Week 10: Two Strangers and a Miracle!

Since October 2017 the missionaries have been teaching a man I will call Pak P.  He knows the Bible stories well.  He has a very keen mind.  In his early twenties he was in a  serious accident with a train and he lost his left leg below the knee.  Life has been rich to him at times and right now life is a struggle on the streets for Pak P.   He speaks very good English.  At one time  his employment centered around teaching the  English language.  Elder Miller and l met him soon after our arrival and would assist the Sister Missionaries in the lessons they taught.  Pak P  was immersed in a deep and searching investigation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He has a thorough understanding of the Bible and asked many  thought provoking questions surrounding the principles of the gospel and doctrines along with his increasing desire to live God's commandments and live the Word of Wisdom.  Elder Miller enjoyed responding many evenings to Pak P's questions by SMS. 

Friday, Pak was interviewed and his conversion was profound and he asked to be baptized the following Sunday.  On Saturdayafternoon Elder Miller received a call from Pak that he was walking across the street and his artificial leg broke in half.  A few moments after they finished speaking an SMS message read,  "I'm finished it's completely broken".  We turned around and cancelled an appointment and had our driver take us to his home, we called the Elders to assist in supporting Pak  and they met us there to begin to access the situation.  It was 2:30 on a Saturday and many stores close at 4. It was a moment I will not forget to see the distress on Pak's face and the horrible condition of the prosthesis.  He removed the leg and it was ruined, not from this day but from years of wear and repairs with tape and cloths etc.  Pak had a plan.   "Please Elder can you  find a cobbler to repair with some leather pieces "  he felt that was a solution.   Elder Miller said he would bring the leg back before bedtime repaired and asked to take the leg and see what he could do to repair so Pak could walk, so he could go on with his every day life skills,  ride his scooter and it was important for him to be able to make it to his baptism.  

Our driver took us to a hardware store, we called other stores, more stores closed and no luck. No cobblers were available after a search on our smart phones.  Elder Miller could not buy the materials he needed.  The best he could do was to purchase  two rolls of strong black tape and we went home to do the best he could with the tape.   When we walked into our apartment  building the absolute first person that we met as we walked in the door was the Engineer over the entire apartment and hotel complex building who is our friend.  Elder Miller walking and  approaching him holding the leg in his hand. Pak S was shocked to see the leg in his hand and  Elder Miller explained the urgent situation.  Pak S without one second of hesitation took the leg and studied the completely damaged prothesis and said "I will repair"  Margo said to him, "We need this in a few hours".  His response was that it would be completed! It was now 5:30 pm.  At 7:30 we returned and the leg was repaired and the leg  was now inthe  best condition it has been in for many years. of weakness. Resin, glue, hard plastic, rivets and even flesh colored waterproof tape, it was a miracle! 

Our testimony is that God works through  strangers and many different people and ways to bring about His work of ministering.  Pak S we have no idea if he is Muslim, Christian, or his faith  but he is a man who saw a need and without being asked served a stranger.  When we asked him how much he charged for the repair.  He said' Oh Sir nothing, it was my pleasure".  Two strangers and a miracle.  Our emotions were overflowing.  This was a tender mercy and we cannot describe in words the joy it was to give Pak P his refurbished leg at 8;30 pm.  Pak P rode his scooter to the church today and was baptized. He called Elder Miller tonight and said to him " I just realized what happened today has impact for eternity.  I am so happy and he asked that we might find a way to teach his family who live on the Island of Batam near Singapore"