dead so we couldn’t
even call for help. What would we do? We stood there and looked at each other and
simply said “Father, what now? What are we supposed to learn from this?”
To make a
long story short, I was able to speak enough Khmer to ask if any one in the gathering crowd spoke English, but they just shook their heads at me. Then a handsome young man came out of his house
and started speaking to me. We just
happened to break down in front of the house of the only person within miles who
could speak a little English. He just happened to know a mechanic in town
that just happened to, after seven trips to his shop, be able to piece together
our poor front wheel with duct tape, bailing wire, cow poop, and a little rice.
This young English speaking man also just happened to have the correct charger
to charge our dead cell phone battery so Wilf could call our garage in Phnom Penh. Between the
mechanic on the job and our garage, they
were able to order parts to fix our car
the next day.
As we
wallowed through this three hour ordeal the people around us were kind and caring,
even though we had no idea what they were saying, we felt their love and concern for us. They brought a couple of blue plastic chairs
out for us and placed them under a big shade tree. They wanted us to be
comfortable, while they made our problem
their problem. After a couple of hours our car was back together enough to
drive slowly into Phnom Penh and we arrived about an hour after dark. We left
our car at our hotel, caught a tuk tuk to the Kiwi restaurant and had a
delicious meal. As we said our evening prayer, in our cool air conditioned
room, we both felt an overwhelming feeling of gratitude to our loving Heavenly
Father. He turned what could have been a fatal accident into a mere four hour delay
in our trip. He had done this for us so many times in the past, we hoped we were not wearing out our guardian angels. We will
stay focused on him, as our mission rapidly comes to an end. As we place our lives in his hands each day, we
can be one hundred percent positive that He will take care of us, as we walk the path He has
already prepared for us. As we bump
along in life, there is a secure and
peaceful place in this upside down world. It is ONLY with him that we will find this
peaceful place!
We see the
hand of God in our lives every day.
“When thou passes through the waters,
I will be with thee…and through the rivers, they shall not overflow
thee; when thou walkest through the
fire, thou shall not be burned; neither shall the flames kindle upon
thee….for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, they Savior….fear not
for I am with thee.” (Isaiaih 43) We have passed through the rivers and walked through the fire and he
has been with us. I’ve cried
rivers of tears and walked through
furnace of affliction, but I am still alive! I am eternally indebted to him for all that I
have and all that I am.
The
anniversary of my Mom’s death brought deep sorrow, as I pondered the losses of
the past year. I have felt his arms around me, holding me up when I could no
longer stand, and blocking out the fear,
doubt and guilt that so easily besets me.
For several weeks I’d been looking
for my lost shoes and my Lavender oil and finally gave up finding them.
Wilf found my oil down in the car seat and I found my shoes underneath a
cupboard. I believe the Lord sent these
little signs to show me that “all my losses would be returned.” I could trust
him and know that he is aware of even the smallest things. All the losses I’ve suffered during my
mission would be made up. He will heal
my heart and retrieve every lost and broken piece!
The Lord
grants unto his righteous children the desires of their hearts. “He heals those who trust him and makes their
hearts as gold!” I give him my fears and
my sadness and he gives me a brand new heart. The ultimate “make over” is a change of heart. “The light of faith is in the heart of every
child, like a candle it’s little flame
is fragile but bright. It can be blown
out, becoming dimmer and dimmer until it’s gone or we can make it stronger and
brighter with the power of the Holy
Ghost, until it is a burning fire.” The spirit of God is like a fire burning
within my heart, growing until it
consumes me and makes a brand new heart full of compassion and love. “Real power is letting go of fear, allowing the free flow of love.” It changes everything!
Miracles
have not ceased – I’m stronger than I
used to be! I see truth more clearly and
I recognize Satan’s lies because I know more of who I am. I’ve broken the chords of unhealthy
relationships between my siblings, my parents, friends and children. We are healing our marriage relationship and
becoming closer to each other. We’ve been
in a rehabilitation program, the Lord’s rehabilitation program, and all the
changes have been painful. Wilf says we’ve
been in a “compression chamber” which forces us to change fast to become new
people! I feel like a new person, with a
brand new heart! I’ve let go of so much “baggage” in this compression
chamber, and I’ve lost thirty pounds. That was a lot of extra baggage to carry
around! His miracles have not ceased!
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