Thought for the week: “Ask and you shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened”…..

Late last week, the Mission was able to network with our NGO partners, and we were able to procure enough food to feed 6000 children for the rest of the year,  in spite of the violence and unrest in Nicaragua…..

Now, it’s time for the “rest of the story”.

I do NOT believe events unfold accidentally.  I DO believe that there is a greater plan than any of us individually.  I DO believe in miracles and angels and I DO believe in intercession prayers to the God I believe in.

And so, a couple years ago, Carol Herring and I were discussing the dream of expanding the present feeding program of the Mission so we could feed more children.  In the midst of this discussion, Carol’s mother, Grace (now deceased) told Carol, “Carol, you and Sr. Debbie cannot feed the whole world”.  At about the same time, Sr. Stephanie told me, “Debbie, you and Carol have great dreams but you can’t feed the whole world”.  Hmmmmm- true, but in our own ways, both Carol and I realized that, while they were right, we sure were going to try and feed as many as we could!  There was no limit to our hope….or our forbearance.

Then, a few weeks ago, at about the same time the crisis in Nicaragua exploded, Sr. Steph told me one morning that she had had a dream about Carol’s mom.  The dream, succinctly, was that Grace was knocking on our door, saying to Steph:  “Open the door, it’s Carol’s mom.  Open the door, it’s Carol’s mom.”  And in the dream, of course, Steph opened the door.

Meanwhile, during the past couple of weeks, Carol and I have had multiple conversations about “not giving up” and “finding an alternative solution” to the reality that we can’t ship food containers right now due to the violence in Nicaragua.  In a manner reminiscent of Steph’s dream, Carol went knocking on doors.

The same day that Carol was knocking on one of these NGO doors last week, Steph was undergoing some more medical procedures and Steph shared with me that she knew how stressful it was for Carol and me not to be able to find a solution so we could continue to feed over 6,000 children as we had promised.  Steph told me she prayed through the intercession of Grace that morning and was offering up her medical issues for the sake of the children…something she’s always done.  Steph asked, trusting in the scripture phrase that has Jesus reminding us, “Ask and you shall receive”…..

I kept being drawn back to Grace’s comments of a couple years ago, just before she died…and while we all laughed then about the reality:  “Of course we know we can’t feed the entire world”, I wasn’t ready to just give up…and yes, a deep sadness crept into my heart as I envisioned us having to tell the children we could no longer feed them.

In fact, I find myself drawn back to that conversation with Grace and Carol and Stephanie quite frequently.  There were many restless nights and numerous conversations and emails with our NGO partners, and then the phone call came, the same day Steph was undergoing her medical procedures…while I was sitting in surgical waiting room.  Carol called to tell me that one of our NGO’s was able to network with us and we’d have enough food (580,000 meals) to feed the 6,000 children in our 24 sponsored schools till the end of this year, while we continue to explore other sustainability options in country……  “Knock and the door shall be opened”.

“Ask and you shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened” (Luke 11:9 and Mt. 7:7).  Never doubt the power of persistent prayer, intercessors, angels and a God who is able to open doors we’d never be able to open alone.

A story of food, a story of hope, a story of miracles and angels and intercessors.  AMEN, ALLELUIA….and ALWAYS LIVE AND BE HOPE…whenever, however, wherever you can because we are all called to be the transforming power of hope!

Sr. Debbie Blow