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A Good Word

One Crazy February Night

Part 2

The moments felt like hours waiting for the police to arrive. Suddenly the woman shouted at me, “If you don’t believe me about all this, just call my sister, Sandy Ruxton!* She lives right here in town and can tell you it’s true!” Grabbing on to a chance that this was reality, I glanced at Larry with a nod and ran back upstairs. I quickly dialed information and asked for the telephone number of Sandy Ruxton. Moments later I had the number and was dialing.

“Ma’am, I know it’s late at night and this is out of the ordinary. But I am calling because I have a woman in my living room who tells me she is your sister, and she is telling my husband and me some pretty strange things...”

Immediately the woman gasped and tearfully spoke, “Oh dear, it’s my sister. Thank God she’s been found! She just escaped from a mental institution several days ago and we haven’t known where she is. Have you called the police?” I assured her we had, but that I was hoping this phone call would yield some answers—some direction for the officers upon their arrival.

She explained to me that her sister had been completely normal years before, but had suffered a complete nervous breakdown upon the untimely death of her husband. Since then, she had been in and out of mental hospitals. The family was at the end of their rope, unsure what to do.

I assured Sandy her sister was safe in our living room, waiting for police to arrive. I introduced myself and told her that my husband and I pastored the local Assembly of God church, and would take the greatest of care and concern in seeing to it that her sister got back to the place she needed to be. I assured her we were praying for her, and took opportunity right then to pray. Choking the words out through tears, she exclaimed, “If my sister had to escape and go to anyone’s house, I know God must have had a hand on her, to arrive at your house out of all the places she could’ve gone to.” We both agreed it was a divine appointment. But the story wasn’t over.

As the night wore on, more backup troopers were called to help with the situation. Our driveway was filled with squad cars. It took six state troopers to get Sandy’s dear sister to leave our living room for one of the cars, where she was gracefully escorted back to the mental hospital. She was not treated with force, but with gentleness and dignity. Sometime after 2 a.m., the troopers headed out of our driveway, and Larry and I finally tucked our three children in for the night and dropped off to sleep. The biggest surprise, however, would come on Sunday.

As I was directing choir rehearsal on Sunday evening, I related our crazy night to the group during “share time.” Imagine everyone’s surprise when one of the choir members pulled out his “Top 10” list that was drawn up the previous week. My pastor-husband had exhorted the congregation to join him in making a “Top 10” list of individuals in our sphere of influence that we were praying would be saved in the coming months. As a church we compiled our individual lists and joined together in powerful prayer, believing for God to do a work. One of my tenors excitedly waved his Top 10 list and said, “Look here, everyone! Sandy Ruxton and her husband are number one on my list! They have been friends of mine for years, and I have already given them tickets to our Easter choir concert, in faith believing for their salvation!”

Do we serve an on-time God or what? God brought us together with the Ruxtons through very unorthodox circumstances in order to touch their hearts and open them further to the Gospel. One crazy February night served to show us all once again that God is in control and engineers divine circumstances.

*name has been changed

DEANNA DOSS SHRODES is a credentialed minister with the Assemblies of God and serves alongside her pastor-husband, Larry, in church ministry. She may be reached at mailto:mPastorDeanna@aol.com.

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