Linda Shaver writes–

God is STILL always at Work!! A week and a half before leaving to speak in the Philippines, I agree with Pastor Dan Serns that when preparing to go on a mission trip, the unexpected is “All part of the training!!”

Here’s my story: On Sabbath afternoon (March 1st), a friend and I went on a hike called Angel’s Rest which is along the gorge on the Oregon side. After finishing the hike we went back to my friend’s car to leave only to discover that the back passenger window of her car had been busted out. Since she had a hatch back and no trunk we hid both of our purses under a jacket behind the seat. Now all that was left was pieces of glass scattered everywhere. For me it was a surreal moment filled with mixed feelings of vulnerability and gratitude. I was thankful that it was just possessions and could have been much worse. In my purse were my keys, brand new cell phone, new camera, wallet (including my social security card) and a check for over $1,000. My friend had her car keys, so in her purse was her wallet and cell phone. I found myself without a phone, and no way to get access to my car, money, or home.

A good samaritian was there and he had both a personal phone and a business phone so we were able to make a lot of calls including filing a police report. Later that evening we were able to call our credit and bank companies and discovered that both our credit card’s had been used and Monday found out that my debit card had been used as well. Things were not easy at every step of the way. I kept saying to my self that the good news is that God is still always at work.

Then this morning I realized that I have not prayed about my purse. I prayed for the thieves as well as thankgiving for our safety. So I decided that I should pray for it right then. In my mind it seemed like almost a silly prayer, but I realized that what I was doing was thinking it was impossible to be found. So I said a simple prayer, “Lord, nothing is impossible with you. If it is your will, please find my purse. If not, your will be done.” Around 12:30p.m. today I got a voice message at work from a lady at waste management stating that one of their driver’s has found my purse. One of the garbage truck drivers in Portland found a suspicious backpack that was shoved near the garbage dumpsters. He opened it and found my purse as well as my friend’s wallet! I found out that it contained my cell phone, my social security card, medical cards, and my keys! My driver’s license was missing, probably because they wanted to cash the check, but my friend’s driver’s license was still there as well as both of our check books. I told them how I had prayed for my purse today and that God had used them to answer my prayer! I’ve been reading Psalm 55 this week and claiming verse 22 which says, “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you.” This is one little proof that God is still always at work. Never think its too late to pray! To add a cherry of blessings on top, the lady said that she lives in Vancouver and can deliver my purse to me after work today so that I do not have to drive to Portland!

“Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7 NLT.

~Linda Shaver

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