Answered ahead of time

The day had been long and hot and filled with various problems. We arrived at the camp for a training seminar to discover there was no refrigeration for food for one hundred for the weekend. Wayne had gone out and found someone who could sell him blocks of ice to keep the meat cool. The cooks had cooked the meat for the next two days ahead of time so it was less likely to spoil. The old standby – Duct tape had helped gain us one small refrigerator when we used it to keep the door that had lost its seal closed.

But now it was after 8 pm and we were tired, we just wanted to sit down and listen to the main speaker for the retreat, Dave Guiles who was speaking about missions. But the cooks in the kitchen had a different idea. One hundred had been expected, but when only 60 showed up there were quite a few leftovers. Three of the cooks had decided that the leftover food needed to be taken back into town and distributed to some of their neighbors. They asked Wayne to take them. It would mean over two hours in the car; I would have to go with him since we have a policy o f men not riding alone with women who are not their wives.

Reluctantly he agreed to take them. As they happily loaded food we wondered if it couldn't just be taken to a closer house and distributed tomorrow. But the cooks said today.

All five of us piled in the car and off we went to Marituba. Just as we arrived at our first house we saw a lady clapping her hands to get the attention of those inside. (like ringing a doorbell in the states, one claps their hands here). All she was asking for was to borrow the equivalent of 50 cents to a dollar. Who was she? A neighbor with seven children who husband was sick and had been unable to work. They had no food and she wanted just enough money to buy a little food for her family. As Neci gave her leftover beans, rice, farinha, salad and meat she smiled. After a few other food packets were left we finished delivering food to several other houses in a different town. But this lady stayed in my mind. She was not a Christian, but she saw displayed Christian love and caring in action. God had answered her knock at the door hours earlier when the cooks had prepared to much food and later decided who to take the leftovers to. Even before we or Neci's neighbor or Neci knew. But God knew, and he had prepared a feast just for her and her family