We Were an Answer to Prayer???

Our family was headed west, making our way towards Idaho, we decided to stop over for two nights in the middle of South Dakota.  The little town of Mitchell, SD is right off I-90, a little over 3 hours east of the Badlands.  We stayed at the Dakota Campground because temperatures were forecast to be in the upper 90’s; we could plug in to turn on our AC, it had a pool, and laundry facilities. 

Just there for two nights and God showed up!

We had visited the Corn Palace and a Bible museum in downtown Mitchell (that’s a whole different blog, so stay posted for that story).  After being out most of the afternoon, we were tired and I still had laundry to do.  I grabbed a few loads, my detergent, and coin purse and headed to the laundry facilities. While there, I met a mom of 4 who homeschools her children.  We talked for a bit and I shared testimony of being full-time and following the Lord’s lead.  Her husband started asking questions about giving up stuff, shutting down the business, and quitting jobs.  He was very intrigued. 

I love when seeds are planted in people’s minds that cause them to think differently or just say, “hmmm…” We never know what God will do with it, we just have to open our mouths.  

Meanwhile, Tim had the girls back at the camper while I was doing laundry.  About an hour or so goes by and I return to the camper.  While eating dinner, Tim tells me that a lady that’s camped across from us asked about the bike rack on our truck. She noticed it because she and her husband own a welding company in Minnesota and were down for an annual conference.  They chit chat for a bit and through conversation he shares that we are full-time in our camper with the 3 girls.  She asks a few questions and that leads to him sharing about how the Lord “spoke” to us and led us to sell everything and go.  He told me that she stopped him and said, “Can I ask you a question? How did the Lord “speak” to you?” He proceeded to tell her that it wasn’t the audible voice of God, that instead it was a process of prayer, fasting, and many months of listening… waiting for confirmation.  He tells me all of this and I’m thinking, “She thinks we are crazy!” At least that’s how I interpreted the story.  We laugh about it and continue our nightly routine, not thinking anymore about it. 

The next morning we are scheduled to check-out, so I’m washing dishes and cleaning up some things. My camper door is wide open and, standing at the sink, I can see clearly across the way.  I look up and see this lady walking toward the camper, so, I opened the screen door and say, “Good morning!” She says, “Good morning, I was talking to your husband last night and he shared with me what you all are doing. I didn’t know it until I got back to my camper after our conversation that you all are an answer to a prayer I wrote in my journal yesterday morning and I thought I’d come read it to you.”

Now,  I’m thinking… “she doesn’t think we’re crazy, she’s a believer and was encouraged!”

I sit down on the top stair of our entryway and say, “Yes, please share!” She proceeds to read her prayer.  As she’s reading, I am overwhelmed with emotion that God would use us to speak to her and that she would have the boldness to share such an intimate moment between her and God with us. 

I don’t remember every word of her prayer, but it had to do with asking God how His message is going to go out in today’s age.  With social distancing and so much fear in the world, how will the gospel be spread? She also asked God to give her boldness when sharing Him with others. She asked Him to remove her cottonmouth-like feeling when she goes to speak about Him. After reading the journal entry, she said, “He’s going to do it through people like you!” 

I just sat with tears streaming down my face.

After that, she closes her journal and pulls out her checkbook and says that God told her to give us money. She wrote the check, folded it, and handed it to me.

Now the tears really started flowing!

I thanked her and asked if I could pray for her. We prayed, hugged, and went our separate ways.   

I walked into the camper in awe…I didn’t know if it was $5, $50, $100… it didn’t matter… I was so humbled that He would speak through us and to her in such a powerful way.  I opened up the check, my jaw hit the ground, and I handed it to Tim.  His reaction was the same! I don’t need to share the amount, it was definitely a God thing!

It was like God kept giving us bread crumbs along the way as we kept heading west towards Idaho, only this was a loaf of bread, not a crumb!

Praise God for His amazing faithfulness and provision!