Our Time is In His Hands

by Kathy Marson - April 6, 2022

Rachel* was tagging along with her husband on a short business trip and while she loved traveling, she had been hesitant to go since she did not know anyone there and she was not sure what she would do. Worried that she would be bored just hanging around the hotel, she wavered back and forth until she felt impressed to purchase her ticket and go.

A friend heard she was going and was excited for her and arranged for Rachel to tour a university for something to do. Rachel liked to plan something special to do each day and she thought this would be fun. For one of her final days, she began to browse the internet to find something else interesting to do.

An article caught her eye that was about Mina*, a student at the university she had toured. She happened to be from the same small country where Rachel grew up. That seemed like an amazing coincidence since Rachel rarely ran into people from that part of the world. She searched for Mina on Facebook and had a strong impression that she needed to find her and reach out to her to see if there was anything she could do to help.

She found Mina on Facebook and sent her a message. She simply asked if she could meet her since she was from her same small country. Rachel knew it was a long shot that she would even answer. So, she prayed that if she should reach out to her that Mina would respond to her message.

To Rachel’s surprise Mina responded immediately and was very excited that someone from her homeland had reached out to her and was willing to meet up. Mina had a short period of time between classes and she set a time and place to meet Rachel.

As Rachel pulled into the meeting place, she found Mina, and they walked toward each other with tears rolling down their cheeks. They felt they were greeting each other for the first time, across the world from where they both grew up. Rachel began to feel at ease about coming with her husband on his trip. This was why she was here.

She asked Mina if she had had lunch. She had. Then she asked if she could buy her some groceries and where she liked to shop. Rachel knew that a student in America from her small country was likely in need.

Mina agreed that some groceries would be okay. Rachel got a large grocery cart and started getting her groceries. Mina had not expected so much generosity and she asked with tears in her eyes, “Are you buying all these groceries for me?” 

Rachel said, “That is correct, I am buying groceries and household items that you need.” 

Mina could hardly believe what was happening and she asked again, “Are you really buying these things for me?” 

Rachel said, “Yes.” 

She cried and said, “You’re an Angel. This morning, we had the last of the bread, juice, and food we had left. I told my sons that we must pray, because we don’t know what we will eat when you get home from school today. We haven’t done laundry for a week because we ran out of laundry detergent.” 

Rachel knew at that moment that this was why she had come on the trip.

She drove to her home and her son helped to bring in the groceries and put them away. He could not believe someone had taken his mom shopping and got her all the things they needed.

Mina told her son, “Rachel is an aunty I met today, and she has brought these groceries to us.”

Her son said, “She’s an angel. I have been praying about our food situation today.”

Rachel was overjoyed, thanking and praising God for this opportunity to help them. She was very emotional to hear of their situation. Mina told Rachel that she was the first person from her home country she met in person here in the United State since she came to the university for studies. 

For Rachel to travel with her husband on a business trip and end up at this location and run into a person from her own small country was such an inspiration. Rachel then offered to come back after classes were over for the day and take the little family of three to dinner. They accepted.

Rachel hoped to take them to a lovely restaurant but they insisted on McDonalds. So that is where she took them. The family was so happy to enjoy a meal with Rachel. They told her, “God answered our prayers and you’re an angel.”

God’s timing is impeccable when we put our time in His hands.

But God was not through surprising Rachel. As she visited with Mina, she heard an amazing story. Seven years earlier Mina had been at a large Pathfinder Camporee in the USA with a club from her small country. The group had arrived without some necessities as they were from a warm climate and the Pathfinder Camporee was in a chilly part of the U.S.

Rachel was there as a part of another Pathfinder Club in the USA and she had heard in advance about a club coming from her home country, so she had brought two full suitcases of warm clothing, sleeping bags, tarps and a couple of tents and water to share with them. She did not know they needed these items. But she learned, upon delivery, that they were needed.  Mina had watched as Rachel hugged some of the Pathfinder leaders as if she knew them (she did).

Mina was remembering this generous gift as Rachel was shopping with her and wondered if this lady could possibly be the same lady from the Pathfinder Camporee.

Mina asked Rachel, “That lady who helped our club was such a blessing. We couldn’t believe she brought us just what we needed. Was that you?”

Rachel recalled that incident with amazement. She said, “Yes, that was me, my husband and son.”

Rachel has kept in touch and helped Mina find others in the USA from her small country so she will no longer feel alone. Rachel knows that God is awesome and can use her to help others anywhere. Even when you don’t know what they need. She also learned that God always answers heartfelt prayers – both her prayer to have something to do, and Mina’s prayer for food. God’s timing is perfect.

*Pseudonyms