What a wonderful day… Truly God works in mysterious ways. Today we arrived in Denver Colorado after a long nights drive through Washington, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. We were feeling the pressure of keeping a tight schedule since we were delayed in Wenatchee for about a hour. The only thing I could think of is God is doing something or sparing us from tragedy.

We arrived at Blake and Kim Hill’s home in Denver and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast, a chance to power nap and shower. Who would know what God was working on. After breakfast we gathered for a group photo and started to load up. I had remembered Jason Hill telling me there was a Starbucks nearby. Never passing up the opportunity of having a fresh cup of java, we headed to Starbucks which was next to a BP service station.My vehicle dropped me off in front of Starbucks and headed to fill up with gas. After getting a cup for myself and Bruce another member of the team from Port Orchard, I was walking to the BP station.

Coffee’s in hand and the task of leaving ASAP to get “back on schedule” I noticed a young lady sitting by a payphone looking very distraught. I at once felt the need to go ask her if she was OK. However, like every other youth minister who is behind in any schedule, I immediately talked myself out of it. I delivered Bruce’s coffee and went up to Tim who had also noticed the same young lady visibly upset since he pulled in to fill up with gas. I knew I had to go to her.

I approached her and asked her how she was doing and if I could help her. She said “I don’t think so.” I asked if she was from around here and she had told me that she was from Texas and had only moved up to Colorado a short time ago. She told me she had moved here for a second chance and the opportunity to start over. She told me she moved here to live with her sister and that she had blown that and was now not allowed back into here sisters home. She also told me that she had just given up her baby six weeks ago for adoption and now had nothing. I asked her what she wanted to do now and she told me it sounded crazy… I told her that I had heard lot’s of crazy stuff in my life and then she told me she wanted to hitch a ride back to Texas and that she wanted that person to have a gun and end her life. She then told me the next time her sister would see her would be to identify her body. I sat there looking into saturated eyes and thought, “Ugh!”

“It sounds like you have lost hope and I believe God has sent me here to tell you that there is still hope.” She told me she felt no hope and was losing here faith. I asked if she attended church, “nothing successfully,” she said. I asked her how old she was and she told me nineteen. I began to minister to her and share some of my life story and how God loved her, how Jesus died for her and how she could have hope in the resurrection. I then told her there were churches willing to help her if she was willing to start making changes in her life and letting God in. I knew I needed to connect her with a local church.

Lost! Sitting by a phone book with more churches listed and located than I could imagine I decided to call the Christian home that just served us breakfast. Kim Hill told me of the Boulder Valley church of Christ in, Colorado. I asked the young lady what her name was and she said Whitney. I told her to hold on and that I was going to get some help. At that time God sent into our conversation Chalon Osamu.

Chalon sat with the young lady and asked if she could pray with her. I went to make phone calls to the local church. As well as God’s timing was in crossing our path with this young lady, our timing in connecting with the church resulted in the lunchtime hour. However, a wonderful phone answering system provided a forward to the ministers cell phone.

I pressed zero and was excited to make contact with Brent Brady the minister at the Boulder Valley church… “Ugh!” another answer system. Well, doing with the best I had at the time and continued prayer for God to provide. I left a detailed message regarding this urgent situation and thought I send the message with UGENCY! So I pressed the asterisks (*) button and erased the entire message. Once again, I relayed the story and sent my message.I thought I would try to contact some other church members by opening up the phonebook again and looking for something to jump out at me when my phone rang. It was Brent.

I shared with Brent that I was a youth minister from the Northwest on my way to Louisiana and had come across a young girl named Whitney who needed help. I told him I would give her some cash to get a value meal at Mc Donald’s and a brief description, (the only person who looks like they had been crying for several hours). Brent Agreed and said he would meet her at Mc D’s.

I returned to Whitney and told her that Brent from a local church was coming to meet with her to give her help. I showed her a picture of my three children and told her of the one on the way. “I have no guarantee that I will see them again,” I said, “But, I have hope.” I told her about Acts 17 and that “God puts people in certain places at certain time so they might reach out for Him and grab hold of Him because He is not far from each of us.” I told her God is in the business of second chances and third and fourth and fifth chances times infinity.

Chalon returned with a bag of food, some cash and a women’s New Testament Bible and told her God can make a difference. We prayed together, hugged and said goodbye. Chalon and I went to our vehicles and Whitney to Mc D’s. I thought I would never see or hear from Whitney again. That’s OK you know… God never promised we would see how He works. He says, “Just believe.”

I shared the story with the guys in my truck and thought It would be a good time to take a nap. After a bit, Jess gently shook me awake handing me my ringing telephone. It was Brent Brady. Brent greeted me and asked me if I was a member of the church of Christ and how I got his information. I told him I had connection with some of his members, Cody and Tina Hill and that I had gone to collage with their Cody’s brother Jason Hill. Brent told me that he had met with Whitney and that there was a bit more to Whitney’s story. Honestly my first thought was, “what have I done to this poor minister who was trying to get ready for his Wednesday night class.” Brent told me that in his conversation with Whitney, he discovered she was nineteen. Brent told her that he had a nineteen year old daughter who was attending ACU in Texas. Whitney then said, “you mean Ailene Christian University?” Brent replied, “Yes.”

Brent became verbally excited as he continued to share that Whitney had known some of the people at ACU and that the son she had just given up for adoption she gave to the Christian Homes Adoption Agency in Abilene which is a church of Christ sponsored effort. Brent then shared that he told Whitney that he didn’t want to sound weird or strange but that he wanted to take her home to his family. He was calling me from his home and he and his wife have opened their home to Whitney. I don’t think God could have been more clear in this matter. To think, I almost got into my truck because I thought I didn’t have enough time. Thank you Holy Spirit.

I look forward to hearing back from Brent but most of all Whitney… Someday.

Peace.
johno~