Lost, then found

"Or what woman if she has ten silver coins and loses one, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?"

Luke 15:8

On Saturdays the team usually takes a break. Part of the day usually involves going down to the world famous open air market in Otavalo. Because I am such a poor shopper, I usually tag along with Shelia Duncan, shopper extraordinaire. I wanted to buy just a few items. It was a bit cool, so I wore my black jacket instead of my tan vest. While buying a shirt, belt and ring, my hearing aid battery went dead, and I placed my hearing aid in the pocket of my jacket. However, when I returned back at the hotel one hour later, I could find it nowhere. I checked and rechecked the three pockets of my jacket many times. As I checked all of my room, I despaired of finding it.

Shelia and I decided that I probably dropped my hearing aid while shopping that morning. We were to go to an event at church that afternoon, so we could retrace our steps from that morning. The day had warmed up, so I wore my tan vest. We searched the clothing stand where I had bought a shirt, questioned 2-3 proprietors, and even investigated the dirt alongside the curbs, but alas we did not find it. Shelia decided to lift up a quick prayer of trust and request that we find the hearing aid. Suddenly, she asked what was the tiny object clinging to the Velcro on the exterior of my vest. And there, believe it or not, was my hearing aid!!! I was dumb-founded, and have concluded that it was a gift from God! I have rejoiced several times since, telling the story to all.

Also in Luke 15 it says that the angels in heaven rejoice more over finding one lost person than they do over the 99 who have already been found. Could it be that our Father is trying to impress upon us His strong desire for more people to come to know Him?

Impressed by His might,
Tim