God's Glory Manifested in Others

I was speaking with my sister over the phone the other day and she told me an amazing story. She was ready to go to home after a long day in the leasing office of an apartment complex, when suddenly the phone rang. "Please, I am trying to find my daughter. Her name is *Anna*. I am in Europe and we have been trying to contact her for a few days. Could you check to see if she is OK. I am so worried," said the man in a Russian accent. (**To protect her identity, I have used a fake name for this girl**)

My sister recalled her. She was a quiet girl that had an old dog. She had just moved into her building a few months ago from Russia with an interest to pursue an education. My sister knew that in the mornings and in the evenings, Anna got out of her apartment to walk the dog. So, my sister decided to wait until the evening to knock on the door. Knock, Knock, Knock. Silence filled the air. Knock, knock, knock. No answer. "That is strange," my sister thought. She decided to try again the next day. Knock, knock, knock. Still, no one answered the door.

That day, the Russian man called again. "Have you found her? What is going on?" he said in a worried tone. My sister replied, "I can't tell you what is happening but I will say that I am looking into it." The man replied and said "I have called so many times here and you have been the only one willing to help. Please call me if you hear something. I am so worried." That day, my sister contacted her boss and they decided to post a 24 hour notice on her door for an apartment inspection. After the 24 hours passed, my sister, her boss, and the maintenance manager walked in.

"What is that smell?" They walked into the bedroom and found an old dog looking at the owner's bed surrounded by his own feces. "You can tell no one has been here for days," stated the boss. They scanned the area and noticed that the dog was weak as he had not eaten for days. They decided to find some dog food and feed him. "We have to contact the police and a dog pound," indicated the maintenance manager. At this point, my sister indicated that something did not set quite right with her. Instead, she said "Don't take the dog to the pound. They will put him to sleep because of his age. Let him stay here. I will watch and take care of him." They all agreed to her proposal and decided to only contact the police and file a missing person report. Later that day, the police called the apartment complex. It appears that they had found the dog's owner. Anna was in the local jail. The police stated that she will be out of prison the next day. My sister was relieved that the girl was unharmed or worse, dead.

The next day, an embarrassed Russian girl entered the apartment complex. My sister saw her and told her to sit down. "Thank God you are alive. We were so worried," my sister indicated. As the Russian girl began to speak, she told her about what happened: "I was working in the department store *XY* and suddenly four girls including myself were arrested for stealing. I had only been a trainee in *XY* for a short time and no one ever told me that you cannot add a discount to an already discounted item. I rung these additional discounts without knowing that I was doing the wrong thing. Apparently, all of the trainees did the same thing. The department store *XY* found a $10,000 loss and blamed it on us without giving us the opportunity to explain. All the other girls had money to pay the bail but because I am all alone in this country and had no money, I had to stay in prison for 4 days! It was horrible. All I can remember was praying and pleading to God that my dog would be alive. My dog is all I have right now." (**For Anna's protection, the department store's name has been omitted too from this story**)

Tears strolled down Anna's cheeks. My sister calmly told her, "You think you were all alone in this world but you are not. God heard your pleas. Your dog is doing fine. I have been taking care of him for you and did not allow anyone to take him to the pound. Neighbors were concerned about your well-being and your father has been calling worried about your safety. Your apartment has been restored to its full state, free of charge. You thought you were alone but I am here to tell you that in the midst of that situation, we were here for you. Call your father. He is really worried." The girl thanked my sister and called her father. Tears of joy and relief could be heard from both ends. Anna returned to her dog who was happy to see her again.

As my sister told me this story, I leaped with amazement and joy. "You see. God can use anyone to manifest His glory. What better person to use than you," I told her. That night, I prayed. I asked that He continued to use us for His purposes. I thanked God for using my sister to help Anna. Glory to God!

Sometimes, we think that we are not capable of helping with God's plans for others. It is only on situations like this one that we realize the potential we have to bring into fruition God's glorious manifestation in the lives of others. If your Spirit prompts you to help someone in need, do so. Become the partaker and witness to God's Glory you are meant to be!