People
Something
Throughout the day, all I could do was pray and watch God's gift of miracles unfold. First, Linh showed up. I heard her calling as she spotted me over the heads of the crowd. "Edy, Edy, Edy!" I recognized the sound of her voice, totally surprised to find her there. Tears quite literally squirted from her eyes as I made my way to her side. Her three little girls clustered around her.
"Oh, when you go, I so scare' I sit down and cry. Then a man came. He say 'Why you cry?' I tell him. He say 'Show me your papers!' Then he say 'You have everything you need. Go to the airport!'" She waved her billfold. "I leave my suitcases. This is all I have, my ID card and my children."
My final days in Saigon, April 1975, I'd spent talking with people standing in line at the U.S. Embassy, trying to figure out where and how to help. Linh, at least, had an American husband waiting in the States and her green card. Widowed when her Vietnamese husband had been killed, she had managed to collect the papers identifying her children from her first marriage as her own, to satisfy the immigration authorities. I had done everything I could think of to do to help her and her friend Dinh. Dinh had only a fiance waiting in the USA. Anxious to save her little three-year-old daughter, she had offered her to me to take, if she herself couldn't escape. My heart ached as my American traveling companion warned that we had to leave, now. "If they bomb the runway at Tan Son Nhut, we're stuck. And I don't even want to think about what that could mean" he told me. But, I grieved, my work isn’t finished yet!
The next thing I knew, Linh (who had been busy inprocessing through the long lines of refugees trying to get out of the country) found me again. To my astonishment, Dinh and her child stood in front of me, along with a guard from the gate. "Tell him it okay for Dinh to be here." Linh ordered.
"I don't understand," I replied. Linh continued, "He say if you say it okay, Dinh can stay."
What an offer! "It's certainly okay with me!" I said. The Vietnamese guard smiled, gave a little bow and left us. Now what? Dinh had no papers! The Lord would have to make a way. And, Jesus never fails! (A long story for another day.)
In the deepening twilight, I paced the pavement outside the terminal, wrestling in prayer. I needed one more miracle and I knew curfew would begin at nine o'clock. If I couldn't relay the information I had before then, all might be lost for one more Vietnamese family in danger.
"Lord, you got the Israelites through the Red Sea. It's not too big a task for you to get the Lee family through the gates of the airport." Then, "Lord, even if the Lees can't make it tonight, let somebody from the Protestant Church get here in time so I can tell them what's happening...." I had managed to reach the Christian and Missionary Alliance pastor by phone, but didn't dare tell him what I knew over the unsecured line. Instead I had asked him to come.
As if in response, I heard the still small Voice gently chiding me, "Are you ready to get out of the way, now, and let Me work?"
A quarter to nine, through the purple shadows, I recognized the white sedan approaching. My joy knew no bounds. Minutes later I heard the call for those on the next flight manifest to board, including me.
Everyone, that the Lord gave me to help, eventually made it out of Vietnam to safety. Everything accomplished was of God. All I could take any credit for was that God put me there, a channel through which He worked. And, when nothing was humanly possible, He did the impossible. He took my nothing and made something out of it.
As I recall this eventful day and other adventures the Lord has given me, I'm reminded of the lyrics for the Gaither song: "Something beautiful, something good, All my confusion, He understood. All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife. But, He made something beautiful of my life."
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” ---Luke 11:13 NIV
Copyright 2010 by Edy T Johnson
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
What a wonderful story of God's divine intervention you've written, dear Edy...and, how much more wonderful it is to know it's true. Bless you, for allowing Him to use you as His channel to help others.
Edy! What a life you've lived! I hope I can keep learning to grow in faith and get out of the way and let God work. Beautiful!
What a beautifully told story. I enjoyed every word. One would think that we would get used to the idea that our nothings and our troubles become something beautiful when left in His hands.
Congratulations! This has been chosen to be highlighted on the Message Boards in the Cheering Section. You can see it by clicking here: FaithWriters Jewel Chest
Oh, Edy, my friend! Once again you have related a true story, masterfully told, that reminds us all of how close our God is. I liked that still voice reminding you to get out of the way and watch the Lord work. How many times must we all be reminded to do that. This is a great lesson to pass on. Thanks for sharing.
I sought for something to respond. But in the end, I had to get out of the way and let the Lord work. Thank you. By His Grace.
I like hearing about God's perfect timing. Thank you.
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 1718 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Edy T Johnson or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 1718 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.