George

During the summer of 2007 I made a trip to Cannonsburg, Pa to meet a guy named George about purchasing some baseball cards. When I met George I soon learned that he had stomach cancer and that he was selling off his card collection a little bit at a time. I ask the Lord for opportunities while I'm working in the sports card business and George obviously looked like an opportunity. I visited George a few times and on my third visit, I ask his permission to pray for him. His wife Sandy was present. It seemed kind of awkward. He just met me. I told him that I may never see him again and that I couldn't leave without praying. He gave me the green light and so I prayed. George didn't have much to say after my prayer. He started talking about baseball cards again and so I at least left George that warm summer day with some prayer.

I remember on my way home from that experience the thoughts that were crossing my mind. Does anybody care about this man? He seemed so dry and had a very single minded focus. He just loved sports cards. George was a very small thin man. Quiet in his demeanor. He was one of those folks that you could easily dismiss in life.

I didn't think that I would ever see George again but it so happened that he knew the guy that I partnered with at my sports card store in Robinson twp. George stopped in one day late in November and we kind of renewed our friendship. George didn't look good to me. His stomach was protruding because the tumor inside him pushed his intestinal track through his stomach muscles. It was sad. He kept coming to the shop and we would talk. I kind of felt like nobody was available to talk to George about God or his place in eternity. I was reluctant to bring it up in the shop because I didn't want to scare him. I did bring it up one day and he seemed to want me to talk while he listened intently. He didn't comment much and I couldn't sense any emotion or clear indicator that he wanted to know more.

Three weeks ago George called me and wanted me to come to the house. He couldn't drive his car anymore. He was slowly dying. I visited George and his wife Sandy. He gave me a bunch of cards to sell for him and Sandy. He wanted me to help her financially with his collection. I drove home with his cards and while driving home I knew that I needed to go back soon. The Lord was tapping me on the shoulder to back and pray for him. I knew that I needed a time with George to talk to him about Jesus. I called a few days later and went back down to Cannonsburg to have a one on one with George about the Lord. He had a hard time carrying on a conversation but he was coherent and understood everything that I was saying. He and I prayed together for his place in eternity. I left feeling that I obeyed the prompting of the Spirit. It felt kind of strange but he had no one else in the world helping him through this time other than Sandy.

George died two days ago. Sandy Called me and ask if I would speak at the funeral. She was grateful that in her words "I was there to help him cross over". I just wanted to share this because I wanted you all to know that God doesn't forget about anybody. I'm sure that George sometime during his life cried out to God and so God sent me. Sandy said that George never went to church but read the Bible all the time. This event has given me more assurance that God makes a way for each and everyone of us. George had no church, no christian friends that I know of. He just read the Bible and I'm sure asked the Lord a lot of questions along the way. If we make any attempt to seek Him, the Lord will honor that. I remember when I cried out as a young man while in a drunken stupor and the end result was that He heard and rescued me from a life going nowhere.

Have a great day! I'm off to the funeral.