Gary Thies serves God as Mission Counselor for LCMS Foundation/Ministries Support in Iowa and Nebraska. Gary loves to tell stories from God's mission. He also loves to tell what he calls "stories of God reaching down and touching the lives of individual donors." He says, "God is still calling people and performing great miracles by sending the Holy Spirit into the hearts of people."
I will never forget the day I received the call. The voice on the phone said, "We live on a farm in northern Iowa. We read your article in the Lutheran Witness and if you just happen to be up this way would you stop by and see us?" Well, when someone receives a message like that, you don’t wait until you’re up there. I seized on the opportunity and immediately set a date to meet with them.
When I arrived on the farm I was amazed at the condition of the farmstead and the buildings. The buildings were run down and conditions were very poor. In fact, the house was dilapidated. But I had an appointment with this farmer and his wife so I walked up to the front door and knocked. The wife came and I was surprised to learn she was by herself. She invited me to come in. When I asked where her husband was, she said he was "just too busy doing chores," but that she would be glad to visit with me.
We worked our way through a home that was filled with many objects. Various things were stacked one on top of another. We finally arrived at the kitchen where we cleared the table and I began to visit with this dear soul about what God was calling her to do. She was very interested. At this point in their lives she and her husband wanted support a special missionary. I was somewhat disappointed that the husband wasn’t there. In my heart I knew that both of them should be there if they were truly interested in doing something. But that was my human nature thinking again.
I told her about the newest missionary going to serve overseas. I had made a six-minute video interview with him in St. Louis before he left. The missionary was a little discouraged because he was a single man and was convinced that I would not be able to find anyone to support him. Most people wanted husbands, wives and children. I assured him that God had special plans for him and, oh, that was so right!
I found the television and inserted the six-minute tape. After viewing the tape, the lady looked at me with tears in her eyes. She said that this missionary was the same age as her son who was killed in a tragic automobile accident. She felt that she and her family would love to support this young missionary. I left an "adoption" agreement, along with one of my envelopes, and I assured her that any amount of gift would truly be a blessing.
She asked me "Gary, what does it cost to support a missionary like this?" I told her that it was quite expensive because we had to ship all of his goods, provide for his transportation, pay his office expenses, rent his apartment, provide his salary and Concordia Plans. The total of his support for that year came to $60,000. But I assured her that God would raise up other families and congregations that would be praying for him and supporting his ministry. We prayed together, and I left.
As I walked back to my car, I glanced back at the house. My sinful nature drew a conclusion that said, "A $500 gift would be a major gift!" As I returned home, I thought about the visit and was still somewhat disappointed that I never did see the husband.
About a week later I received in the mail a check from this family. It was not for $500, it was for 5,000. The next month I received another $5,000. The next month I received $5,000 more and the following month, $5,000. This little family was going to provide the full support for the new missionary! It was amazing and to me it truly was a miracle. God works in unusual ways to get His work done and the people He calls may surprise us.