It seems like just yesterday the summer was arriving, and here we are at the first day of fall. I thought I’d tell you a story about how our large geographical country sometimes seems very small.
Last year, while on vacation, Judy and I visited my daughter and the grand-kids outside of Edmonton, Alberta. It was my first trip to the west, and so we’d planned to visit Beth and the kids, then drive through the Rocky Mountains and ‘couch surf’ at friends’ houses, then go back to Beth’s and eventually drive home. On the Sunday morning of our traveling portion of the trip, Judy had been looking for a church to visit in the Kamloops area. Our criteria was pretty simple: Baptist (of some type), and close to our route of travel. We ended up attending First Baptist in Kamloops, and as we were leaving had the time to talk to the pastor at the door. We learned he was originally from the Maritimes, and had even pastored (many years later) at one of the churches my dad had been pastor. And that was the end of it – we went back on our trip.
On last Sunday morning, almost a year after our trip to the west, I was playing the piano at our church before the service. Judy was doing her social butterfly thing, talking to all the folks coming to service. A new couple walked in and Judy eventually started talking to them. Remember, I’m playing the piano and so I have a vague awareness of folks coming in and talking, so I’d seen the new couple and eventually saw them in conversation with Judy. Later, when the pastor starts the sermon, I leave the piano and head into the congregation to sit with Judy (third row back, end seat, piano side) until it’s time for the closing hymn. As I sat down, Judy leaned over and whispered, “Did you see the new couple sitting in the back?” I said yes, and Judy said, “It’s the pastor from Kamloops and his wife.” Everything clicked and I remembered him. I turned around and looked back and he was looking at me. We both grinned and waved. After church we talked for a while – they were in the area on a nomadic sabbatical for a few days – and we invited them for supper and the evening at our house on Monday evening.
So, to sum up: Judy and I went to a church on the other side of Canada while on vacation about a year ago. Shook hands with the pastor and talked for a few minutes on the way out the door. Didn’t exchange info or even mention the name of the church we attended, since the main topic of conversation was about a church in New Brunswick we had both had attended. A year later, that same pastor and his wife walked into our church on the other end of Canada on Sunday morning.
Coincidence? I don’t think so. I’m sure “It’s In His Plan”.