Guardian Angels -- Overtime!

I had a dream...
Before we left for Australia, I dreamt that we were flying into a city in that country, and almost all the roofs were red. (I had never seen pictures.) Later, when we were actually flying into Melbourne, I noticed through the window that...almost all the roofs were red!

We arrived at a government hostel for new immigrants, and given help in so many ways over the next months.  It was amusing to me that, though married, I was a minor! Legal age was still 21 - and I was only 19. So I payed "children's rates".

We moved out to one of the suburbs (Pascoe Vale) and attended one Spanish-speaking church for about 3 years, then helped start up another one. Wherever we've lived, we've always made an effort to be active in God's Kingdom. I taught Sunday School, played the piano and organ, sang, started a choir, helped with the ladies' group (leading for a while, and also bringing the Bible studies), interpreted when we had a guest speaker, etc. On weekends and after hours, Germán  helped in the visitation to the Spanish-speaking immigrants in the government hostels. He was also part of a group of seven men who took turns preaching and carrying out the pastoral work of the church we helped start. (Just givin' you a sort of over-all glimpse of that phase in our Journey.)

In Australia, we also received our first "pride and joy". Daniel Isaac was born in the dead of winter, on June 13.  A Friday, in fact. (If we were superstitious, we'd consider Friday the 13th our good luck day!) His guardian angels definitely had their work cut out for them! (Actually, I think they've had to work double duty all his life!) I'll give you a few examples:

Dan was only a few months old when I bundled him one day into his pram for a walk outside. As we rounded a corner, suddenly two big watchdogs came rushing out, all snarls and teeth.  I felt really vulnerable - I had a helpless little baby- and froze. Then I remembered something I'd read somewhere...so I turned on the dogs, pointed my finger at them and said in as authoritative a voice as I could manage, "In the name of Jesus, SIT DOWN!" And they did! Their hind ends slammed down onto the sidewalk. As I walked away, I turned around and saw them glaring after me. They looked like they were really straining to get up and run after us, but they couldn't un-stick themselves!

When Dan was six months old, we were driving to a church in the Dandenong Mts., in really bad weather. I was in the back seat with the baby, and it was time for him to be breast-fed. But I decided NOT to pick him up and feed him then. He wasn't fussing, and I thought he could wait. (Back then, seat belts weren't stressed as much as they are now.) Suddenly, even though we were going slowly, our car collided on the slick, slippery road with another car coming the opposite direction. I was thrown against the back of the front seat and hit it with my arms and chest - exactly where Dan would have been if I had picked him up to nurse! He would have been crushed.

When he was a little older, maybe 18 months or so, I had to go pick Germán up at his workplace one night. I put Dan into his car seat and off we went. When we got to a certain T-cross intersection, I waited at a red light. Then the light turned green...but for some reason, I didn't move...I couldn't move.  It was almost as if I was frozen for a couple of seconds. But those two seconds saved our lives, because another car suddenly zoomed at tremendous speed through the intersection, right through his red light. If I had been able to pull out into the intersection the moment I had the green light, we would have been picked out of the wreckage in pieces!  

When he was about 2 years old, we were in the social hall of the church after the service. It was night time and we were just talking, having a cup of coffee (for those who liked the vile stuff), and all the kids were tearing around. We usually did a good job of keeping our eyes on the "pack". Almost right after I had spotted Dan with the others, an Australian woman appeared at the door with a little boy in tow.  It was our son!  She had found him investigating the street that ran by the church...a six-lane busy, busy street. He was actually in the street, though right beside the sidewalk. We never could figure how he got out into the street so quickly (we had just seen him inside!), and the only explanation for him not being ground under the wheels of passing cars was...his guardian angels doing overtime!                                                                             *********************************************************************************
Next week I will be in the States, but will still try to write. My father is in failing health, and we are going to go up and see him, while we can still interact with him. I'd like to tell you a little about him.  And I'll share a poem with you that speaks to the "storms" we have to go through. (If you get our prayer e-mail, you may have read it, but I'll include it in the blog for those who don't.) After that, I'll continue sharing our Journey.  See you soon!