Majestically , A Golden thread is woven.
The journeys of our lives, whether short or long, can be likened to an intricately woven tapestry. Each individual thread is entwined with another until one day, the threads all come together and reveal a beautiful picture…a finished work! So often, what God is doing and purposing within our lives is obscure to us if we try to figure things out before His finished time. My husband Kit and I have learned to stop figuring and believe me as a result, we have a lot less wrinkles. This particular day that I am sharing about, February the 6th, 2004 is a day that the Lord wove a beautiful, exuberant GOLD thread in His divine craftsmanship within our lives and we are forever thankful for His loving and creative touch.
After a wonderful night back in our hotel room, (thanks to the Lord and Tina) , we woke up feeling rested , grateful and excited to see what God had in mind for the day. Kit ventured to the lobby to fill up our two Starbucks thermal mugs with hot coffee, we then enjoyed fresh fruit and a muffin for breakfast and sat with the Lord for while to hear what was on His heart as well as quiet our souls. He assured us once again that all was well... we thanked Him for His precious peace that passes all understanding. With only $3.00 in our pocket and the 11:00 check out time arriving, we had no other choice except to pack up our jeep once again and go. We smiled as we unplugged the computer, placed our clothes in the suitcase asking ourselves, “Lord, what are You up to today?” After turning in our room key, we decided to drive over to Mystic to our favorite place McQuades, where we knew we could stay warm, sit down and enjoy an ambrosial cup of gourmet coffee. As we said our goodbyes at the hotel and began our jaunt to our favorite seafaring town, the sky was surprisingly dark. Above us were a bounty of brooding clouds accompanied by strong gale winds blowing fiercely as the rain and ice mixture began to blanket the delicate white fluff from the previous hushed and calm snowfall. We knew Graham would be fine in the jeep on his cozy tapestry bed where he loved to snuggle with his toys, the windows cracked as it could never be cold enough for him with his bounty of voluminous fur. Kit and I were comforted that Graham considered his home away from home to be his snug berth in the back of our jeep. We on the other hand, were chilled by the bitter cold wind and wintry storm that had lodged over southern Connecticut. Thank you God for such a place as McQuades. As many times as we had shopped for groceries and filled our to-go containers at their soup and salad bar, we had never sat in their little adjoining cafe with its cozy fireplace...today it would be our place of refuge and repose ...a place to stay warm, pray and see what God's new itinerary would be.
As we entered the cafe, we were graced to find a table directly in front of the
fireplace. Some days, the hearth was cold and dark but on this day, a cordial and august fire greeted us ... the dancing flames captivating our souls with their bright golds and amber colors...comforting our hearts as well as our chilled bodies. We thanked God for our $3.00 and thought very carefully what we would choose for our lunch. Our final answer? Two large cups of coffee, a bowl of homemade soup to share between us and an abundance of crackers. (This was one of those days where we were so appreciative of an abundance of assorted crackers, free of charge.)
Kit and I were at peace as we were warm and enjoying a wonderful fire. Our only wish was that McQuades offered free refills on their soup, (as they did with their coffee). God was going to do something…we were just not sure what.
In all of the faith journeys God had called us to, we never asked for provision from anyone... our only expectations were in the Lord Himself. We believed God would always provide the way HE chose to. Whether it be through a job, supernaturally or through people in whom He would put the desire within their hearts to help us, (be it a loan or gift). That was the conviction in our hearts so asking for money this wintry February day was not one of our options.
We sat for hours. Truly we believed that an angel could come into McQuades and walk over to our table at any time and say, “Here is some money the Lord wants you to have.” (You know the kind of angels that appear as a human being...like Denzel Washington in the classic movie The Preachers Wife?) Our faith was sky high with all that God had already done time and time again for us on this journey of faith regarding the King's Tavern. We knew God had something in mind….we waited in faith.
As dusk was approaching, our coffee cups emptied for hours and a few funny looks from the employees at McQuades, ( staff members who were not familiar with us) , we decided we better go. No angel had come, there was no phone call from any of our friends saying that God told them to send us money, so we decided to drive around Mystic in faith and see what God wanted to say to us.
The skies no longer gray with a hint of light, were now jet black. Somehow the darkness began to impose upon my soul. (Why is it in the light of day, hope seems to flow at a more exuberant speed?) The wind, rain and bitter cold reminded us of how fortunate we were to have our jeep, a heater and each other. I had one gnawing thought haunting me. Now to many, this may not seem in the haunting category but I have always been “Mrs. My home is my security,” so with that in mind, my besetting thought? “God, are you going to provide a place for us tonight to sleep or are you going to require that we stay in this car, in the storm and bitter cold temperatures?” Our jeep was packed to the max with our luggage, computer, monitor, tool box, Grahams bed, food and water dish. There was no room for Kit and I to lay our heads down even if we wanted to. We could park and run the ignition intermittently for heat and we did have our heavy winter coats with us. Lord, please tell us what you want us to do.
We found a Medical building, it's parking lot vacated, after all it was long past working hours on a Friday evening. The townsfolk of Mystic were all excitably beginning their two day promenade with R&R and fun, delighting in a glass of wine at the local pubs, enjoying a date night and dining out at the seafood places we had come to love. I envied and craved the normalcy of life. I wished we were safe in our home in Alexandria, our weekend just beginning. Friday nights were always our Pizza and movie night. Oh, what I would give to just have a bite of a hot pepperoni and sausage pizza with a spicy Buffalo hot wing. Nostalgia was sneaking in and I had to remember we were going to be okay, whatever God decided. (Unless of course He said; “ I want you to sleep in your car.”) I was still struggling with my haunting thought.
We sat for over an hour. At times feeling a bit tense and overwhelmed, trying desperately to stay in the peace of God. We talked about all of our options. I think I shed a few tears, we prayed and tried to hear from God. Now as most of you know, emotions are the number one thing that can cloud the voice of the Lord. We tried to extinguish our reigning feelings, putting every logical thought and fear aside so we could once again clearly hear His voice. When He first called us to Mystic, one of the things He had spoken to us was that while we were on this journey, all things would be provided for us by His hand alone and there would not be any loss or lack. So I reminded Him of that, (I was quite daring wasn't I?) as we sat in our car, trying to stay warm….ignition on…ignition off… ignition on....We thanked Him for the heat.
The silence finally broke. “You have been promoted.” That is what He said to us. We got a ray of hope. Our father in heaven had just promoted us... that had to be good. Did it mean that an angel would come up to the window and give us provision for a hotel room, hot meal, warm bed and a hot bath? Perhaps the promotion meant the Marriott tonight with a room with all the bells and whistles instead of our hotel room where we tried to keep all our costs to a minimum? Its funny that I would think that would be the promotion but it is where I was at,(remember my comfort is home). No, the promotion was in the Spirit and an advancement that would be lasting. God’s agenda for that night was an entirely different purpose than my comfort.
We knew we had to leave the parking lot as the night security guard would soon become suspicious that we were either espionage agents or mere mortals up to no good, as we had been parked within his nightly route for such a long time, thus we changed locations.
We arrived to the Olde Mystic Village with its myriad of quaint shops in downtown Mystic. It was a place I loved as we had come many a time with Graham and visited the shops, coffee pub and my favorite, the Christmas store. It was still raining cats and dogs.... The lot was almost empty with only a few cars from the people who were still enjoying the latest film at the movie theater. The 10:00 hour had arrived which was comforting in the fact that our cell phone calls were now free of charge. We could call some of our friends and family to PRAY. There were three sets of friends, (our beloved moorings), that we called. Each one was graciously used by God to encourage and pray for us, as well as remind us of God's call on our lives and that He would provide. All of them wanted to help us and offered to send us cash but not because they felt God was saying to do so. It was more out of their love for us as they could hear the fear in my voice that I didn’t want to start sleeping in our car, I am sure. One of them even tried to get us a hotel room with their credit card but to no avail as the hotel required a faxed copy of their drivers license and they had no way to fax it from their home. It now looked as if we would most likely be up all night in our jeep Cherokee. While Kit was at peace, I was not. I cried, felt lack and was overcome by the sense that we must have done something wrong. I had a few words with the Lord, experienced a little anger, (OK, more than a little) and then, supernaturally with the touch of His graceful hand, the battle within was over. His majestic peace filled me and I knew I could sit in that car with Kit and Graham all night if that is what He, my father wanted! His flowing peace, the comforting heat upon our legs and the closeness of my husband and Graham felt phenomenal. Suddenly the darkness of the night didn’t seem bothersome, roweling my soul but instead enchanting with the glimmering lights of Mystic accompanied by the billowing clouds and euphoric thunder storm.
As we sat quietly listening to the rain falling , one of our friends, Tina, called us back. She was the dear lady we had only met one time while in Virginia yet our bond with her in the spirit was very tight. She called to 
share with us that she and her husband had prayed and felt led to send us $300.00 via Western Union. It would be available the next morning at 10:00 AM. They also believed God wanted us to drive to their home in Milford Delaware, ( 6 hours away), to come and stay with them for a respite, fellowship, prayer , home cooked food and our own bedroom, (with no charge). It sounded tempting and inviting but we hated the thought of leaving the area we had come to love and certainly did not want to step out of the Lords will. It was up to God, thus we placed it before Him and knew He would reveal His heart to us. They expressed that regardless of whether we came to Milford or not, the gift of money was ours to do with whatever we wanted. I was already (quietly) planning a hotel room with a hot bath and an extra large pepperoni, sausage, ham and pineapple pizza but that was my “instant comfort wish”…not necessarily God’s heart. We would see what the Lord said.
While chatting into the midnight hour on our cell phone with our friend Margo in California, a sudden flash of light accompanied by a knock on Kit's window caught our immediate attention. Was it our angel? Kit stepped out of the car as it was pouring rain and he didn’t want Graham and I to get wet. I continued talking to Margo, a little frightened as to who Kit was talking to. I could hear their voices as they spoke but could not make out what was being said. Kit opened the car door and told me he was going to take a walk with this man for a minute and he would be right back. Quickly I got a view of this mystery man. He was older and quite small in stature. He didn’t look like he could over power my 6' 2" husband but who was he? Where was he taking Kit? I began to get alarmed. Margo and I began praying together on the phone, my heart doing the triple beat dance at this time. I just wanted to know Kit was safe. Before I knew it, Kit came back alone and got in the jeep. He then surprised me with what he said next;
“Susan, collect all your things for we have a place to sleep tonight.” I didn’t know what to say…I began asking him question after question.
“Kit who is that man? Where are we going?”
Busily getting his things he answered; “I will tell you everything in a minute but for now, lets quickly get inside as its pouring rain and I don’t want us to get drenched.”
That was enough for me at that moment. I was quite speechless. How quickly this had all happened. We went from being ‘Sleepless in Mystic' to now having a safe harbor to lay our heads.
Running quickly, passing by all the shops in the heavy rain, Kit stopped at a quaint white chapel. 
We had seen it many a time while shopping in the Village. It was an amiable church nestled in the middle of a bounty of charming boutiques. This little, humble man was the night security guard. When he heard our story from Kit, he offered his nightly refuge to us for a warm place to sleep. As we entered the church, it was quite rustic yet warm and cozy with all of it's provincial wood. The only cushioned area to rest our heads was the altar of the church, (how befitting). I began to cry. God had provided a place to sleep...we could stretch out and have warmth but this was only the beginning of God’s purposes for this noteworthy evening.
We laid out our winter coats and clothes for our cozy bed. The chapel had a bathroom with a sink so we could wash up, brush our teeth, etc... As we were getting ready to lie down, the little man peeked his head in asking if he could come in and talk to us for awhile. He would soon make another one of his nightly runs and come back to get warm himself in the church every few hours. His name was Night Hawk. He was a poor man who lived in Mystic with his wife. Upon hearing our story, he had it on his heart to give us some money. He reached into his pocket and pulled out about $5.00 in change. He said it was all he had but he wanted us to have if for the next day. Though only five dollars to most, it was much more to us as he had sacrificed all he had for us to have a little. He loved Jesus and couldn’t stop talking about all the Lord had done for him in his life. He told us our story of faith touched him and he was so honored to be able to give us a place to sleep. He said we would have to leave when his shift ended at 6:30 the next morning. We thanked him again and wished him a good night.
Kit and I got in a few hours of sleep as every time Night Hawk came in to get warm from the bitter cold, Graham made sure he knew he was there and that he was the best guard-dog in the world . Grahams barking woke us up but we didn’t care. We were warm inside God’s home, on the altar of a church, laying together with our Grantham. God had provided.
6:00 AM arrived! We washed up and began heading out. Night Hawk said he didn’t have a car and was on his way home by foot. Every morning no matter the weather, he would walk for miles to get home when his shift ended. We offered to drive him home and the look on his face was one of such gratitude, it was as if we had given him his very own car.
As we began the drive, (Night Hawk sitting in my seat up front and Graham and I sharing his bed in the back), Night Hawk began to cry. I began to weep as well as I listened to his words;
“You know, I had prayed and asked God that for just one day He would give me a ride home. I am so appreciative of my job and don’t mind walking but I have been so tired lately and asked the Lord to please provide a ride home . He brought the two of you into my life last night and here I am getting a ride home. I had also prayed and asked God to bring me some Christian fellowship. Again, He heard my cry. I am so honored and touched that God would listen to my prayers and answer them as He has today.”
Wow! The humility of this man blew me away. When I saw why God took our comfortable little room away for the night, I was the one honored…God wanted to touch this older man and answer his hearts cry. The fact that God would even choose to use Kit and I as His vessels touched us deeply. By now, we were all teary eyed.
Night Hawk went on to say; "I want to treat you both to a hot breakfast. There is a little country store next to our home where we have a running tab. Will you allow me to treat you to some fresh coffee and a hot breakfast?”
We were floored, very touched and graciously said yes. He led us into the store and as we walked through the door, he yelled out to the jovial cook behind the diminutive grill; “These people here are my kin and I want you to cook them anything their hearts desire. Put it on my tab.” And with that, Night Hawk left to go get his wife as their home was close by, down the street.
It was like entering the gates of Disneyland. The smell of fresh brewed coffee with flavored creamers awaited us. We chose our coffee cups and filled them to the brim and ordered sausage, egg and cheese biscuits. It was if we were eating steak and eggs as the food was so delicious and we were beyond hungry. In this quaint little store, there were no seats so we veered outside looking to find Night Hawk and his wife. The coffee cups kept our hands warm as we stood in the chilly air waiting. Within minutes, Night Hawk and his wife arrived all bundled up in their winter attire. She too was a small, humble woman who was filled with the love of Jesus. In appearance, we could tell they lived a simple life, not much money but the wealth they possessed within their spirits far exceeded what fancy clothes and a chic, stylish hair cut could compete with. Again as we talked, Night Hawk began to cry thanking God for bringing us into his life. He and his wife said they would pray for us on our journey. Kit took off his red plaid wool scarf and gave it to Night Hawk telling him it was a gift for him and a reminder of what God had done for us all that night. They asked more questions about the King's Tavern and our call to come to Mystic. They were both so touched and excited that the Lord would bring a place like that to their home town. We said our goodbyes and hugged assuring them that we would also be praying for them. Both Kit and I were speechless as we drove off. God had abundantly met our needs and expectations on this memorable Mystic evening.
As you turn up your speakers and listen to this beautiful song , can you guess what Kit and I were thinking?
With Night Hawks gift of $5.00 in hand, we drove to McDonald's to get some more hot coffee and relax. We wanted to get warm, thank God and ponder over Tina and her husband Marks invitation to 
come and rest for a season in Milford. It was a beautiful sunny, crisp, cold February morning. The storm was over. We were once again filled with a hope, faith and excitement. It was like every other time, every other test, our God had come through and this time surprised us with blessings we could not have imagined. We smiled as we realized that God had sent us an angel after all... Not how we had imagined he would come but in hind sight, he was the one God chose to bring forth blessing, awe and Gods glory to all four of us, His precious children on a stormy New England night. Peace filled our hearts as we sat with our coffee. We even had enough change left for another egg, sausage and cheese biscuit to share between us, (saving a a few bites for our precious Grantham patiently awaiting us outside in the jeep). After all, he had been quite a trooper and oh-so-flexible with our unexpected nights adventure. Kit and I sat snug within our "Mickie D's" seats, watching the magical town of Mystic come alive. A diversity of many people coming and going through the glass doors, some ordering breakfast and quickly jaunting back to their cars bags in hand, others settling in and sharing their piping hot food, coffee and warm smiles on this cold winters day.
"Okay Lord... You have our attention... we are listening."
“Come unto me and I will give you REST.”
