Prayer Makes The Difference

At 2:45 this afternoon, my MIL received a phone call from a tired, sunburned and exhausted much-loved man. We were outside and missed her message, which is why I am just now updating. P. is on his way home! He had stayed awake all night long, walking some 12 miles from where he was last seen in an attempt to get back home. Because of missing his medications, he was disoriented and ended up very near our large metro airport. But, my MIL says, after racking his brain ALL NIGHT (no sleep) trying to remember her telephone number, it all of a sudden just clicked, and that's when he called.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!! S-O M-U-C-H!!! I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT THAT GOD SPOKE THAT PHONE NUMBER TO HIM!

Without giving away too private details, I do want to explain a few things to God's Glory and for gratitude for your prayers for a cyber friend when I was much too exhausted to even form the words for my family or myself.

P. has gone missing twice before, yes. And on those occasions (especially the first time) we were also very frantic. But certain circumstances this time made us fear for his safety even more than we've had reason to in the past. Let's just say that the details surrounding this episode make his return to us all the more miraculous and deeply humbling. And this time, (I am CONVINCED) because of so many prayers both here and elsewhere, he returned quicker than we ever anticipated. Quicker than the other times, which were a week the first time and 2 1/2 days the other. Knowing what we did about details this time, that was TOTALLY UNEXPECTED.

P. is a sweet man who just takes people at their word unless and until they give him a reason not to. He also is tall and muscular and hefty and built like a college linebacker. You can see where this might be a dangerous dichotomy. (Remember Lenny from "Of Mice And Men?") Beyond his own safety, we also feared for the trouble P. could face if he were to retaliate at being taken advantage of.

Instead he is at my MIL's home, sleeping soundly (as is she!) before they return him to the center where he lives sometime today or tomorrow. I do want to say that knowing what she does (which is more than she's even had time to tell us) she does not seem to think that they have been negligent in any way.

As for me, I have been an emotional wreck today. Whatever strength I might have seemed to have had yesterday was shot to bits today even before we knew P. was safe. The sheer amount of problems we have been handed in a just 48 hours has been a bit overwhelming, to say the least. Earlier today, it just all seemed to release with a hysterical fit of crying that had obviously been at the brim without my even realizing it. Then the message about P. sent me crying again. Then laughing - with joy at the news and at myself for feeling like I change from up to down and back about every 15 minutes. I still feel peace that God is going to see us through all of these inveniences. I'm just wondering which to tackle first, ya know. All of them require action and I am but one person. That is where I struggle more than anything. Not with worry at the outcome but with having grace in the wading through. I want to do well in everything I set my mind to, but that takes more time than I sometimes feel like I have. I don't want to tell my kids I'm too busy to watch a somersault or tell my hubby it will be fast food tonight yet again! Anyway, sitting here is getting none of it done and it will take several weeks to wade through it all, so I suppose I should get started.

Again THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS. THEY MADE A DIFFERENCE.