Evangeline: A License to Pray

Ray Ray & Evangeline having lunch al fresco in their tent.

It is a widely known fact that only the clinically insane or galactically stupid take children to the DMV. I admit, though, that I did it this week. That's me... crazy, or idiotic, or both times five. In my defense, my sitter did cancel at the last minute, but really you and I both know that there's no valid excuse.

In case you were wondering, we brought along a snack of mandarin oranges, whole wheat crackers, string cheese, and a lemonade Snapple, a few books, a princess coloring book with glitter crayons, two iPods, an Etch-a-sketch, a couple of Tinkerbell pixie faerie barbies and their Treehouse, and the Star Wars book "Jedi vs. Sith: the Essential Guide to the Force" which Ricker (big surprise) read to the babies at great length.

I sat there in my orange plastic bolted-to-the-floor bucket chair along with everyone else watching the appointment board. The same lady who got the gig for the airport public announcement "the white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only" broadcasted that #4761 should proceed to window #22a... and I thought, hmmm, only 87 others ahead of me now.

Right about then the ordinary turned extraordinary. An Hispanic gentleman in a wheelchair started to pass by us and Evangeline spontaneously reached out her hand, put it on top of his hand, squeezed her eyes tight, lifted up her face, and earnestly prayed,

"Dear Jesus, I pray that You would heal this man
and make him be out of his wheelchair in Jesus' Name, AMEN!"

He was stunned. I was stunned. Everyone was stunned at this incredible, beautiful Jesus Moment right there in the heart of the government machine... With a big smile, he responded, "Gracias!"

And, that, my friends, was Evangeline's first step into evangelism. My pee-wee preacher, my supernatural small-fry, had a toddler divine appointment. WOW!

So, next time sign me right on up for galactic stupidity. If there is absolutely no way to escape going to the DMV, I'm bringing my kids... just in case. Who knows? Any one of them could be the next John Wesley, D. L. Moody, John Wimber, or Billy Graham!

When we told our friend, Sydney, her comment was something like "Of course! She's living up to her name!"