Shingles

     The Seventh-Day Adventist elementary school in Vacaville, California, had just been remodeled.  That is, it had been remodeled except for shingles.  Funds had run just that much short.  And the need was serious, for the rainy season was approaching.

     The smaller children in Kay Buzelli’s room, had memorized the words of Jesus.  “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”  And they believed those words were true.  For days they had prayed for shingles.  And earlier that September morning, in Bible class, Karen had prayed, “Dear Jesus, please be with us today.  Help us to do something to show we love others.  And please dear God, don’t forget to take care of our school.”

     And then it happened.  The freeway was only a stone’s throw away.  And the there was a great “boom” as a giant truck tire blew out.  Seventeen frightened children looked up to see the big truck swerve into the path of oncoming traffic.  But those little people, believe it or not, did not race outside, or even to the window, to see what was happening.  One of them said let’s pray that no one will be hurt.”  And seventeen children knelt in a circle with their teacher and prayed—while the screeching, thumping, bumping, crashing sounds of a serious accident continued.

     Their prayer was answered even as they prayed.  The big truck had turned over and dumped its contents on the edge of the freeway.  A smaller truck in which a two-year-old boy was riding with his father, had turned over and had landed in the creek beside the school.  But there were no serious injuries.  Even the newspaper called it a miracle.

     But wait, what had the big truck dumped on the highway?  Shingles!  Shingles, just the color needed for the school!  Shingles strewn everywhere, it seemed!  And nobody wanted to pick them up!

     A school board member was at the school at the time, and he negotiated with the insurance adjuster to buy them all for a very small sum.  The children picked them up and  stacked them up neatly.  The roof was cared for before the rains, and the shingles left over were sold for a profit of $300!

     Could anyone tell those Vacaville children that God doesn’t answer prayer?

M. L. Lloyd