I have been a little emotional this past week, it seems my heart
and my soul know what took place at this time three years ago. And my mind has been taking me on memory
tours of a time I shared with a man who grew up with me but who would not grow
old with me.
Memories; sad and hard, happy times and good times, friends and
family times, troubled times as well as joyous God filled times.
I have shared this story a life time ago but I’m telling it again
because these years have been on my mind...
On August 21st 2005 Pastor Rob provided an opportunity for each person in the congregation to spend wisely for God's Kingdom, he gave out $100.00, one hundred talents, to anyone who wanted to participate in this extravagant opportunity Even
though I took up the challenge I went home wondering, what could I do with
these talents?
That Sunday we were having all of my family home for dinner, so once I got
home, my children would be there, we’d have lunch and then get ready for
extended family to arrive…when someone unexpected came.
Our neighbors had big metal gates with signs that said ‘Keep Out’
or signs that said ‘Beware of Dog’ but we preferred to keep our yard open and they came…they came to ask for help.
They came for a can of gas, for the use of our phone, for a ride, for
directions, one or two asked for a place to keep warm and one asked for a
knife…which I gave, with a prayer whispered just under my breath. For
some, we called the fire department and others the ambulance. They drove in the
yard and walked in off the highway. They
came before the sunrise and well after dark.
They came on sunny days and cold windy nights. They waded through the rain filled ditches and trudged through the snow drifts. Some of them came bravely up to the door and
others afraid to see who would answer their knock. They never stopped coming and
we never turned one away, not even the one who asked for a knife.
.
On this day, as we were preparing for lunch we were all talking
about the service in church that morning and the talents, thinking, wondering,
planning...when there was a knock at the door.
John went to answer it and came back saying, "there is a young fellow at
the door; he wants something to eat." He didn’t want to use the phone or get directions or ask for a
ride, he simply wanted something to eat.
Our kids, all at once said, ‘give him the money!’
In my mind I thought, I can’t just give him the money, though my
heart was pounding. No, but I would give him something to eat.
John was chatting with him outside in the yard and he found out that
the young man was traveling from Montreal to Victoria on foot…just one foot.
I brought a plate of food for him and I asked ‘where will you stay
when you get to Victoria?’ His answer to
me was this "the Good Lord will take care of me there, just as He has this
whole trip…you see" he said "I am spreading His word along the way, I’m
telling as many as I can about what God
can do." At that moment I felt the rush of God. With my heart pounding, I told him the story of
what happened in my church that morning and then I gave him the talents.
He ate his lunch and chatted with John, with me and with the
dogs. By this time the rest of my family
were arriving…no one saw him walk off or how he got back on the highway or
which way he went, he was gone.
‘Always entertain strangers for by doing so, you
may entertain angels without knowing”
Hebrews 13:2
We never will know how that angel fared along Gods highway or how
his talents multiplied…but we know this,
that story was told many times that day…the story of what God can do multiplied. I don’t know how many times my
children or John told the story, but I know this... faith multiplied.
That was
the last angel we entertained there…what a wonderful way to end 16 years of serving
strangers…with the story of an angel, 100 talents and knowing what God can do.
We moved off the farm a month or so later, October 1, just before
the winds came, just before November.
