How to Tend Your Field

On this blog back in May, I shared about how the opening of our local pool club on Memorial Day weekend signaled the beginning of summer to me. I also shared how I was going to be intentional about the pool club being my mission field. (Click here for that post).

Unfortunately, unseasonably cold weather kept us from going to the pool that first weekend. However, during one of our early trips there, on a 90-degree day, I claimed my mission field in a way I would never have imagined.

Around dinnertime, my youngest was not feeling the best, and my parents were visiting, but heading to the pool with my three oldest when the crowd is usually pretty light sounded like a great idea. They didn’t really want to go, but I insisted we should.

Soon we were having a good time at the pool. It was so hot, I jumped in to cool off too.

As we were packing up our gear and getting our flip-flops on to leave, I heard a scream. “Help!”

I looked up and saw a man hovering over a child and lifeguards running to his aid.

I heard screams for someone to call 9-1-1.

Whistles were blaring, signaling everyone to get out of the pool.

I witnessed someone administering CPR.

The only thing I could do was call upon the Lord.

At that moment, in the middle of the club on the hard concrete, I dropped to my knees. On my knees, wet swimsuit and all, I called and prayed out loud to my heavenly Father. I prayed for him to breathe his breath of life into that child. To fill his lungs with living air and to perform a miracle.

Minutes passed, and as I was still praying aloud, a woman came over and touched my shoulder.

“He’s crying,” she said. “He’s going to be okay.”

My petitions changed to praise, and I praised the name of Jesus, thanking him for breathing life into that child.

I’m happy to let you know the child was taken to the hospital, kept overnight for observation, and released the next day. Praise God!

I said back in May that I was ready to share Jesus at my mission field, I just never expected it to be on my knees in prayer. However, sometimes the only thing we can do is call upon the Lord.

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Friends, God is a faithful God. I don’t know how I would be right now if the outcome were different. I still get very emotional when I think about it, but I know God is faithful.

That afternoon my kids didn’t want to go to the pool. They simply didn’t want to go. However, I felt an urging that we should. I didn’t know why, but I said, “Get on your suits. We’re going.”

I now know the urging I felt that day was God’s prompting.

Claim your field. Tend it well. Call upon the Lord.

Heather Gerwing is a homeschooling mom of four. She is a Jersey girl at heart but now lives in Michigan with her husband Jeff and their kids. Heather enjoys reading, coffee-ing, worshipping and writing. She is passionate about her family and living the full life. You can find her at heathergerwing.com.

Photograph © Lee Jeffs, used with permission