Island Park Miracle… June 18, 2009

The forecast called for thunderstorms…we woke up to a cloudy, kinda cool day…we all got ready, got into our groups and headed off for the tasks of the day.  Carpet cleaning for half of us and more Dakota Boys thrift store for the rest…

So…done with those tasks we had the picnic with the threat of rain looming, but while sitting at lunch the sun started breaking through the clouds…just a little, but I felt like it was message of hope and and a sign that everything would be OK.  So in a few hours the whole of us were in downtown Fargo, in Island Park telling anyone we could find about the picnic at 6:30…the showers started…and then Jeremy called with the message that there was a tornado warning about 30 minutes away…he left the decision up to us, we could stay and hope the rain stopped or try to do it tomorrow…I’m sure all of you (our Bridge family) know what we chose…we chose to trust and believe that everything would work out.  We had asked God to help us, to perform a weather miracle, to bring people (even without us having reached as many places as we wanted this week) and make this a success…and we needed to push forward believing He would do those things.  So we did.  We emptied the bus of the supplies, chairs, coolers…and set out into the park to set up and get ready.  The rain stopped, the weather was perfect…and off in the distance as Dale & Dennis started to grill was one lone man sitting on a bench…Julie set off and walked back with Bob, who had heard about the picnic at the Salvation Army this week while we were working there, then a few minutes later, a few more, and a few more, faces we had spoken to about coming, faces just wandering by that we called over to come and eat.   Soon we were handing plates of food to a steady line of people, and all of them seemed grateful and surprised that it was with no strings attached.  John & Jeremy, Pam and Abby were all on hand to talk to people about Mission Fargo, Alan had found him a spot at a table with a few men who were telling him their stories, the youth were playing frisbee with little kids who came with their moms or alone…Cindy found herself hugging a woman and praying with her…people were asking where the church was and when did they meet, was there a number to call. Randall (one of the summer missionaries) took off to play basketball with a group of college guys who had come to eat and then play…I looked around and saw a group of  20 or so people being Jesus to Fargo.  I looked up and saw blue skies, I looked and saw everyone had food, and we had enough to send home with several of our guests…God answered every prayer we’d asked that day.  We think we had about 65 people come.   Abby said she had started to be a doubting Thomas…thinking no one would really come…but they did.  I told John & Jeremy that my favorite thing was that God surprised them…I could sense that they had been feeling a little discouraged, that what they had planned for this week wasn’t gonna happen, that everytime they turned around plans were changing again.  They both said they had had doubts that it would be a success, and John is already talking of doing more picnics this summer and thinking they may need to start having bible study next week since so many were interested in coming.  People left, some taking home leftovers, and we packed up…but stayed in the park playing and talking and sharing about the people we’d met and the excitement they had about this new church and I think we lingered  trying savor the last few minutes of the miracle our Amazing Father had given us this day.  As we drove back to the dorms Julie led us in thanking our Lord for the amazing things He had done this day and for the blessings of grace He had shown the people of Fargo through a little picnic in the park.    

Mary Bea