My bible study assignment was to find God in nature. I headed out for my walk in search of a “God experience” in nature. I headed toward a quiet pond, but my walk took me past the largely Hispanic populated trailer community where I have met so many wonderful people. As I walked, I began remembering. This is where I had met Erika and her kids. Erika is a single mom who ultimately passed away from cancer. I used to drive through there every day bringing her kids home from school. I love this family. During summers, I would drive through there to pick up kids and deliver them to VBS. As I walked, I remembered a Hispanic family who randomly ushered me into their home one day as I was out inviting kids to Kids Beach Club. I kneeled and prayed over the matriarch of that home, a woman who was sobbing because she had just lost her 18 year old son in a car accident. God miraculously provided the funeral expenses on the spot that day when another friend “randomly” called me. When I told my friend where I was, she connected me with her friend who had lost a son the same age and they covered the funeral with funds from their son’s foundation. It was such a powerful God experience. Then I remembered a tattooed man who lived with his kids in the corner trailer. I ran into him several times one day a few years ago. After running in to me at Panda Express AND Walmart, the same man took his kids to the playground at Wilson where Kids Beach Club had been forced outside because the library was occupied. I told him these were no random encounters and that God loved Him and was calling him and his kids. He looked at me sincerely and agreed. His kids came to Beach Club a few times, then disappeared. I never saw them again. I prayed for those kids, Junior and Daniella, as I walked.

So, I did not get the “true” nature experience I was looking for. A cop pulled somebody over by my pond and kept his lights flashing so I was completely distracted. I decided my reflection time passing by so many lives who had touched mine my WAS my God moment. I have always been drawn to the Latin community and it has been a mutual love. How  beautiful that my son would marry a beautiful Latina just last night. I savored every moment of their bi-lingual, multi-cultural wedding and I marveled at how He had allowed the Latin community to become so dear to me. He knew all along that my only daughter in law would be Latina. Last night we danced the night away to music alternating from English to Spanish, paralleling the recent years of my life.

God is good, in the quiet and the noise, in the good and not so good. Wherever we may be. He is beautiful and He is doing big and beautiful things.