Valentine Miracle & an Extra Pair of Pants

          ’Twas a year ago this month we learned of an emergency and a miracle—both within days! You see, on February 12^th, seventy-nine-year-old Mr. Murray decided to go for a walk. This wasn’t unusual for him, but it became so when he didn’t come home.

          As the day wore on, alerts went out through police, community, and their church family. People not only began to pray, but they went out in vehicles and on foot—adults and kids alike—all searching for this dear man who simply…

          …lost his way home, for Mr. Murray had dementia.

          When night fell, there’d still been no signs of him. The Murray’s pastor and other of their church family comforted the Mrs.

          And the prayer warriors prayed.

          Temperatures dropped below freezing, as they could that time of year—Louisville KY nights quite chilly for the south. How would Mr. Lynn survive, and how afraid and disoriented would he be?

          The next morning, searchers went out again—adults and kids—until Day Two came to a close.

          Was there any way Mr. Lynn could survive another night in the cold—who knows where?

          God knew where! And as you read on, you’ll surely see God in this story too, as did we.

          We kept up on this situation long distance through our son, Michael, and his wife—they updating the prayer need. I’ll be honest with you though. To us it seemed almost impossible Mr. Murray could survive another night in the cold.

          South of the rural road where the Murray’s lived stretched acres and acres of rough, hilly woods—some areas so rough it’d challenge even a very physically fit person to scale it.

          The Mr. hadn’t been spotted along the road during searches. Could he be in the heavily wooded area?

          Everyone prayed on, hundreds searched, and Mr. Murray remained in the Hands of his God.

          But God wasn’t just with Mr. Murray. He surrounded his wife as well—this loving bride who trusted her husband into the care of her Lord, believing He would return her groom to her! Those who came to her aid found a woman who inspired their trust in God’s care of Mr. Murray.

          God was also with the prayer warriors. Some of the men seeking His Guidance believed they should go the next morning to a remote area of those woods.

          Valentine’s Day. Day Three.

          Not only did God’s Spirit speak to the hearts of the church men, but He was in the change of plans for another team that morning.

          Tree trimmers! They hadn’t planned to head to a remote area of the woods that day, yet that’s where they went. Unbeknownst to them, this was the same place the praying church men believed they should begin searching on Day Three.

          Not coincidently, another fellow joined the Murray’s church that Sunday before. He was a first responder and would play a part in the hours to come.

          Then the miracle came full circle! One of the tree-trimmers spotted a body lying below a bluff—an area that wouldn’t’ve been noticed usually or easily. And there?

          Mr. Murry! Bruised and scraped some, but…

          …alive!!! He opened his eyes, saw his rescuers, then closed them again. When he reached the hospital, his body temperature registered 85.

          You see, God protected Mr. Murray and even used his dementia to do so. For on that first day—the day he took this walk—he forgot he’d already gotten dressed and put on a second pair of pants!

          Tears of grave concern turned into ones of great jubilation on Valentine’s Day 2024! And there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that a miracle happened that day!

          A miracle of great love! 

My Father Watches Over Me—Mahalia Jackson sings:

My Father Watches Over Me

 

I trust in God wherever I may be, upon the land or on the rolling sea;

For come what may, from day to day, my heav’nly Father watches over me.

 

(Refrain) I trust in God, I know He cares for me, on mountain bleak or on the stormy sea

Though billows roll, He keeps my soul, my heav’nly Father watches over me.

 

He makes the rose an object of His care, He guides the eagle through the pathless air;

And surely He remembers me, my heav’nly Father watches over me. (Refrain)

 

I trust in God, for, in the lion’s den, on battlefield, or in the prison pen;

Through praise or blame, through flood or flame, my heav’nly Father watches over me. (Refrain)

 

The valley may be dark, the shadows deep, but oh, the shepherd guards His lonely sheep;

And through the gloom, He’ll lead me home, my heav’nly Father watches over me. (Refrain)

 

(from the hymn My Father Watches Over Me by W. C. Martin—1910, public domain)

Our son posted this on Facebook when Mr. Murray was found:

“Lynn has been found alive! Praise the Lord!! God sent tree trimmers up there doing their job to find him this morning in the woods!!!!

We're very proud of our church family, Valley View. As you may have heard, one of our members, Lynn, who suffers from Alzheimer's, went missing for the last two days in a wooded, hilly area. He spent two full nights in the cold.

Dozens of volunteers from the church scoured the area…sacrificing untold hours…drove, used ATVs, walked, and hiked. So many passed out flyers, shared the golden alert on social media, and prayed continuously. Two of the search volunteers are just ten years old. Some of our widows--Louise, Betty, and Elizabeth (who's 100 years old)--helped in the search effort. Some of the volunteers have gone to Valley View for decades. Others joined on Sunday, the day before Lynn went missing.

We're proud of our staff. You came alongside Brenda right away and ministered to her. You drove the area late into the night. You printed at least 700 flyers for volunteers to distribute. Immediately after Wright Tree Service discovered Lynn, you went to the scene to care for him and assist with carrying him down the mountain. Our pastor ministered to Brenda the whole time this was happening.

We're proud of the community. So many people from other churches and neighborhoods showed up to help search, distribute flyers, posted signage, organize search parties, and spread the word.

We're proud of the first responders--PRP and Nichols Fire & Rescue, EMS, EMA, LMPD, and the Bullitt County Sheriff's Office. What would we do without you?

We're thankful for the medical staff at the hospital working tirelessly to nurse Lynn back to health. And we're indebted to the tree service employee who spotted Lynn. We would love to know who you are.

Finally, thank You, God, for allowing Lynn to be found and cared for. We see Your providence in the timing and location of his discovery. We continue to pray for the family. Seeing the church and the community rise up together was truly amazing, so we thank you for this special moment.” 

                                                                                                    –Mike Hampshire

#ValentinesDay #miracle #Alzheimers #dementia #search&rescue #LouisvilleKY #ValleyViewChurch

#prayer #goldenalert #faithfulwife #volunteers #treeservice #firstresponders

 

Some content from KENTUCKY TODAY, “Church Comes to Aid in Crisis with Miraculous Ending” by Mark Maynard—managing editor

https://www.kentuckytoday.com/baptist_life/church-comes-to-aid-in-crisis-with-miraculous-ending/article_e461e62c-d7f2-11ee-8767-777cf6fa753d.html?utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR0W4gf1t0oSSdpGVqSXrmV5ZbCFR1GPP5YUoYqnMGSuv9akVMRU5bb_ysU

 

Photo Credit: Rescue: Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Department—Louisville KY

Lynn & Brenda Murray: Used with permission.

Personal sources: Mike & Shannon Hampshire