Many airplanes and a vacuum miracle

How is it May already!? I guess the saying is true: time flies when you're...swamped with work and running in 12 directions at once. :-) But busy is good! Last month we traveled to both Panama City, Panama and Iquitos, Peru and had an excellent time on both coverages and were blessed immensely by the people we were with. If I were better at juggling life with keeping up with my blog, I would have told you all sorts of awesome stories of the people that we met and the crazy things we did and saw. But, we are about to travel yet again, so I will have to leave you with an IOU for travel stories. In fact, I'm about to travel a whole bunch in short succession, so I appreciate your prayers for stamina, health, and traveling mercies! 

Between today and mid-July I will only be in Lima about 17 full days. That means I have a great deal of projects and work to finish in a very small amount of time during periods of post- and pre-travel stress. But I really can't complain! This week we head to the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda for a coverage, and shortly after we return I'll be heading home to the good ol' U.S. of A. where I'll have the privilege of serving as Maid of Honor to my dear friend, Della, as she walks down the aisle and begins a new chapter in her life. Then a week after I return from the States, we head off to Suriname! Eeeee! Lots of excitement and craziness ahead! Please keep me in your prayers... especially for some extreme time management skillz. :-)

Take a minute and read this neat story about my friends, the Kunkels. They are precious people and I'm so excited for the feature story about their son, Steven, to be published. God has done awesome things in their lives and they give Him all the glory!

God ‘heals’ vacuum

ASUNCION, Paraguay – While at a pastors’ retreat with her husband, Iracema Kunkel called home to check on her son. What he said didn’t make her happy.

Kunkel’s son Steven, who is autistic, told her he forgot to plug the 110-volt vacuum cleaner into the step-down transformer while doing his chores. The new vacuum – a gift from a family friend – now was burned beyond use. And there were no replacement parts available for it in Paraguay, where the Kunkels serve as International Mission Board missionaries.

“But Mom,” Steven insisted, “I prayed kneeling down by the vacuum cleaner. God can heal it!”

“God does not heal vacuum cleaners!” Kunkel responded, frustrated.

When the Kunkels returned home, they plugged the vacuum into the transformer and turned it on. They got nothing but a strong burning smell.

The next morning during her devotional time, Kunkel read this verse: “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’” (Matthew 9:13, NIV).

She was reminded of all her own faults and realized she needed to forgive her son for his mistake.

Later, before calling an electrician, the Kunkels decided to try the vacuum cleaner one more time. To their surprise, it worked!

“At that moment, all the pieces came together,” Kunkel said. “God desires mercy, not sacrifice. And He cares and hears our prayers about everything, even damaged vacuum cleaners!”




You can read more stories here from the American Peoples Affinity.