Those Who Say “It Cannot Be Done”
Should Not Interfere With Those Doing
It!
Taken from the book
“LOVE LETTERS” – by Missionary Pat Bates
There were only
eight of us in my mission’s class. We were excited and determined. We were in
We had planned to make this trip since the
first week of school and had our itinerary pretty well developed. There were
three awesome miracles that took place for me personally. I would like to share them with you . . .
The first was a visit to a local nursing home. In
We had been ministering and loving these
gracious older people when I heard a stirring from behind me. As I turned to
look, I will never forget the sight of the lady from the garden, pulling her
body along the hallway by her elbows, smiling brightly as she approached. She was so excited by the prospect of
visitors, she wanted to wash her hands before coming to meet us, so she wouldn't get us dirty by shaking our hands. This took
her a very long time to accomplish for she had no legs. She was bright and loving, and full of
joy! We asked her what could give her .
. . she asked if we could give slippers to her roommate, her feet got very cold
at night. I began to cry at her request
for slippers for another when she had no feet.
I also realized the Lord can bring us all the joy we need,
we really don't need “things.”
The second was a planned visit to the large
men's prison in Quezaltanango. This was most special
to us because the Director of our school had been there before and had given an
inmate the shoes off his feet. He wanted us to locate this man, if we could,
and give greetings from him.
As we arrived at the prison, we were faced with a great dilemma. The prisoners had been rioting and many had
been decapitated, and their bodies brought to the gate night after night. The
guards had not even entered the exercise yard since the riots had begun, and
the Warden refused to let us go in.
We discussed this between ourselves, and decided we had been given a
mandate from God to meet the spiritual needs of these men and we were going to
do it! We dug our heels in, and told the
Warden that we would not leave until we ministered in this prison. He looked at
us with much disgust and an expression that said, "Stupid old Gringo
women." We just smiled and sat down
to wait for him to change his mind. After one hour and forty minutes of us
staring at him, he said we could go in, but we could not carry anything in with
us. So, we gave him our purses,
passports, etc., and headed for the gate of the exercise yard. He was very nervous!
Our Director had told us about a little stucco
chapel in the middle of the yard, so we headed in that direction. The men began
to close in around us and tried to intimidate us (it kinda
worked). When we got to the chapel, I began to teach on forgiveness; from God,
of others and for ourselves. The men were hanging in through the holes in the
walls, called windows, and there were a couple hundred more outside in the
yard. I then began to call for those
wanting prayer for their loved ones and families outside the prison . . . over
100 came and knelt to receive prayer for those they loved but couldn't help.
After the alter call and salvation of many, we
were asked to hold a baptism service. The only place available was the little
baptismal in the chapel and it was full of stagnant water. We tried to explain
that it wouldn't be good for them to be immersed in that water, but they
insisted! I realized later they knew they could be the next victim of a
machete, and a little stinkin' water didn’t bother
them. So, we baptized all who asked, and
then requested the men to leave the chapel so we could give a prayer of
thanksgiving for what God had
done in their lives before we left.
As we opened the doors to make our way back to
the gate, we saw a frightening sight. The men were lined up outside with a
narrow walkway cleared only wide enough for us to walk single file to the gate.
We didn't know what to think, but I can assure you, we all reminded ourselves
of why we had come, and each of us were praying in tongues with great energy as
we began our exit. I was the third in line and noticed the ladies in front of
me bending over and picking something up. Soon I realized the men were laying
down their machetes, allowing us to take them away. What an honor they had
bestowed upon us! They were trusting us with their
lives, because all those machetes were not for murdering, but most were for
defense against those who were murdering.
We believed all who laid down their weapons
and defenses that day are walking under the Lord's protection and mercy.
We never saw the inmate who received the
Director's shoes . . . we were told he had been murdered several weeks earlier.
The warden was, to say the least, speechless
when we deposited the machetes on his desk and floor. I don't think he will
ever say, "It can't be done by little, old, gray haired Gringo
ladies," but he might say,
"Don't mess with God's old ladies.”
The third miracle was a very personal one. I had not been
obedient to drink enough water, and because of the altitude and heat, had
become dehydrated. My heart was beating
much faster than it should, and the Director of the mission, where we were
staying, suggested that I see their doctor.
It was very hard for me to watch the other seven ladies leave the next
morning while I stayed behind to see a doctor, but I did.
The doctor spoke very little English, and I
speak just enough Spanish to get myself in trouble! But, we were able to communicate. He gave me electrolytes to drink and told me
to come back the next morning. He said he would give me antibiotics if he had
any. I just smiled and gave him the prescription I had brought with me. He gave me 3 days worth and I told him to
keep the rest. He was so excited to have
them, as they are very expensive and practically unattainable there.
I went back the next morning as he had requested. As I waited for him to finish, I could hear
him speaking to his patient about an injection he was about to give her. The
patient was very frightened and let out a yell as the needle went in. I went to the door just in time to see tears
coming from the doctor's eyes. It was so
painful for him to have caused this little lady pain,
he cried . . . I have never seen such
compassion.
As we were going back to the airport, one of
the
How greatly God changes
our lives when we
surrender to Him!!
