Devotionals

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The Lord Works In Mysterious Ways
Fall 1984

In October of 1984 I and my family moved to Verona, Ontario, Canada. This is a rural railroad town in the Land O Lakes region of Ontario, with a population of about 1800. Dad accepted the position as senior pastor of Lakeview Gospel Assembly the only Pentecostal church in the village.
The day we arrived some of the church folk were bustling around the parsonage getting ready for us to move in. We pulled up with a U-Haul truck and a car full of kids and boxes. Oh, yes, and our little poodle... Sassafras Spurrell II. We were warmly greeted and treated to a nice meal that one of the ladies made for us. Then we set up the beds first and started to unload the truck. I remember I just couldn't wait to get my bicycle off the truck so I could go exploring this new home, new town, new life I had come into.
I began cycling my way around the village and I prayed and asked God to give me a new friend. As I made my way around one corner and then another I noticed ahead of me a little old lady out sweeping her front walkway. Could this be the friend that I am to make today? I wondered, as I slowed down and approached her. She stopped sweeping and looked at me with a very peculiar look, as if to say," who are you? Get away you nasty kid!" I wasn't put off by her and she was the only one around so I thought" she has to be the one."" Hi" I said, she stared at me, " My name is Rhonda I just moved here", no reply.” “ Have a nice day!" I hollered and biked on home.
The next day I went for my bike ride wondering if I would see this woman again. Sure enough as I made my way around the corner there she was out sweeping her front walk way, looking at me. I waved and rode on. This went on for a week or so.
Finally, one day as I approached her house I couldn't believe it, she was waving to me, waving for me to come over and talk with her. I was thrilled, and when I approached her we greeted one another and she told me her name was Beatrice. She asked if I would like to come inside for a bit. When I entered this little shoebox of a house I could see two woodstoves going at full steam the heat almost over took me. Her little kitchen was like going back in time to the 1940s, she had an old metal table and chairs, calendars dating from the 40s hanging on her wall. Very busy wallpaper and lots of old photos hung everywhere. When I entered into her living room, lying on a footstool was a big yellow cat with one eye and a huge lump on it’s forehead. He slowly turned and looked up at me, he kind of creeped me out! She had doilies on everything and the walls were covered in soot from the stoves, she was covered in soot. As I looked at her I could see the soot in every crease and wrinkle of her old weathered face. When she spoke her breath was so bad it would knock you over, and her clothes were filthy, I venture to say she hadn't changed them in a long time. When I asked her what her cat’s name was she smiled a toothless smile at me and leaned down and patted him, she said “his name is Jim”. I could tell she and Jim had been together a very long time and were the best of friends.
She offered me a seat to sit down. She told me she had lived in that house for over 40 years. Then we sat in silence for a while. When it seemed she wasn't going to say anything else I told her I had better go. Immediately, I felt in my heart to pray for Beatrice, if she wanted me to. Beatrice could I pray for you?" I asked." “The Lord works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform" she said. I took those words to me a " yes" and took her hand. I prayed a short prayer for her and Jim then I left. Over the next four months every week I would stop in and visit ‘Beattie’ as I came to affectionately call her. I began to visit Beattie regularly and on many visits her, Jim and I would sit and chat about the old railroad days in Verona, she would show me photos of her husband who used to work the line from Kingston to Verona on just about every visit.
On one particular visit as we were talking I saw her head drop and she went off to sleep. At first, I didn't know if I should leave or stay. I thought if I leave she may become offended and if I stay when she wakes up and sees me there she may have a heart attack or something. What should I do? Jim looked at me as I contemplated this situation, then he jumped up in my lap as if to say “stay”, and I stayed. It must have been a half hour or so that we just sat there the three of us, together, Beatrice sleeping, Jim purring, and me.
As I looked at Beatrice I could see this weary old soul who had worked so hard all of her life, who lived a very lonely life, my heart had such compassion for her, and I prayed for her. Soon she awoke and didn't even know she had fallen asleep. I knew she was a bit startled to see me at first, So,I gently started talking to Jim as I saw her begin to rouse. This calmed her down and she then regained her memory. Once again, as on every visit we had I would offer to pray with her before I would leave and once again as she had done every time before she quoted" the Lord works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform?" And we would pray together. Beatrice and Jim were the first friends I made in Verona, God brought us together. He does work in mysterious ways, who would've thought that we would become friends? He knew she needed a friend, He knew I wanted a friend.

Jim passed away and Beatrice had to be put in an elderly care facility until she passed away a few years ago. The house she tended to and kept as neat as a pin, was torn down by the town and replaced with a parking lot. Some of the town folk would tell me how amazing it was that Beatrice even spoke to me, let alone let me in her home. They told me stories of her chasing people away from her house with a shotgun many times. I'm glad I did not know that then, I think that just confirms to me how God does work in mysterious ways, even in our daily lives, is marvelous wonders to perform. Today I often ride by that spot and remember my friends. Little did I know when I prayed that prayer" Lord, let me make a new friend today" that he would bless me so.

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