My journey:
Mom’s letter
By Suzanne King
My husband and I are honored to be a part of MX9 — the
Assemblies of God’s endeavor to plant 1,000 new churches by the end of 2009
— and to serve as church planters in Cabot, Ark. Many exciting miracles
have occurred along the way to the launch of our church plant. Little did I
know that God had orchestrated amazing events throughout my life that would
bring about a very personal miracle for me.
As Bryan and I prepared for our church’s preview service, we
found our days filled with the kind of stress that only a church planter can
understand. We had completed all of the strenuous tasks required for a
successful church plant: raising funds, church planting boot camp, an
assessment, developing strategies, raising funds, gathering resource tools,
networking and raising funds. All of the planning and resource coordination
should culminate with a successful preview event.
The days before the preview service brought a whole new set
of stressors to me personally. The person I had depended on most of my life was
not around — my mother.
She and my dad had been involved in full-time ministry in
the Assemblies of God in Arkansas. My mom was my biggest fan, my cheerleader
and my go-to person. She was diagnosed with a very rare cancer in August 2005.
Eight months later, in April 2006, she went to heaven.
I wanted to hear some encouraging words from Mom about our
upcoming service. No one else’s words would suffice. I needed her desperately.
I cried. I prayed. I begged God to just let me hear from her. Even a dream
about her would ease my fear. If He is a God of the miraculous, I wondered, and
I know He is, why can’t I have my mom when I need her the most?
I knew God is a big God. He provided us with a free sound
system, a new truck, a great location to rent, an awesome worship leader and a
great launch team. All of these needs He had met, and yet I could not be
consoled just days before our preview service. I just needed to hear from my
mom that everything was going to be OK.
I am a registered nurse working the night shift on a busy
medical-surgical unit, the mother of a 4-year-old son, and a pastor’s wife for
a new church plant. I needed my mother!
The preview service arrived. Many new families from the
Cabot area attended, and at least one individual received Christ as Savior.
Bryan spoke on dreaming big dreams because God is a big God.
“Ask God for something big,” he said, “and He will provide.”
Little did I know that my big request to God was about to be
fulfilled.
The next night we went to my sister’s house where my dad’s
new wife, Patti, had prepared dinner for us. When we arrived, my dad gave me a
folded pink piece of paper.
Dad had recently gone through some boxes that had been
stored in a closet after my mom’s death. One had some cardboard stackable
shelves with copier paper of various sizes. When he was about to throw the
copier paper out, he noticed a pink piece of paper folded up inside.
It was a handwritten note to me from my mother!
As I began to read, I slumped to the floor and cried like a
baby. The letter was short and not even finished, but it contained those words
of encouragement from her that I needed to hear the most. She talked about how
very proud of me she was and that God had big plans for me to work alongside
Bryan in ministry. How amazing!
My dad was curious about how an unfinished letter found its
way into the copier paper supply. I knew! I knew exactly what this letter was
all about and its purpose in my life at this exact moment.
About 10 years earlier, when Bryan and I were youth pastors
at El Dorado (Ark.) First Assembly of God, my mom was the guest speaker for a
mother-daughter banquet at Sheridan (Ark.) First Assembly. Mom ended her
session by passing out pink stationery with instructions to both moms and
daughters to write each other a letter of encouragement and seal it up. She
told us to hold the letter and send it at a time when we thought it would be
really needed.
I took very good care of my letter to Mom and mailed it a
few weeks later. I anticipated the arrival of her letter to me on many
occasions. It never came. I was actually kind of angry that she never sent the
letter. After a while, I assumed she forgot about it or lost it. I never said
anything about it to anyone.
When Mom died, I carefully looked for the letter in her desk
and among her things. I never told anyone how disappointed I was that I could
not find it.
My mom did exactly what she was supposed to do with that
letter. She sent the letter precisely when I needed it the most. I am not sure
what she can see and know about my life here on earth, but I do know that she
is busy about her Father’s business.
God cares about the little things in life that we need. In
the midst of all the great miracles God had done in order for our church to
begin, He did something special just for me. I needed to hear from my momma,
and I did!
SUZANNE KING and her husband, Bryan, are lead pastors of
Changepoint Assembly of God in Cabot, Ark.
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article for consideration for publication to tpe@ag.org.
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