The last day of our trip was the drive home, and as I said yesterday, it was another eventful ride home. It did not snow on us on our way home, although we did encounter a steady rain at times. But there was one very scary moment during our trip home. We had traveled for around 4 hours and had arrived in Kansas City, ready to take our first break and get something to eat. We had our GPS programmed to take us to a restaurant for lunch, but we never made it there.
We were driving down the interstate when our leader yelled out in shock and asked that we pull over immediately. Those of us who were not paying attention to the road at the time were shocked and wondered what had happened. She then told us she just saw a wreck and that we needed to help this person. So we pulled over and noticed that the car was still running and there was someone inside. She slowly climbed out of the car, a nervous wreck. We brought her to our van and sat and talked with her for a while. We found out that she had lost control in the rain, apparently on the road above us (for we were under a bridge). She had come off that road, down the ramp (not an exit ramp) and almost entered into the traffic below. Amazingly, her car was not damaged and she was not hurt. She needed to get to the airport, so we offered to take her there. But she did not want to leave her car, so she drove and we followed to make sure she got there safely.
Obviously our lunch plans were put to the side at this point for her safety was far more important. We had her number and kept in touch. As we got close to the airport, she called thanking us for our help and told us that she was fine now. So she went to board her plane, and we left for lunch. We knew it was God at work that we were at that spot at that moment. Our leader saw the wreck, offered to help this woman, and was eventually able to share the gospel with her. We continued on our way home and made good timing. We were outside St. Louis when we stopped again for supper in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.
We ended up finding a random restaurant that was really good and had the opportunity to communicate with this lady we met again. We looked around this old city for about an hour (again going to another random church to see inside). As we got back on the road, ready to make the final push home, our leader sent a text to that woman. She had said earlier in the day that she thought she was going to die, so we let her know that we believed that Jesus spared her life. Our leader then asked if she could call her and talk to her sometime. The lady did not respond for a while, and we wondered if that had scared her off. But several minutes later, she did respond and said she would love to talk. So our leader called the next day, after we gotten home, and shared the gospel with her. Although she did not receive Christ then, our leader is staying in touch. The lady still wants to talk about this and our leader may have found a church in her area that she could attend.
It is amazing how God works things out when we remain obedient to Him. This situation reminds me of the importance of always living a life that is centered around the gospel. No matter the situation, the gospel should ALWAYS be at the forefront of our minds. It is the greatest news in the world, and we should never hesitate to talk about it. I may no longer be in Hays, but that does not mean that my work for Christ stops. I can serve Him here in Jackson as well. Most of the time the ride home from a trip such as this has the feel that the trip is over. As a result we do not always look for those opportunities on that last day. This instance reminds me that the "trip" is never over. Our work is 24/7, whether we are at home, on vacation, or on a mission trip such as this. We must spread God's word and always be on the look out for these opportunities.
So as you might have gathered we did arrive home safely that night. I then turned around and traveled for another hour to get home for Easter. Now, a week and a half after the trip, I am still praying for those we met in Hays. Please pray for the Challenge students as they continue to serve God on their campus, sharing the gospel with their fellow students. Pray for Cheryl and Linda in particular, two people we met along the way who are not Christians. Cheryl is the girl one of our team members spoke with on Thursday. Linda is the woman mentioned above. Pray for Li, the Chinese student who is trying to get involved somewhere. Pray that Challenge will offer him a place to get plugged in. Thanks for your prayers while we were in Hays, but please pray for the harvest. The work is not done there, and I am so glad that Challenge is there to spread God's word daily!
Matt
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