Blessings in a Keds Box

(Written by Beth Tyson, supporter from Cannon UMC. 

It was sent to us as an e-mail, you can read the details)

 

February 9, 2004

I have a little story for you.  As you both know, Jay Bee (Baker note - Right Hand Person at Cannon UMC – our home church) gave me a few left over cell phones a few weeks ago that I told Walter I would be more than glad to ship to you.  It was at that time that he let me know that he had a "few more" that needed to go along too.  He contacted you and verified that indeed you were still in need of them and that it was best that they be shipped in shoe box or smaller sized boxes. 

Walter and I got a laugh out of that.  Shoe boxes would never be a problem for me to come up with. I am Cannon Church's Certified Shoeaholic.  It's a medical condition though.  I can trace the gene directly to my mother.

The next Sunday we picked up the rest of the phones from Walter and took them over to Nate's (Baker note - Nate is Beth's husband) office to later sort and ship down to you.  I would get to them later.

Monday morning dawned cold (around 32) and raining, perfectly miserable.  I hear that the new asphalt is melting down there.  Anyway, I had a Doctor's appointment and while I was getting ready for my day it dawned on me that maybe I should begin to gather shoe boxes for the cell phones.  I opened my closet and took a look around for a likely shoe box.  I spied a Keds box tucked back under a few sweaters and thought, "you look like a likely candidate."  I pulled the box out and shook it to be sure that it was empty, since I often store shoes back in their boxes, then I opened it. No shoes but something else inside of it made my jaw drop when I saw it! Then I laughed out loud!  There staring up at me was a 2002 copy of Agua de Vida! (Baker note - that's our newsletter mailed out 2-3 times a year.) I have heard people wonder if God laughs.  I know he was laughing last Monday morning when he saw the look on my face.  Especially since I know he was responsible for putting it there! There I was, standing in the middle of the carnage that is my closet with what I had thought was an empty shoe box in my hand.  This box turned out to be anything but empty.  It wasn't just a copy of your Newsletter.  It held a huge message for me. 

Let me just say that God knows that I'm pretty simple minded.  He sometimes has to lead me around by the hand.  He has to get me going with a little push and leaves me a gift at the same time.  He has to let me know that I'm heading in the right direction with something that I've starting.  This was one of those moments.  I got all of that in a shoe box and an old copy of a Newsletter.  He has blessed me with much.

After recovering a moment I called Nate and told him what had just happened.  We decided that we should start the sorting and shipping process that day.  After sorting the phones that had come in since you left it looks like we have around 50 just a "few more".  I haven't counted the car chargers.  Let me just say again we, at Cannon, have been blessed. The others that you can't use we are going to pass on to one of the local charities here that recycles them. 

The first shipment left today via air mail as you instructed.  It includes two shoe boxes, one of them of course being THE CHOSEN KEDS BOX.  Between the two there are about 34 phones.  Nate took them over to the Post Office and was told around 4-7 days in transit.  Another shipment will follow next week. Probably Monday as well. START PRAYING NOW. 

It is my intention to start this e-mail around to my Sunday School Class, Fellowship.Com and beyond in the form of a prayer request.  Please everyone, pray for this shipment of cell phones and the next to reach Ed and Linda so that they can further their mission with them.  Pray for Ed and Linda.  Pray for their Mission in Paraguay.  Pray for the people they mission to.  Forward this to people that you know who will pray and people that you know would like to hear about Ed and Linda.  Forward this to people that you think could use the kind of Good News of Jesus Christ that the Bakers have to bring.

For those of you who don't know who Ed and Linda Baker are or about their mission, check out their website: www.aguadevida.org.  Prepare to be blessed.

Grace and peace,

Beth

Baker note - as of this writing, February 18, 2004, we have not been back to Asunción to check our post office box.  We'll let you know when the phones come in.