The local pastor paced nervously up and down the small corridor of the little airport in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. It was 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon in late January 2019, and the flight bringing the Vision Team Ministries group with 2,000 pairs of used glasses was due anytime. But the problem was big. Airport customs officials had warned the pastor $800 would be charged to the group to bring those glasses into the country.
Nobody had an extra $800 — certainly not that tiny church, certainly not the mission team that had already sacrificed to come on this trip. We had a big problem, and we needed a big miracle.
I waited anxiously with the pastor who appeared, disappeared and then reappeared. We paced, we prayed, and we waited. At last the other members of the Loreto Mission Adventure Team made their way through customs, except the vision team.
The day before, we had spent all of church time asking God for a miracle. Airport officials had suggested the mission trip be rescheduled to allow time for more paperwork. But vacations had been scheduled and notices placed in the dusty little town. The people were waiting for us.
Prayer chains and churches back at home had been apprised of the situation. Folks were praying everywhere it seemed, but the problem was $800 big and no answers were coming. No vision team appeared out of the airport doors. We gathered our insignificant group together once more and there in that airport corridor poured out our hearts to God. We asked for a big miracle.
We knew that impossibilities are God’s opportunities. We knew when we couldn’t do anymore, God could step in. We knew all about prayer and faith and pleading with God. We had checked those steps off over and over again during the last two weeks since we had received the $800 big problem bad news. We knew plenty of theory. We had faith, but we couldn’t see an answer.
Now it was time for a big miracle, and where was God? What could be taking Him so long? We had faith, but we didn’t have answers, so we continued our prayers to our big God. Finally we saw the group leader escorted across the airport corridor only to disappear into unknown depths of the tiny airport. Time dragged by as we prayed and waited for him to reappear with some sort of news. Now we only wanted him to be safe. So we prayed some more.
At last, our friend appeared with a smile on his face, and we hoped for the best. Had God worked a big miracle? Yes! A $40 courtesy payment had been negotiated. Everyone was happy. It had been a big problem for us, but just a small problem for a big God who gave us a big miracle.
The group included members from Washington (Moses Lake, Warden, Kennewick, Port Angeles, Newport, Walla Walla, Sequim and Touchet) and Oregon (Weston and Milton-Freewater). The mission trip was sponsored by the Moses Lake Church.
