“THE DUMPSTER”
Taken from the book “LOVE
STORIES” by Missionary Pat Bates,
After
God’s strength and the Holy Spirit’s guidance got me through
Heath and I knew we had a call placed on our lives by God to go to
Finally, by way of a divine appointment (being in the right place at the
right time by direction of the Holy Spirit), we received an invitation to work
in
I asked my prayer partners to agree with us for such a place to be
manifested. Therefore, I had absolutely
no doubt in my mind, or in my spirit, that God would provide such a place for
us by December 1.
As the last weekend in November approached, I knew I must put “feet” to
my faith. I phoned a good friend, John Redeagle, and asked him if he would take me to collect
packing boxes on Saturday, in his pick-up (my car had transmission
problems). He asked me when I was moving
. . . I said, “Monday.” He then asked me
where I was moving . . . I said, “I don’t know.” Being a “fanatic” for Jesus himself, he just
laughed and said, “You faith people are crazy!”
We both laughed.
He picked me up on Saturday morning, a little later than I expected, and
we started the “box hunt.” We turned
east on a very busy 4-lane street in
We began to load boxes into the back of the pick-up very quickly as the
trash collectors pulled up. As we were
loading, a very pretty Hispanic girl walked up to the dumpster and told me that
she had some very sturdy boxes in her apartment that I could have if I would
help her carry them. So, we walked to
her apartment, leaving John with the trash collectors. During the walk, she asked me where I was
moving to, and I told her that I didn’t know yet, but that God was working on
it. She was excited to meet another
Christian and told me she was from
We got to her apartment and I was very surprised to see that it was empty
except for a small cot she used for a bed.
I was immediately impressed to tell her what God was doing in our lives
and that if God placed us in someone’s home where my furniture was not needed,
I would give it all to her. She was
quiet for a moment, and then very deliberately said, “You can move in here with
me for the three months before you leave.”
I was shocked! (of course, I had not told her that God had promised a rent-free
place to us). I began to pray in my
heart, that God would confirm this “meeting at the dumpster”,
if indeed He had arranged it. I
immediately explained that I had a 13 yr. old son, and she said that was O.K.
with her. Then I asked her how much she
would need in rent for us to share her apartment, and she quickly said, “No,
no, no I would not charge you anything.”
Well, I asked her to come over to my apartment and see if the furniture
was acceptable to her. She and a friend
of hers, Pauline, came over that evening and we had a very nice visit. Not only did we agree on the living
arrangements, but God impressed Pauline to loan me the use of her car so I
could accept temp work for the following week!
That is how Marianella and I met; that is how
God provided for our needs to be met! If
John had not been a “little” late, or if he had not heeded the Holy Spirit’s
prompting to go directly to the dumpster, we could have missed this wonderful
plan.
I know God is smiling over that day, as I often smile when I think about
it, and I am quite sure John does too.
