FAITH

Missionary Pat Bates, Oklahoma

On the Friday after Thanksgiving in 1986, I returned to Tulsa in an “overflowing” VW Bug, accompanied by Heath and our Shar-Pei.

My job in Arkansas had ended, and after 3 months of looking for another, and exhausting my unemployment benefits, the Lord released me to come back home. I had very limited finances; just enough to rent an apartment and get some basic supplies. I had rented a storage unit in Arkansas and put all of my furniture and belongings in it and drove to Tulsa.

We stayed with my long-time friend, Martha and her family. I awakened on Saturday morning and told Martha I was going out to rent an apartment. She was astonished, and quickly told me that in Tulsa, I could not rent an apartment without having a job, or other proof of income. I just smiled and said, “I will.” I was back after lunch with the keys to my new apartment. She was amazed!

My next project was getting my belongings from Arkansas. I did not have enough money to rent a truck or to pay someone to load and unload it. So, I just gave the situation to the Lord, and kept my confession in line with His word. I also went to church and had a wonderful time seeing old friends. I told Martha I was confident that God would provide a way to get my things to Tulsa by the following Saturday. Again, she was astonished (knowing how much money I had) and quickly told me that I could not expect someone to rent a truck for me and go to Arkansas (a 4 hour drive) and bring my things to me without being paid. She said I should not expect that! I just kept smiling and said, “God will do it by next Saturday.”

On Wednesday, Martha and her husband decided to loan me a chair, a table, and a mattress, and move them into my new apartment so I could begin to set up housekeeping. I knew they believed it would be several weeks, in the natural, before I could “afford” to go to Arkansas and bring my furniture back to Tulsa, and they wanted their household back to normal. I protested, saying that my things would be here on Saturday and I didn’t want them to go to all that trouble for just a couple of days. They were very polite, but moved these things to my apartment on Thursday evening.

Well, I got up on Saturday morning in my new apartment, fully expecting God to move in my situation. I waited by the phone until 12:00 noon, and it rang! It was the husband of my Bible fellowship leader from several years ago. He asked me if I had enough money to buy gas for a trip to Arkansas. I told him I had $55, he said “That’s enough.” He told me to be at his home at 1:30 p.m. and we would leave. I started dancing and singing and praising the Lord with joy for His faithfulness!

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We had everything put into my apartment by 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, and I went to sleep. I did not awaken until 1:00 p.m. the following afternoon, but I phoned Martha and asked her to come and pick up the stuff she loaned me because I had no room for it. She was amazed!

Four months later (March), still without a job or income, my rent was paid and my utilities were current . . . God is so good! We never missed a meal and had enough for company many evenings. Martha was still amazed!

In March, I received a phone call from my oldest son, Matt. He was calling from a doctor’s office in Nashville, where he worked. The doctor had just examined him and told him that he must be admitted to the hospital immediately. Matt had a bleeding ulcer and had lost so much blood that the doctor could barely get a pressure reading. The doctor said if he couldn’t get the bleeding stopped within 24 hours, he would operate, although he was optimistic that surgery would not be necessary. I prayed with Matt and told him that I had peace about it all and he would be fine.

Martha phoned me about an hour later and I told her about Matt’s call. She immediately said that I must go to Nashville. I felt no such urgency in my spirit, and I told her so. Nevertheless, she called back in about 3 hours, telling me that she had raised the money for my plane ticket to Nashville . . . I was amazed, and accepted, yet I still did not feel the necessity for the trip.

Matt and I had the most wonderful visit. He had been serving in the Navy and working away from home several months and I had not seen much of him. I stayed for 10 days. It was wonderful.

One month later, a policeman came to my door informing me of the death of my son, Matt. He had been in a car wreck. If Martha had not heeded the urgent message of the Holy Spirit, I would not have had this wonderful memory.

GOD GIVES US MANY DIFFERENT GIFTS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF DIFFERENT SITUATIONS IN OUR LIVES, IF WE WILL JUST USE OUR FAITH!

THEN WE WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO THANK HIM FOR!!

Rev. Pat Bates

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