Who's On Our Steppingstones?

Several weeks ago, there was a knock on our apartment door at 9:30 p.m.   Our apartment is on the second floor in the center unit of a three-unit apartment complex. Most everyone on this small college campus had already taken their short after-dinner walks and retired for the evening.  When we opened our door, a young couple in their mid 20s greeted us.  They had just arrived from the Berlin area and were checking into their apartment in the next unit for 4 nights. They had found their key and unloaded their bags.  Having arrived by train, and now without transportation, they asked us whether or not there was a small store nearby  where they could buy sandwich and breakfast foods.  There wasn't.  Everything was closed, far and near. Even the pizza restaurant near us was closed on this Tuesday evening.  We invited them in and whipped up sandwiches with pickles and chips.  After all, they were young, it was sort of late, and they had traveled a good part of the day.  They were from California - youth pastor and wife - and had been in Germany for one month with a youth group serving in the Berlin area.  We visited during their meal and loaded them up with cereal, juice and milk for breakfast. Neat couple, great story. But the story actually started three days earlier when a young missionary couple in their late-20s flew from here back to the states.  They cleaned out their refrigerator and gave us fresh bread, tasty cheeses, deli meat, and pickles.  They left us with juices and milk and cereal. We weren't showing goodness that night to those who journeyed onto our steppingstones.  We were the "middle man" in this logistics operation. 

One warm afternoon, we glanced out our window and saw several strangers surveying the campus and taking photos.  Their demeanor seemed to indicate exploration.  We walked out, introduced ourselves and asked if we could assist them.  Once all together, we met three middle-aged couples from Kansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. They had rented a van and were touring Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France.  They needed a place to stay overnight.  Could the college offer them rooms without notification or reservations?  Vacant college rooms are always ready - sanitized bathrooms, warm comforters and fresh linens.  Down the hall are fully-appointed kitchens. All for small nightly fee. They had a van, the supermarkets were open and they were satisfied.  We weren't showing goodness that afternoon to those exploring our steppingstones.  We had cleaned the rooms with expectation of arrivals.

In some situations, God does the preparation and planning and expects us to apply.
In other situations, He expects us to do the preparation and planning and He supplies.


So, who's on our steppingstones?  We never know but we like surprises!

Keep looking up!
J:m and L:nda