We had just left for a trip to visit the churches in Belarus and Russia for five weeks in the month of March. Everything was blooming in New England and as we entered Russia it would have seemed to turn the clock back a few months. There was eight inches of ice still on the ground and walking a few miles to go to church was unstable to say the least. After falling and laughing it off with my nose to the ice, I could remember how hard it was living through a Russian winter. Yet it is more severe to enter in at any point and not be used to it. As we approached the church and went into the time of lifting up the LORD in prayer and preaching His Word, we asked the brothers to stay after for a short talk. We gathered around and I felt lead to ask what the greatest need that the church was facing. They looked at each other and said “We need a micro bus for the grandmothers and children.”. Many of the believers had to walk ten miles with children in hand to go to church and I could only think of my walk this morning and ending up face down on the ice. How would it be for someone twice my age or a mother with many children? I shared with the brothers that I did not have the money, but if we could agree on the need, then I would pray that GOD would provide when I returned to America. I did not mention that we used all of our money to pay for the visas, plain fare, gifts to the church and expenditures while there. We would come home empty handed with only the first month bills paid from before hand. Our accounts were on zero and we would have to pray for GOD to move on this need, as well as the other churches we had visited.
Going up stairs to the bedroom in our house back in America we started to pray and lift up the needs for the different churches. As I started to pray and cry out to GOD there seemed to be no answer at all. My wife prayed as well for a long time, but nothing seemed to enter in. Being persistent on the door of heaven I prayed again and the presents of GOD filled the room. We were assured that GOD heard our prayer and that it would be taken care of.
The next day I went to work and was busy when we all were notified that there would be a meeting in the cafeteria in ten minutes. There were no more then twelve of us in the company and so as we gathered to hear what the news was. The president of the company came in and greeted us all kindly. Then he said “the company was just bought out by a big medical company “Stryker”. We were told the legal paperwork would take a month, but that we could expect a check for the vacation that we had, a check for the amount that we contributed to our retirement fund and a portion of the profit from the sale of the company because we were a direct factor in the purchases.
It was hard for me to contain myself because I believed that GOD had not only heard our prayer the day before, but He answered it. I was overwhelmed with joy and could not wait to tell my wife that GOD had answered our prayer when we had earnestly sought GOD’s face. This was GOD’s money and we would give it all to the churches and this would be a great start for all the needs. When I got home and told my wife about how our prayer was answered and that I believe that we should give all the money to the church, she was in favor and gave me a big hug.
Waiting the month for the paper work to be completed was not hard, because we needed to get our finances on track again after a long mission trip. Then one day the boss came by with three checks in his hand and said that they were for me. I looked at the checks and one was exceptionally large, so much so that I took it back to my boss and said, “there must be something wrong, this check is immense.” He told me “that the deal was made, my name was on the check and it was mine”. This was way more then I expected and tried to see why it was so large. By taking what the check was and dividing it by what I made per hour I could see what happened, they paid me for nine weeks of vacation. The five that I went to Belarus and Russia and the four that I had remaining. The deal must have been what we had for vacation from the first of the year, so I was able to take a five-week paid mission trip and then get paid again for the same weeks plus four. I was excited and went home again to show my wife the check and tell her the story. After I said “well, we said we would give it all away to the churches and this will pay for a new minivan and all the rest of the other churches’ needs” all within one month. Thank GOD for answered prayer, He is our provider!!!