Andrew sat down beside me after the Sunday morning session in which I had shared amazing evangelism STORIES – my favorite! His first words, “I’ve got a story for you!” He then pulled up his pant leg and showed me a massive scar on his leg, explaining that he had been hospitalized with a severe blood clot, so bad he could have lost his leg and even worse – his life. This bad event caused him to say to his wife, “We’ve got to go to church!” 20 years earlier, Andrew’s brother was struck by a car and died as he crossed the street near his house. In anger, Andrew turned away from his Christian upbringing and lived a life of outright rebellion. He wanted nothing to do with God or church. But in God’s providence, Andrew’s medical emergency was a wake-up call. The very next Sunday after being released from the hospital Andrew and his wife Adrianne went to Calvary Baptist in Westminster where the next week one of the pastors, Aaron, in Andrew’s words “showed up on our doorstep unannounced with an Exchange Bible study in his hands.” Thus began a 4-lesson Bible study that took several months due to many questions and issues. They both placed their faith in Jesus, have been discipled, baptized and had just joined the church the week before our seminar.
It’s often hard to understand why bad things happen. But God, in His awesome way, often turns those into some of the greatest blessings in our lives. In Andrew’s case, God turned this into an eternal blessing. Praise God for Pastor Aaron and his faithfulness to help this family come to Christ and then grow in that blessed and new relationship.