Good morning everyone. I hope you all had a good night’s rest and are ready for another day.
A few weeks I sent out an email and I think I typed the same thing in the subject line. I want to tell you about another phone call.
Twenty-two years ago today, about 2:30 in the afternoon, I got a phone call from the woman my children were staying with. It was a Friday and had been snowing since about 10:00; the kids got out of school early and they got off the bus at the sitter’s. TJ was really old enough to go home by himself, but since the weather was getting so bad, I didn’t want him to do that. I was up to my eyeballs at work and I remember Melvin, my boss, was standing by my desk helping me with a tax return. The phone rang and the other lady in the office answered it. She told me it was for me and I asked her to see if I could return the call in a few minutes. Then she said it was my babysitter and she needed to talk to me right away. Well, naturally my heart just jumped right up into my throat. I took the call and her words scared me to death…..she couldn’t find my boys. TJ, Raymond and one of their friends, that also stayed with her, had gone outside shortly after getting to her house. This was not unusual. The neighborhood had several houses, everyone knew everyone else so she wasn’t too worried about them playing outside, sometimes they even played in the woods across the road. When she went out to call them in for lunch, she couldn’t find them. She called her husband, who was working about a mile down the road, and he came home, looked all around and couldn’t find them either. By then, she was getting really concerned, called the sheriff’s office and called me. I told her I would be there just as soon as I could get there.
I told Melvin what had happened – he said GO! I made a phone call to my Pastor and told him what had happened and he said he would meet me at my house. I really don’t remember much about my trip to Manns Harbor, but I do remember as I went across the bridge that I was praying. I asked God to please save the boys. I didn’t make promises that I would do this, or that , I did not try to make any deals….I just asked Him to save the boys. I remembered that TJ had on an old “leather” flight jacket and Raymond had left his coat at home that morning and only had on a t-shirt with ¾ length sleeves and a sweatshirt. It had been snowing really hard since it had started. There was already several inches on the ground and it was still coming down. I went to the sitter’s house; still no sign of the boys. I went home to put on some warmer clothes and was just about ready to go back out the door when my phone rang. I remember putting my hand on the receiver and telling myself to be calm and asking God to help me. I have to admit I really didn’t want to answer that phone. I was so scared it would be the sheriff or someone giving me bad news. But, I answered it and it was the sitter telling me they had been found and were okay. I hung up and hurried back to her house. I was so glad to see them. They were scared, scratched, wet and very cold, but thankfully all right.
After we got them warmed up some they told their story. They had gone outside to play for a while and wandered into the woods across the road. They never meant to go so far, but they just lost their way. TJ was a Boy Scout and knew how to find the sun and get his bearings; but there was no sun to find. They wandered around for about 2 hours and finally stopped under a tree. The other boy with them had on a heavy coat. They all laid down, TJ opened his coat and pulled Raymond inside and closed it around them as best as he could. None of them were aware of how dangerous this could have been with night just a few hours away. TJ insists they never feel asleep. But the man who found them said he started calling their names as soon as he saw them and he was almost on top of them before they got up.
I had lived in Dare County for 15 years at the time this happened but had lived in Manns Harbor for only a year. It was an awesome feeling to realize how people, some virtually strangers, pulled together to help in time of need.
I need to mention one more thing. I was a new Christian. I was saved in May, 1988. It hadn’t even been a year. But, I was sure God would answer my prayer. Our lives could have so easily been changed that day. I could have lost the two people that are most precious to me. But God spared them and me. My God is an awesome God.
I hope all of you have an absolutely great day.
Brenda
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