THE STORY THAT WAS NOT A COINCIDENCE

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

This year, I was able to preach on the ShareHim mission trip to Lesotho, South Africa. I had wanted to experience at least one miracle, but while there, I was afraid that I would not get that experience. However, even though our trip was cut short, God gave me a huge miracle the night before we left. Before we even got to Lesotho, I told the other evangelists that I hoped to preach to teenagers or children. When we got there, not only did God answer my request by giving me a room of teenage boys, but also an awesome pastor who doubled as my translator. The first few nights went smoothly, but I still had not felt like I had experienced any miracles. Even so, I kept telling myself that I was probably being too greedy towards God, after everything He had given me. As I prepared my fourth sermon, Mr. Littell told us that it was the most important sermon of the whole trip. No pressure right? When I got to my church, my pastor told me that one of the boys would be translating for me. I did not think it would be a problem, however I quickly realized that my sermon would double in length this way. I was not too worried about time, but halfway through, I started feeling sick. I could not faint during the most important sermon! I kept praying to God, hoping that the sick feeling would go away. But instead, I started to feel worse, and I had to cut my sermon short so I would not pass out. When I got to my room, Emma Frank started telling Sharon Duque and I about her night. She said that she had started to feel sick while preaching too, but she did pass out! I told her about my night, and we realized that we had both started getting sick around the same time, and stopped preaching at the same spot! Luckily, we were both able to share a majority of the message. As we continued to share, Emma told me that she thought Satan was trying to attack us that night. He knew that we had something important to share, but God protected us, and let us share His message. God will lead us into some crazy situations. We may have to share some important things with people, and Satan will come and attack us. God may not help us in the way we want Him to, but He will help us. When God sends us on a mission, He does not let us travel alone. He is with us every step of the way, even when scary times come.

By: Emma Boughman ('22)

Boiling Springs, South Carolina