November 1985 - March 1986
"Everything That Concerns You"
(1 Peter 5:7)
For years I had dreamed of the day when Ralph and I could take a vacation. At my insistence, we would squeeze in a three or four day weekend once or twice a year, but every summer I would watch the rest of the staff leave for several weeks and sigh inwardly. Would our time ever come?
I found it hard to believe when Ralph agreed (finally!) to take three weeks off to visit our two daughters and their families in North Africa. I knew he wouldn't want to be out of touch with what was going on at the Center, and since it would be difficult to phone back, I wondered if he would really relax. But both of us felt we needed to see our daughters, and they needed to see us. It was time to go.
Far more than in Europe or Latin America, there is much that seems very strange to American eyes in a Muslim country. The narrow, winding streets of the ancient market, where every few minutes you have to hug the wall to let a heavily laden donkey pass. The crowded sidewalk cafes populated only by men. The eyes of the women above their veils. The completely, and beautifully, tiled rooms — floor, walls, ceiling — and the
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antiquated kitchen and bathroom facilities.
Somehow in all the traveling between the two families, who lived eight hours from each other, we forgot to reconfirm our tickets for home. Our flight happened to come just after the airlines had changed their schedules, and all the way home we either missed planes or came uncomfortably close to doing so. Ralph was running a temperature of 102 degrees from a bug he had picked up two days before, and I was having to try to make all the necessary arrangements alone. It was not the most relaxing time, to say the least.
We arrived home in Los Angeles several hours earlier than we were expected, and no one was there to meet us. Somehow, while going through customs, Ralph's carry-on bag was stolen. It contained his check book, credit cards, diary, calculator, a small tape recorder, and an accounting computer program he had been working on for weeks in his spare time. For three hours we looked everywhere then finally made the necessary phone calls to cancel our bank account and credit cards. That in itself wasn't simple, since it was Sunday. And we couldn't locate those who were scheduled to pick us up, and ended up waiting another hour for the bus.
On arriving home, weary and frazzled, we reported in to Art, and found that our spiritual warfare had only begun. He told us that just the week before a major water heater in the dorm had quit working and needed to be replaced — estimated cost: $16,000. Then, he said, the city fire marshalls had visited the campus and were requiring us to install a fire sprinkler system in one of our major buildings where our research offices are. (We have 13 major buildings. Why just there, we wondered, but were afraid to ask.)
Then, a 100-foot truss holding up the roof of the 3500 seat auditorium had cracked and sagged, pulling another down with it. The building had been built toward the end of World War II, when structural steel was not available. "Over the years you should have tightened the bolts holding these trusses together," the engineer told us. But not even Point Loma
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officials had known that. The emergency repairs alone cost $8,000. Before we were finished all of the trusses would have to be reinforced with steel, at a cost of $75,000. But the building was still worth almost a million dollars, so we felt we had no choice but to go forward! But where would the money come from?
And, of course, on top of all this we had another $300,000 quarterly payment due on January 1st.
When so many crises came at once, I thought of George Verwer's warning about Satanic attacks. Yet, in the midst of our distresses, we felt the gracious hand of our God, uplifting, strengthening, pointing the way ahead. And one by one we weathered the storms.
For example, we were able to repair the water heater at a fraction of the cost estimated.
Then Ralph's older brother, one of the most competent structural engineers in Southern California, came to our aid, donating both advice and time. He called in one of the top construction engineers in the area for this type of job, and when this man found out we were a mission organization, he dropped his price considerably.
About the same time, one of our maintenance crew noticed a small closet hidden back under the platform in the big auditorium. When he opened it, he found a large roll of papers, which to our amazement, turned out to be the original blueprints for the building, with plans clearly marked for both wooden beams and structural steel. Even the former owners had no idea where these blueprints were stored.
Then Art received a call from the business administrator of a local church. "We have a group of laymen who from time to time volunteer time in mission projects. Could you use any help?" he asked.
Could we? For several months these wonderful men came every Saturday and on several holidays (even bringing a team of young people for less skilled jobs). They installed the fire sprinkler system in Townsend Hall. And then they
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tackled the problem of the auditorium, climbing all over the rafters and tightening hundreds of bolts.
On several occasions several young boys in their early teens had broken in and vandalized several of our buildings, even though we always had security guards. We had always kept the doors to the auditorium locked except when the gym was being used or these men were working inside. These neighborhood boys, however, seemed determined to get in. Time and again they were run out and told to stay away. Finally, our guard caught them taking a hatchet to one of the main doors of the auditorium just as they reached through the hole and undid the lock.
This time he issued a stern warning. "One of these times one of you is going to get hurt. You must stay away." And he ran them off again.
One Saturday morning in February, the men from the church were once again climbing around on the rafters above the ceiling, tightening still more of the loose bolts. Unknown to them, four of these boys once again had sneaked into the building, found a door hidden down in the basement which opened to a ladder to the attic, and climbed up. They happened to be in an area sectioned off by firewalls from where the men were working. Suddenly a ten-year-old accidentally stepped off the beam and fell through the ceiling to the concrete bordering the basketball court 50 feet below.
With horror, a workman below saw what had happened, called the paramedics and Art. But the boy was already brain dead.
We spent long hours in prayer for him and for his family. Various staff members visited the hospital room and the home and later attended his funeral. We grieved over the boy and worried about a possible lawsuit. Yet we felt so helpless.
Even here, however, God brought glory to His name. We learned that only weeks before, the boy had given his heart to the Lord at a church close by. Because of the kindness of our staff, several members of his family came to a prayer
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meeting on campus and found the Lord. And Art, as general manager, decided that instead of constantly running these boys off campus, maybe we should help them. He set aside a special place for a club room and encouraged several of our single young men to take them on as their special project.
In the middle of all these crises, our January 1st payment came due. The day before, after checking all our accounts, Ralph found we had at most $212,000, short $88,000. Once again, we didn't know how we could ever meet it.
But, once again, God was watching over everything that concerned us. Just as Ralph finished adding up the figures, he received a long distance call.
"How much do you lack for this payment," the person asked.
"Well, as of right now, $88,000. We still have a few letters to open that just came in the mail. But ... " Ralph was clearly embarrassed.
"Look, I have a friend here who wants to go in with me on making up the balance. We don't want you to have to borrow even in-house funds at this time. Let's say we'll send $80,000 by express mail today, and if you need more, let us know. Okay?"
Ralph was stunned, amazed, thrilled at the goodness of God and of His servants. Once more, in our extremity, He had provided.
Several years before that, one of our volunteer staffers went back to Montana State University and pulled together over 100 students for one of our Perspectives courses. Going through the airport to teach them, I noticed a number of bronze sculptures done by two local artists. There is a small one of a miner mounted on a mule going down a trail, followed by another mule. It is called "The End of the Trail." There is one of city children trying awkwardly to mount a horse.
Most spectacular of all is a series of flying geese mounted
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one by one from the ceiling near the staircase that leads to the gate. There must be ten of them, large, life size, beautiful, with wings spread. The one nearest to the ground floor has its wings up in landing position.
Their attitude suggests no panic, no concern — just simple trust that the wings God gave them will not only sustain them in beautiful flight but also be sufficient for a safe landing.
God made these creatures to be beautiful on the ground, but even more so in flight. They were made for flight, from the joint of their wings to the thrust of their heads and feet.
God made us also to soar, not to grovel with our problems close to earth. It is Satan who would capture our spirits and chain them to earth — either in senseless pleasure or in untoward anxiety and pain. God would use the same circumstances to lift us higher, to teach us to soar and to trust Him.
Many times our friends at church have asked how things were going, ready with their condolences should we be in foreclosure. Each time we have not known how to answer except to say that we were in the hands of God. What else can you say?
And yet, what a wonderful place to be. The storms of life can rage. Satan can attack in all his fury. But in His Hands we are still safe.
I have always loved 1 Peter 5:7 in the King James translation: "Casting all your cares upon Him, for He careth for you." But somehow, in the Living Bible it seems a bit more personal: "Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you."
