Today was one of those days when I leave work and cannot help but say, I do not get paid enough for this job. As some of you may know, part of my job description at work, which is also our church, is administrative assistant. Basically, I answer phones, greet people as they come in, guide visitors to various pastors and staff.
Frankly speaking, seeing how the church works "behind the scenes" has been very eye opening and has both rattled and deepened my faith in God. But that isn't what this is about. What I am talking about is when I signed up for my particular job, I did not sign up to do what I have done twice, in as many months. Let me explain.
Last month, our church had a luncheon and I was helping all morning and was there checking everyone in. Almost everyone was checked in, and I felt the need to get back to the office and get some work done. I was not sitting in my chair for more than a minute when the phone rang. On the other end of the phone was a woman who was a "researcher for the 700 Club", yeah right lady! Sure! I entertained her call for a few moments while she told me why she was calling. She was looking for a gentleman who attended our church who was a walking miracle. I, myself am the daughter of a walking miracle, so hearing that made me perk up a bit. As she continued she only said the man's name, which I recognized, and she said the 700 Club wanted to interview him for a segment they were doing on the show.
Now, answering the phone at a church, you do get a lot of strange calls. Some of them are even legit! But there are some, like this particular one, that makes you really wonder if it's real. I mean, how likely was it that I had come back at just the right time, to catch this very phone call? Oh yeah! I work for God, and we all know He's not a God of coincidence. So I took her information down and hung up. Still not 100% convinced it wasn't just a scam.
So I called the gentleman she was asking about and his wife picked up. I explained to her the call I received and that I really wasn't sure if it was just a scam or something. What happened next completely rocked me and it made me even more certain that I had done the right thing in calling. She told me about how her husband, years earlier had been diagnosed with multiple tumors on his lungs. He had a sure death sentence and he was told to get his affairs in order. They came to church the following weekend and told the Pastor and his wife, who immediately gathered around them and prayed for him, for his health, for a miraculous healing. Long story short, this man is cancer free. His tumors are gone. And doctors cannot explain it. He is a miracle. This wife and I spoke for almost 30 minutes. I told her the story of my dad and she and I celebrated our walking miracles together. I was so blessed by hearing this story. I was so grateful for that time with her and before we hung up she told me that I had blessed HER by calling her and listening as she told that story.
The second one just happened yesterday/today. Yesterday, I was getting ready to walk out the door at the end of my day when the phone rang. I turned back and answered. She was an elderly woman who was calling on a whim. Who wasn't even sure if I could or would help her. She was unsure whether or not she even had the right information. She was looking for her cousin, whose husband is a pastor at a 4 Square Church (she thinks) and all she had was her first and last name. She told me about some of the memories she had of her cousin and as she reminisced you could just hear the joy in them. I explained to her that I had never heard the name, and if I had I could not give her that information. I took down her information, the few tidbits of information she had on her cousin, I told her IF I could do anything, it wouldn't be until tomorrow and let her know I would call her back either way, so she wasn't wondering. Then we hung up.
As I came into work today, I saw my note from yesterday, with her information. I decided I would look up the name she gave me, convinced it would be a dead end. It wasn't. I found the woman and her email address and sent her a detailed letter about the phone call I received. Gave her the woman's name and phone number and asked her to let me know if it is her this woman is looking for because I would call the woman back and let her know it was a dead end. Much to my surprise, I received a phone call from the cousin. She explained when she read my email she had no idea who I was talking about. She did not recognize the names. So she called her sister, who immediately recognized it. She then reminded her who this woman was. The lady on the other end of the line said that it was such a gift to hear from family like this. It was just she and her sister now and so having family out there and being able to reconnect was a blessing. She told me the woman had grown up in a rough family. Had come to live with her and her family for 6 months. She was not sure this woman knew Jesus and said to me, "I wonder if this is God's way of connecting us, so she can come to know the Lord." This conversation completely moved me to tears. I really feel that it is exactly why this woman, who is now 72 years old, is reaching out for her cousin, who is married to a pastor. Not only for the familial connection, but maybe... possibly, also to give her life, finally, to Jesus. I told the lady on the phone that I was going to pray for that. They are set to meet here in town and reconnect.
So, as I said before, I didn't sign up for this. I signed up for a basic job, at a church and had no idea the lives that would connect with mine over that phone. These two people are not the only ones that have touched me over the years. But they are the two that stand out in my heart. The two that touched me in a way only God stories can. I didn't sign up for it, but I am so grateful to be able to have this job so I can hear stories and be a part, even a small, miniscule part of someone else's God story.
What a blessing.
And just so you know, that woman in the first story who claimed to be from the 700 Club, was truly who she said she was. The 700 Club IS interviewing this couple for a segment on their program. So if you're a 700 Club viewer, you will see this man's story and your life will be touched as well.
