Somewhere in Missouri, on our way to Texas, we received a cell phone call from a friend of ours. As I answered the phone he said, "Hey, you guys must be near Sikeston, Missouri by now. Why don't you stop in at a restaurant named Lambert's Cafe and check it out? You guys will love it." How were we to know that this call would lead to a divine appointment of encouragement and support.
We arrived late in the afternoon and so there wasn't the usual crowd an Lambert's. This created a more relaxed atmosphere among the staff and waitresses. As the dinner rolls were flying, and unlimited amounts of fried okra were served by a roving waiter from a large stainless steel bowl, Maxine, our waitress came to take our order.
Maxine is a black lady, and looked to be in her 40's, she had a penetrating smile and an enthusiasm that went beyond what her job description called for. On her Lambert's uniform she had about a hundred pins and buttons with different sayings and pictures on them, and as she stepped away from our table after taking our order, James said, "Did you see that one of her buttons said 'Smile if you love Jesus'." James said we should ask her about that when she comes back.
When Maxine returned, I said, "Hey, we're smiling". She knew immediately what I meant, and she said, "I just knew you were." Maxine explained that she had been a Christian for a long time, and I explained that we were missionaries to Paraguay. We talked for a bit about the joys of knowing our Savior and then she had to get back to work.
As we were leaving Maxine approached us with a bag full of the biggest cinnamon rolls that you can image. These were followed by hugs for each of us and a promise to pray and support us.
From Sikeston, to the small town of Limon in Colorado, the Lord has given us a string of divinely encouraging appointments that have made our traveling a little easier.
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