|
A Miracle for T-n-T
Tim L was worried about his friend, Tim G, who just had a terrible bicycle
accident. Tim L sat in the passenger seat of Larry Sauter’s car as they drove
to the hospital to visit Tim G. During the the two-and-a-half hour drive, Tim
L told Larry all about how he had met Tim G at the Illinois Special Touch Get
Away one summer several years ago.
Larry listened patiently, although he knew the story well. He and his wife Penny
are U.S. missionaries to people with disabilities. Every year they coordinate
the Special Touch Get Away—a Christian camp for people with disabilities. He
knew that the two Tims had become fast friends. That was why he invited Tim
L to accompany him to the hospital after Tim G’s accident.
The story of the two Tims was well known to all the staffers at the Special
Touch Get Away. Once the two men met, they were inseparable. Both were in
their 30s, and both suffered from a mental disability. The summer they met
was the beginning of a long friendship.
Although they saw each other only once a year, during the summer Get Away,
Tim L and Tim G were inseparable companions at camp. Always together, they
were the best of buddies. Soon the staff began to refer to the two Tims as “T-n-T.”
Now T-n-T were reunited, but this time at the hospital. There, Larry and Tim
L were greeted with bad news. Tim G’s parents explained to them that Tim G’s injuries were severe. He would need extensive, complicated, and painful
surgery on his leg.
Larry held Tim G’s leg while the doctor changed the dressing. As the wound
was exposed, they could all see a huge hole in Tim G’s leg. After the doctor left,
everyone just stood and stared at each other, not knowing what to say. That
wound looked pretty bad. Tim G was very frightened.
Then, in the silence, Tim L spoke up. “We should pray for healing,” he said. Larry and Tim G’s family agreed, and so they prayed. T-n-T expected a miracle.
When Tim L returned home, he continued to pray.
Tim G believed so strongly that God would perform a miracle, he told his
nurse he would not need surgery. “We’ve been praying,” he said to her. The
nurse paid no attention as she went about her business of unwrapping his leg.
But when she removed the last layer of gauze, the nurse was met with a shock. “Oh!” she said. “This looks much better than before.” Tim G’s parents took a
look. They were surprised at the improvement, but the nurse was shocked and
amazed.
But Tim G was not surprised. He was not amazed. He knew that when he
prayed, God would answer. He had complete faith in God to do what they
asked Him to do.
When the doctors saw the improvement in Tim G’s leg, they decided that no
surgery was needed. They would not admit that a supernatural miracle had
taken place, but they had no medical explanation as to what happened.
Through the prayers of two men with the simple faith of children, God performed
a miracle. This year, T-n-T will again be reunited at the Illinois Special
Touch Summer Get Away.
Information for this story was provided by missionary Charlie Chivers of Special
Touch Ministry, and is used with permission from Assemblies of God U.S.
Missions.
©2006 The General Council of the Assemblies of God. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce and adapt lesson components for exclusive use in the local church. Any other use requires written permission.
|