Tammy: Can't believe what God is doing!

A few weeks ago, a friend and I were searching in a patch of woods known as "tent city" (a place where homeless people set up camp) for a couple to whom we had been ministering. We didn’t find the couple right of way but encountered a lady who called herself "Tammy." She told us she had just been assaulted and her purse had been taken. I thought she was remarkably calm to have just experienced that sort of thing, but she explained that this was a fairly common occurrence in her world.

My heart went out to Tammy. What path had brought her to her current place. She seemed as willing to answer the questions as I was to ask them and laid out a story of heartache and disappointment that would break the hardest heart. She had opened herself up again and again to people who has used, abused, and abandoned her. She had sought relief in substances that had only brought more pain and bondage. Now, Tammy was without family, without friends, and without a home. She had been sleeping under the stars for months. Her dream? To see her children again.

I tried to assure Tammy that her situation was not hopeless, that God cared for her, and the He could restore all that had been lost through the tragic life she had lived. It seemed as though she was trying to believe me, but it had been a long time since she had seen a ray of hope. I asked if we could pray with her and she gladly consented. I prayed that God would impart to Tammy the faith she needed to reach out to Him for healing and restoration. She wept as she prayed for mercy and forgiveness and to be reunited with her children. I have prayed for Tammy since that day and, on the couple occasions on which I have seen her, have encouraged her to keep following Christ and trusting God to work miracles in her life.

Now for an update: A few days ago, Bobbi (a lady who, along with her husband, Ron, puts a lot of time and energy into Meet Me at the Bridge) told me of a national ladies’ conference she was attending and that she would like to sponsor someone who might not be able to attend otherwise. Tammy’s face immediately flashed in my mind. "I know just the lady!" I hadn’t seen Tammy for a few weeks, but I sensed that, if this was God’s plan, He would make it possible. My intention was to ask around today whether anyone had seen Tammy. I was joined by a friend and we began our walk down Main Street. Within two blocks, there stood Tammy. "I don’t know why I came this way," she said.

"I do," I replied, "you and I have an appointment."

"We do?"

"Yes. Not an appointment we set, but one that God set. He intended for us to meet right here, right now." I told Tammy about the ladies’ conference and that some women wanted her to attend at their expense. She would stay in a nice hotel, enjoy some great meals, fellowship with some wonderful ladies, and attend a conference where God could speak to her and do wonderful things in her life. She was overjoyed and almost speechless. She never imagined that she would get to do something like that.

So, Debbie (another vital worker in Meet Me at the Bridge) will pick Tammy up on Thursday, take her home with her for the night, then leave Friday with a bunch of other women for conference. They will love and pamper Tammy for the whole weekend and, by the time they return, we believe Tammy is going to be a very different person than when she left. Keep Tammy in your prayers. God is doing something incredible in her life!