A missionary is usually quick to hand out prayer cards freely, for the main purpose of reminding people to pray for us. On Friday, we ordered pizza from Domino’s, and when the delivery driver brought our pizza, I gave him a Gospel tract. The man’s name was Ray, and he told me that he is a Christian, and he proceeded to give me his testimony. He is a member of New Hope Baptist Church in town, and as I gave him a prayer card he promised to pray for us. I was encouraged as we had fellowship for a few minutes before he left.
Tonight after church our family went to Wendy’s for some fast food. Besides my family, there was only one group of people in the whole restaurant. As Becky went to order the food, I went over to the table with the kids. Before I could sit down, one man from the group came up and asked me, “What’s your name?” (This didn’t surprise me because I get asked that question all the time. I have one of those familiar faces, and almost every church we go to, someone tells me that I look like someone they know.) When I told the man my name, he said, “That’s what I thought.” This time I was surprised as the man proceeded to say to me, “I have your prayer card on my pulpit.” He was the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church, and the pizza delivery driver had given him our prayer card. I was humbled to hear from this pastor, “We’re going to pray for you.” Deborah was quick to say that this was not a coincidence. It’s good for our children to see that God orchestrates such unexpected meetings with other Christians. Pastor Barry Burleson said, “I wonder if Heaven’s going to be like this,” as we talked about the Lord’s imminent return. What a blessing to meet other believers, and to have people pray for us as we return to Brazil next month.