As I walked through the DFW airport, I was so excited (and nervous) to finally be heading off to training camp… but, as usual, as I walked through my terminal, I started to mentally go down my checklist of what I was suppose to pack, hoping I hadn't forgotten anything TOO important.
Sleeping Bag: check.
Sleeping pad: check.
Clothes: check.
Headlamp: check.
Nalgene Bottle: check.
Giant hiking backpack: check.
And the list went on and on…. and everything was accounted for until I got to
Bible: umm…
"Did I pack my bible?"
"There is no way I forgot my bible."
"But I don't remember grabbing it."
"Are you serious, I might have forgotten my bible to go to a training camp to be a MISSIONARY?"
"This is not happening."
So a few minutes later, I found a place to put down my belongings and I started to dig through my backpack.
"Its got to be in here, I don't ever forget it…"
Well, guess what? It wasn't in there.
"I forgot my bible."
At first I panicked, then I just laughed at myself and concluded that I better just go find one to buy, because at this point I was out of options.
"There must be a bible in this terminal somewhere, it's like a bestseller, right?"
(I'm serious, this was the thought running through my head)
So after just walking all the way to end of the terminal to my gate, I proceeded to walk back the way I'd just come and prayed:
"Daddy, I really need a bible, can you please help me find one?"
I went into store after store determined to find a bible, which was A LOT harder than I thought it would be, but I kept looking anyways…. Finally, I found an itty bitty "spirituality" section in one of the stores, but all they had here were little KJV bibles. (No offense to the KJV, but I've probably read that version less than five times in my entire life.)
"Daddy, can I find a bible I would actually read?"
I was determined, so I kept going…. and a few more stores later, there it was: a NIV life application bible.
The ONLY bible in the entire store.
This was like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow… or the end of the terminal, because at this point in my hunt, that's exactly where I was.
The only problem was, it was about $25. I know that doesn't seem like much but as a missionary on a budget, who is trying to be extremely responsible with how her (okay, God's) money is spent, I didn't take lightly spending $25 on anything, especially something I have multiple copies of at home… but this was my only option…
"Daddy, is it okay for me to buy this?"
After confirmation and a deep breath, I headed to the counter, checked out, and quickly comforted myself by saying
"God provides"
then proceeded back to my gate, new bible in hand.
I was SO thankful that God had provided me with a bible for the little over a week I'd be gone, even in the silliness of me forgetting my own. Even in this though, I couldn't get comfortable with the ideal of having one more bible. After going to bible college, I have multiple versions in multiple sizes with varying content (thank you study bibles) and I didn't need one more, especially when people all over the world don't even have one…
I used it all week, but for some reason it never felt like "mine." At one point, I thought,
"well I'll just give it away when camp is over…
maybe one of the World Racers doesn't have a study bible… "
But that was about as far as that thought went before we were off and busy again.
Before I knew it training camp was over, and I was on a plane back to Dallas. As the plane prepared to take off, I started to dig through my backpack looking for my bible… and it wasn't there, again.
"Twice in one trip Beka, this has got to be a record."
I dismissed it pretty quickly though, since I was planning on giving it away any ways, hoping someone at camp picked it up who could use it more than me….. and then I quickly closed my eyes and took a nice long nap the entire flight home (I was exhausted!).
That night, I got home and received a text message from one of my squadmates telling me they'd picked up my bible I'd forgotten at camp… and had ended up giving it away to someone that day.
I smiled. I knew that bible wasn't mine to begin with, I just didn't know who it was meant for… and now I do.
Daddy had me buy that Bible for him.
(That's Katie, Trena, Tabby, & Liz)
God created a divine appointment between that man and my beautiful squadmates that day and He received what was meant for him all along:
the knowledge of the love of Daddy for him.
I still don't know the whole story of the encounter that day (I don't even know this man's name), but what I do know is that one of the girls said it was a moment she'll never forget for as long as she lives as they had the opportunity to talk and pray with him…. and give him HIS bible.
