Two months ago Richie and I traveled to NYC. We took a 4:10 bus that morning from Allentown and were in the
city before 6:00. Richie was scheduled
for ambulatory surgery at Sloan-Kettering.
God used 3 special people to help guide us through that long day. Once in the city we had to get from Sloan on 53rd Street to the
hospital on York Ave.
and 67th. The guard at the front desk at
53rd told us that it was too early for the Sloan shuttle to be operating. We would have to take the subway or a
taxi. This is when we met Roy . He had been talking to the guard. He said to us, “I am going that way; I will
get you on the right train”. He was
immediately bold in the witness of his Christian faith. As we stood by the ticket window at the train
station to get our transit authority card, Roy went into his backpack and pulled out his
small Bible which was neatly protected in a plastic bag. He opened it to Psalm 103, handed it to me,
and told me to read it. He told us how
special that chapter was to him and had been to other members of his
family. I read out loud, “Bless the
Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, Bless His Holy Name!” Verse 3 said, “Who forgives all your
iniquities, who heals all your diseases”.
I knew the Lord was walking with us.
Roy
traveled with us until we had to change trains.
He told us how much he loved the Lord and that his mission was to share
his faith by helping others. He directed
us to our train connection and then continued on his way traveling on another
line. He wished God’s blessings on our
day and lives and we did the same to him.
We will never cross each others paths again but God had him intersect
our lives on that November day.
The second person who connected us to God was the person we
call “The little church lady”. She
appeared just as Richie was going to be taken to the operating room. She asked if she could say a prayer for
him. She lifted up to God such a sweet
meaningful prayer asking Him for protection and healing for Richie and for
peace for me. She knew that the staff
was waiting to transport him but she did not rush her words. The staff very respectively stood by until
the prayer was completed. It was a special
moment and we will always remember that peaceful pause for prayer before his
surgery that day. We were in the right
place and God was with us.
The third angel whom God placed in our lives that day was
the taxi driver who drove us from the hospital back to Port Authority. Richie’s surgery went well and he was
discharged to go home about 1:15. It was
two days before Thanksgiving and the city was bustling with people and
traffic. Joseph, our taxi driver, was
Haitian. He loved to talk and was so
considerate and pleasant. We told him that
we were hoping to catch the 2:00 bus back to Allentown so we could get to the Kennel to
pick up our dog, Molly, before the Kennel closed at 5:00. He tried so hard to get us there in time and
succeeded. He knew just the right route
to take to bypass some of the traffic congestion and was able to drop us off at
the 9th Avenue entrance to Port authority just minutes before the bus departed. We were very grateful to Joseph for his
timing, encouragement, and driving expertise.
We thank the Lord for seeing us through that day, for a
successful surgery, and for the three kind people He placed in our lives to
light up our way. When I look back on
Richie’s day of surgery, Psalm 103 will always come to mind. I will continue to “Bless the Lord, O my
soul; and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name!” God is the Great Physician. He forgives our sins, heals our diseases,
directs our path, and guides our steps.
He places people in our lives to help us on our physical and spiritual
journeys. Lord, bless them as they have
blessed us. May you be glorified in each of our lives!
