From Ice Cream to Cash in Hand
Cash is King
One of our concerns was having cash on hand when driving back from the village to Belem, usually a three-day trip. Credit cards were not common, so cash was king to buy fuel, food, lodging, repairs, etc. Because the inflation rate was so high, we could not take along enough cash from Belem for a two or three-month session in the village since we would lose 25% of the value in that time. So, we brought only enough to get us there. When we were ready to leave, we withdrew some money from our account in the bank in Barra do Corda. Money in the bank received inflation adjustments so was safe.
One day, about a week before leaving for Belem, I had to make a quick trip to Barra to buy medicines to treat a very sick Canela boy. I spent the last bit of cash on the meds and some food to take back to the village. I stopped by the bank to withdraw money from my account to cover our travel expenses back to Belem. I liked having travel cash in hand in case we needed to travel on the weekend when the bank would be closed.
Sorry! No Money!
When I walked up to the bank door, however, I was dismayed to find the bank closed, even though it was the middle of the week. A note on the door stated it would be closed for ten days or more since the bank was out of money.
I prayed, “Lord, you are our Provider, and you know Jo and I need cash to travel back. This is not a surprise to you. Please help us.”
In Trouble? Eat Ice Cream!
I stopped for some lunch at a small restaurant, and for dessert, I ordered some ice
cream. Ice cream was a relatively new luxury since Barra had been on the electric power grid for only a few years. The owner, however, said, “We don’t have any ice cream left. We only buy small quantities since we never know when the electric power will go off, and our ice cream melts.
God’s Reminder
Then I remembered! Many years before, in our old village house, we had used a small gasoline-powered generator but now in our new wooden house, we were using battery-operated lights and had stored the generator. So, I said, “What you need is a small backup generator. I happen to have one which I no longer use. Would you want to buy it?”
Happiness All Around
“Yes, I do!” he said, and we agreed on a price. I picked up the generator where I had stored it at the nearby MICEB mission campus and delivered it that same hour. He paid me in Brazilian currency, which solved my cash problem.
Yet Another God-Incidence!
As I drove back to the village, I mentally went over the amazing set of coincidences. Within minutes of the distressing bank closure situation and my prayer for help, I happened to order ice cream. Seconds later the solution appeared, and within an hour, God supplied the cash I needed. “Thank you, Lord, for arranging this God-incidence.”
This is an excerpt from the memoir Jo and I are currently writing covering our decades-long translation ministry among the Canela people of Brazil.
Working Title: From Adventure to Spiritual Warfare