“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 

It happened in the year of 2007. I was the Collection Center Coordinator for Operation Christmas Child and I had secured a building for receiving all the shoe boxes from the surrounding area. I was having to secure this building last minute because my other option had fallen through. I was just grateful and thankful to have a place. The downside to this place was that it was an abandoned building with no heat. National Collection week is always the first week before Thanksgiving so here in Michigan we usually have snow and very cold temperatures. 

This was the last day of the collection week and I was closing everything up and getting ready to go home. I was extremely tired, cold and at this point just overwhelmed with a whole week of collecting the shoe boxes. I was alone and I had just put the last few items in my car and I was getting ready to head home. Home was only about three miles away and I was looking forward to a warm house and a hot cup of tea.

As I left the building it was now dark outside. I rounded the corner to turn right onto the street to lead me home. I noticed a lady coming down the sidewalk hugging tightly one shoe box in her arms. She had come from the opposite side of the building where the entrance was. She is now having to walk all the way around the building to the entrance where she would find out that it was closed. 

The Lord spoke to me and said, “You are to stop and gather the one shoebox.”

I was so upset and I said, “No. I am too tired and I just can’t do it! Please, please don’t ask me to do this.” He would not relent and so I gave in. I had to wait until she found out that it was closed, turn around and walk the full way back. 

As soon as she cleared the building I walked down and said to her, “I can take your shoe box.” 

She started crying and was so elated and thanking me over and over again for taking her shoe box. She did not want to miss the box going out this year. I put the shoe box in my car and traveled the rest of the way home. I collapsed on my living room sofa. So thankful that the week was over. 

I now had to go through all of the paperwork and add up all of the shoe boxes we had taken in. I was in shock when the bottom figure landed on 19,999. How could this be? It was then that I remembered the one shoebox that I had retrieved from the lady. I realized it had not been written down on the paperwork. It turned that figure into 20,000 shoe boxes. What are the odds?

It was then that the Lord spoke to me very clearly. He said, “It’s not about the large figure of boxes but it is about each one. Each one matters to Me.” 

Each one represents a soul and an opportunity for them to know Him as their Lord and Savior. It was then that I realized the lengths He had taken to set up all of the perfect timings to be able to speak very clearly to me that every one counts! 

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the 99 others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the 99 that didn’t wander away!”  Matthew 18:12-14 

                                      He will go to great lengths to find you!