Many years ago my wife and I traveled with a team of adults to eastern Europe. Our church had developed a partnership with a several churches in the area. We appreciated our hosts and their faithful ministry in a small village about an hour outside a large city.
Our team used a variety of activities to connect with children, teens and adults in this small village. We worked together with church friends to provide daily Bible classes for the children and recreational events for the teens. Participants also enjoyed music, crafts and snacks.
At the end of the busy week our hosts drove us to a nearby river for an afternoon of swimming and relaxation. I brought my swim trunks and a towel so I could join the others in the refreshing cool water. There was no place to change clothes so I walked a short distance into some trees and brush to put on my swim trunks. I carried my clothes back to our campsite and jumped in the water.
Later when I was relaxing with others on the riverbank I realized something was missing. I always wore a Fanny Pack around my waist when I traveled overseas. However, I had removed it when I changed clothes in the bushes and hung it on a tree branch. Suddenly I realized I had left the Fanny Pack where I had changed into my swim trunks. Did I mention that I was carrying all of our team’s passports, paper plane tickets and cash in my Fanny Pack? I had a sinking feeling that I had lost all of these valuable items.
I casually left the picnic site by the water and walked back to the place where I had changed clothes. My mind raced with questions. What would we do if the Fanny Pack was gone? How would we replace the passports and plane tickets? I had heard people walking through the area and imagined someone might have discovered the Fanny Pack I had left hanging on the tree branch. I prayed a quick prayer. It took a few minutes to find the place where I had changed clothes. What a relief to find the Fanny Pack still hanging on the limb. I quickly inspected it to see if anything was missing. Thankfully everything was still there. A catastrophe had been averted. What a relief.
There is a passage in the Bible where a woman lost a valuable coin in her house. She searched and searched until she found it. She was relieved and very thankful (Luke 15:8-10). Let me encourage you to keep track of your important documents especially when you are traveling in a foreign country. You will be glad you did.
Read 365 more stories (one for every day of the year) by the in his book Let Me Encourage You by Mark Hopper. The price is only $20 plus $5 postage. Order your copy today at markh@efreedb.org.
Let Me Encourage You by Mark Hopper 