Collision

                THAT BIBLE:  It was such a treasure, and it WAS MINE.  It was the last of Glen’s personal treasures which I had held on to. He had treasured THAT BIBLE and had very carefully recorded all of his mission trips inside the front cover.  THAT BIBLE was a reminder of the joy that we had shared in our marriage.    

                Like any special treasure, I kept THAT BIBLE tucked safely away – in a box – in a closet.

                But, God had other plans for the Bible.  And so, the collision:  a collision of my will of wanting to hold on to the treasured Bible – or to release it into God’s hands.

                I had forgotten about THAT BIBLE which was so safely tucked away in the closet.  But, as my church, Quest church,  began planning for another mission trip to Belize, Central America, I remembered THAT BIBLE and felt God tugging at my heart to donate it so that it could be added to the supply of Bibles which were being taken to Belize. 

                4 days before the trip:  I finally surrendered my will and donated the Bible for the Belize mission trip.  I hadn’t planned to go on the mission trip,  so I thought I could be a part of the trip by donating THAT BIBLE.  I took the Bible to a friend’s house so that it could be added to the other Bibles which had already been packed.

             2 days before the trip:   I received a very generous, unexpected offer for an all-expense paid spot on the mission team.   To my surprise, I got all of the last minute details worked out so that I was able to join the mission team.   During all of the excitement of getting ready , I forgot about THAT BIBLE.

 God showed me that He is an expert with numbers:

 40 missionaries, 80 suitcases, 2 international airports, 2 bus rides, and many hot miles later we arrived in Belieze.  And with all that, God still had His eye on THAT BIBLE.

Throughout the entire week, we gave out lots  Bibles to our Beliezian friends, but  I never did see the specific person who received THAT BIBLE.    Towards the end of the week, we had several Bibles left over, so I decided that I would find THAT BIBLE and take it back home – and put it where it belonged – in the box – in the closet.   My friends must have thought I had lost my mind as I dug through piles and piles of the leftover Bibles.  To my dismay, I couldn’t find ThAT BIBLE.  But God still had His eye on it – He was still planning the special delivery.

                During the last song of the last worship service of the last day of our trip, I moved to a different seat to sit near one of my Belizian friends.   Sitting next to me were 2 beautiful Belizian boys who were proudly showing off their new Bibles.   To my complete astonishment, I noticed that one of the boys was holding THAT BIBLE – Glen’s Bible.  God, in His mercy, allowed me to see the specific child who received a new treasure – a Bible. 

             Because I surrendered MY TREASURE, a small Belizian boy will have a Bible so that he can read and learn about Jesus. 

I was the one who received a NEW TREASURE,  a treasure that can’t be stored in a closet.  God showed me (once again) that He can work all things together for His good.

            Isaiah 58:10  If you offer your food (Bibles) to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness.