Santa Claus, IV’s and Missions

Everywhere I look in the Word…I find Him.  I find peace.

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.   My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;The humble shall hear of it and be glad.   Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.  Psalm 34:1-3

Even when the day doesn’t go as we plan….we need to take a deep breath…it’s according to His plan.  That is hard to do when we prize our plans so highly!  I mean–we PLANNED…worked it all out in our minds and likely even decorated the plans!  Right?

Lately, I have learned a valuable lesson– I use the phrase my Mamo used all her Christian life, “If the LORD wills, we will do this or do that”….every thing she planned on left room for God to make changes.  She had peace and daily rested inside that nook of easy breathing…the crook of His arm.

We had “intentions” of being in language school in January, but after receiving a phone call from one of my oncologists, and a followup letter with further explanation, that it’s for “my good”, I realized this was God at work. So, there are next language classes that take place 2017 and we will catch the next ride… Even in this deal with breast cancer, we have met so many in the medical field that have been so encouraging and positive about our assignment–they must have put it in my chart that we were headed out on assignment for the KING, because every single doctor has said, “this won’t hold you up”.

I can’t remember if I shared this with you or not, but my surgeon, Dr. Randall Nichols in Dothan, AL was one of the surgeons on my 2nd mission trip to Honduras!  I enjoyed meeting him then, his wife and daughter, as they spent themselves for others on the mission field (every year)- so knowing he was my surgeon for this event made my heart glad.

The second person I met that day was Santa Claus.  Truly.  He is the real-deal-Santa who gives and shares his life each year with children in hospitals, adults in nursing homes and more.  He is the Hospital Santa for the employees children and he is the resident IV Santa, meaning he works for the anesthesia group.  He showed me pictures of his grands and told me stories and kept my mind occupied instead of worrying.  When I was wheeled back to the waiting runway for surgery, I was stretched out waiting-and the worries commenced.  Santa must have known his next assignment was me–because he pulled up a chair and started talking.  As he began to start my IV, he laughed and said I guess everyone can’t say that Santa Claus starts their IV.  I laughed and said it would make quite a blog!

I shared our mission- and what God had been doing in our lives as we have gone to Bolivia year after year and maintained the connections with each church and villages that we’ve worked in.  God did all that for us.  That was HIS idea and plan.  And it’s not over.

After Santa Claus got up and moved on to the next patient, the young nurse who was had been assigned to start mine came over.  She asked me who did my IV and I told her Santa Claus. She smiled and looked over at him with the next patient–she knows him well.  She looked so familiar.

I asked her name, told her she looked familiar–as sometimes we see people often in Walmart and then the face remains familiar.  But she had a different familiar look.  So I jumped out on a limb…. “Did you go to Honduras in 2013?”  She said, “Yes I did!” with a bright smile!  Then she told me her mission experience.  My surgery was wrapped up in mission people.  God had me in the right place at the right time.  He even included Santa Claus.

They are worth it. God is sending us for these and many more like them.

Both my oncology doctors have expressed complete confidence in this journey and the outcome.  And that we will be on the mission field leading lives to Jesus in no time at all.  We are needing more monthly partners…are you interested?

Yes, the enemy has tried his best tactics–from inadequate monthly support to sickness-but let me remind him and you….God gave us the orders, the burden on our heart and the call in our lives…and until God says otherwise, we are moving forward with all His plans.

What’s so special about Bolivia?  Our heart landed there in 2011 and never left.  We’ve both been to other countries, but this one–this one got into our skin and heart and we feel a kinship with the friend we met there.

Santa Claus can’t get us there.

But God can and will through every supporter and contribution.

If you are interested in  helping, click this link.  If you can’t right now, surely you can pray?  We need such prayer warriors fighting and storming on our behalf.

Today, after my first round of chemo, they attached the “turtle pack” as my doctor referred to it.  It will do the next necessary step…I thought of my friend @BarbaraKeene and knew her turtle pack was loaded down with prayers…for many people.  Friends and strangers.

My daughters have a special group of ladies who are praying and fasting each week–and I feel and have faith in the power of their prayers.  I have been so amazed at the cards and notes of encouragement.  Some cards have been filled with Scripture verses and I’ve looked up every single one.  Wrote them out in my prayer journal and noted who sent it.  There is Power in those words.  Santa Claus didn’t write it…The Holy Spirit operating through man did.

This was not meant to be a big devotional blog–just more of an update for our family/friends who have been wondering.  God is faithful.  I don’t know what you are facing today–but God is more than able to be right with you and He will even put people in your path to let you KNOW that you’re on the right path.  Did you read about the mission doctors and nurse?  Yes.  HE did that.

He will do for you…because HE loves YOU.

© Angie Knight- The Knightly News. All rights reserved. Photographs unless otherwise noted are property of Angie Knight. All rights reserved.