A Beautiful story (inspirational)

[Guest guest]

This beautiful story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa.

==================================================== One night I had worked

hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite

of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a

crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive,

as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator)

We also had no special feeding facilities.Although we lived on the equator,

nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for

the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be

wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle.

She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it

had burst

(rubber perishes easily in tropical climates).

"And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no

good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no

good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are

no drugstores down forest pathways.

"All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and

sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is

to keep the baby warm." The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have

prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave

the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about

the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough,

mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it

got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying

because her mother had died.

During prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt

conciseness of our African children.

"Please, God" she prayed, "Send us a hot water bottle today. It'll be no

goodtomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this

afternoon."

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while

You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll

know You really love her?" As often with children's prayers, I was put on the

spot. Could I honestly say "Amen"? I just did not believe that God could do

this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there

are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer

would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland.

I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever,

received a parcel from home.

Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I

lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses'

trainingschool, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By

the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a

large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the

parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the

string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to

tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or fortypairs of eyes were

focused on the large cardboard box.

From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as

I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients,

and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and

sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped

it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle.I cried.

I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth

was in the front row of the children.

She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent

the dolly, too!"

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small,

beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone!

She had never doubted!

Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you and give this dolly tothat

little girl, so she'll know that God really loves her?" Of course,I replied!

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by myformer

Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God'sprompting to send a

hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of thegirls had put in a dolly

for an African child - five months before, inanswer to the believing prayer of

a ten-year-old to bring it "thatafternoon."

"Before they call, I will answer." (Isaiah 65:24)

When you receive this, say the prayer. That's all you have to do. No strings

attached. Just send it on to whomever you want - but do send iton.

Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot

of rewards. Let's continue praying for one another.

This awesome prayer takes less than a minute.

Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this.

I ask You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your

peace and mercy.Where there is self-doubting, release a renewed confidence to

work through them.

Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to givethem understanding,

guidance, and strength. Where there is fear, reveal Your love and release to

them Your courage. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise

up leaders and friends to support and encourage them. Give each of them

discernment to recognize the evil forces around them and reveal to them the

power they have in You to defeat it.

Sourced from the Internet