I just had the most incredible experience, but before I can explained what happened, I need to backtrack to last night.
As we were wrapping up a wonderful New Year’s Eve service at church and getting ready to go home, I thought I would check my cell phone to see if there were any missed calls, Happy New Year wishes, etc. I had received one text message from a number I didn’t recognize. Whoever left this message was not somebody that I had in my address book. The text wished me a Happy New Year and urged me to send this on to 15 of my best buds, so that I would have a good new year. It also mentioned if I didn’t do this that I wouldn’t have a good 2011. I just thought to myself, “this has got to be a wrong number”, and I quickly brushed it aside until the next morning. Late this morning, around 10 or 11, I was telling my daughter about this text I got from somebody in Oregon that was probably a wrong number. She suggested that I text the person and ask them who they are. So I just sent a text that said, “I’m not sure I know who you are. Could you please identify yourself?” The person responded back that her name was Terri from Oregon and she mentioned that she was a friend of some guy that I do not know. I texted back and told her that I didn’t know a Terri from Oregon, but Happy New Year anyhow. She then texted back and asked if I knew this guy she mentioned. I texted back and told her no, my name is Carol, and I live in California. She texted me back and named a city in California where she used to live. I told her that I was about 25 miles from that city, and then I felt like the Lord prompted me to ask something. I mentioned a particular church in that city, told her the pastor there was a friend of ours and asked if she knew where it was. She responded that she did and had a sister that lived right down the street from that church. I said “small world, isn’t it?”, and then I asked her if she went to church in Oregon and told of of 2 friends we have up in Oregon and how we had visited their churches. It turns out she lives 10 minutes away from one of the cities I mentioned. I texted her back and asked, “Wrong number or is this a God thing? Anyway, to make a long story a little shorter, we conversed through texting for a good hour. She mentioned that she felt like this was a sign from God, and she may end up visiting the church in McMinnville that I mentioned to her. (Naomi, if you’re reading this, it’s your church!) One of her sons actually lives right down the street from the church, and she passes by it all the time! I started a conversation with this woman as a total stranger and had made a friend by the time we were done. She wants to keep in touch. There is no telling what God is going to do. You just never know!
