Episode Transcript
It's all too often said that there are no miracles performed these days. Well, I'd really like to challenge this idea with my story of the unwelcome visitors. Welcome to miracles in the 21st century. I'm Ann Browning. My husband Michael and I had been posted to Mullumbimby in North New South Wales, and we lived on the main road that went out to the hippie country. And many, many times we had people calling in, needing food parcels and help of all sorts of descriptions. And my husband was away and he was not due back for a couple of days, and I think he was due back the next day. And my two children were there and we were on our own on this main street. We didn't have any neighbors around and it was a little bit lonely. I used to occasionally feel a bit uneasy. But we trusted in God. So we were there, just the three of us alone, and it was coming on dark and I heard a knock on the front door. So I went out to the front door and there were a couple. Because I'd heard this van come in. There were a couple standing at the door. They had a white van. And they said to me, we are in desperate straits. We need to get Sydney and we need some money for petrol. And I said to them, well, look, I don't have any money in the house and we don't give money. That's our church policy. We are there to help. I said, I'm happy to go with you out to the service station. We can fill your car with petrol and then. And I will get it sorted out with payment of the bill later. And they said, no, we need money. We need it right now. I said, I don't have money. I'm sorry. And they opened the screen door and they pushed their way into the house. And they started to get very aggressive and demanding money, demanding money. And I'm praying quietly in my mind while they're. And I'm saying, I have no money, but I'm praying, Lord, help me. This is getting dangerous. It's really, really dangerous. These people are scaring me. And while I was quietly praying and saying to these people, I don't have money, but I'm happy to go out there and help you. This car came screeching into my driveway. And the next minute, person gets out of the car and comes running down to the door, and he said, ann, are you okay? And I said, no, I'm not okay. These people have just pushed into my house. They're demanding money. I have no money. My Michael's not here. I don't know what to do. Now, this guy used to be a police. Police officer. We had known him for many years. And he said to these people, you heard what the lady said. Get in your car, go out to the service station, and I will take her out and we'll sort you out. And they must have felt a little bit that he was a bit powerful. So they finally turned out and went out to their car, and we followed them out to the service station. And I went and spoke to the people at the counter and said, these people want their car filled with petrol. I don't have any money, but the church will fix you up. They said, that's fine. Not a problem. Just go and fill them up and then come back and sign this document. So we went out and we filled up this car. It took $5 worth of petrol, just 5. And they asked for cigarettes and a few other things for me to pay for them. And my friend that had come in to help me, he said, no, you heard what the lady said. It is just petrol. So they had no option, but they had to do it. And he said, I'm very worried. He said, I don't trust these people. He said, I'm going to come and stay the night at your place. Because I remembered that Michael was due home the next day. So he came. He stayed that night. And when we got to the house, I said, how come you happened to call in right at that moment? He said, look, it was really strange. He said, I was traveling from college, from Avondale College, and I was on my way home for holidays. And down the road, I started to feel as though God was speaking to me. And then he said, I heard this message as clear as day. Go and help Anne. Go and help Ann. She needs help. It's. And so he came in. He said, I didn't know what I was going to see or find, but he said, there is no way I could have driven past that turn off. He said, I just felt that I had to come in to help your situation. I said, do you realize I was praying earnestly for help because it was such a dangerous situation? So God does send his angels sometimes in human form, to come and help us out of situations that are really, really dangerous.
