Two Lost-And-Found Cars III

The following Tuesday morning, I asked SS if she had any news from SR who was under the same faculty. She had also been trying to contact SR for other matters but could not get her. Later, she told me they were going to meet in the afternoon for the second marking of the scripts. When she was back, she brought the good news that SR had got back all her lost exam papers intact on Friday!

According to the rules from the exam unit, we had to submit the marks within five days after the exam date, with the possibility of extension, and return the scripts by the end of the exam period. Short of a single script would get us into a big trouble.

I immediately remembered that first prayer. Good really knew what was the most important to SR!

I also learnt from SS that SR, accompanied by her cousin and with the hope of getting back her car, had been instructed to drive to a remote place. Then only they recovered the bundles of scripts with a message "Fun or not?". She assumed it was a plot by someone who knew her. Thus, she was confident that the person would also return her car and the rest sooner or later.

To me, I was less convinced that it was merely a trick, because few people were informed of SR's whereabouts when she travelled from Melaka to Kuala Lumpur to settle a withdrawal problem at a bank on Tuesday 5 March. Actually she was not even very sure if she had locked her car in a hurry. Moreover, her car model was known to be one of the most popular among the car thieves. Anyway, I was not really interested to know the motive behind the car theft. I was rather excited to know if God would answer our prayers by "yes", "no" or "wait".

After the marking, submission of results, reports and validation meetings, many colleagues were busy again with the clearance of offices. I did not want to pester SR to pray with me more, who was doing the final semester of her part-time studies at the same time. So I also patiently waited for good news of her car. I heard she was temporarily driving a rented car.

Exactly three weeks later this Wednesday, I was sitting in the library when a clerk called me by telephone to open my office door. I recalled I had accidentally locked it again on Monday out of habit after spending a few hours there to eat my packed lunch and read a book, seeing that the renovation had yet to start at my level. As soon as I went out from the library with my key, SR was walking towards me! She wanted to top up her cell phone credit with a machine under the stairs of the library.

"How's your car?"

"I've got it back!"

The first thing I thought was to thank God. I seized the opportunity to invite SR for a short chat inside the library after I had unlocked my office door. It was the semester break, few students of the intercession courses were scattered at different tables. We chose a quiet corner to talk face to face.

"Tell me what's happened."

I was always amazed at SR's narrative oral skill. She was giving a chronologically detailed account. Without a pen to write down on the spot, I was only able to retain the main points in my mind. I will check with her again to verify and correct any mistakes made in this testimony due to my short memory.

Besides messages from an unknown phone number, there was no sign of her car either from the police or the mysterious caller more than two weeks after her directed trip to Kuala Lumpur. Deprived of her own transport, she stayed at home in Alor Gajah most of the evenings. Two or three days before I met her, two friends of hers had helped to buy packed dinner for her. When they arrived at a shop in Alor Gajah, one of them noticed SR's car by recognizing its model, colour and plate number! It was parked near the shop without anybody inside.

They quickly telephoned SR, rushed to pick her with her original car key and brought her to the place. Her car was still there. Obviously it had gone through a thorough wash, for it was clean and shining! She also got back her Macintosh laptop without the charger, which contained her assignments for her studies. Unfortunately, she still could not find back her suitcase and "Touch n Go" high way top-up card.

At the end of the story, she concluded, "It was somehow a miracle."

Now, she was worried that someone was in perfect detection of her whereabouts and had been spying her daily activities with bad intention. I said to her, "I believe God purposely sent me to run into you these two times. What I can help you is to pray for your safety. But first of all, we thank God for His miracle. I know you have another appointment in five minutes. If you're free tomorrow, give me a call or send me an SMS so that we'll meet at another place to pray together like last time."

Until now, no news from her. I hold her in my prayer whenever I remember. I have done my job so far. I leave the follow-up to the Holy Spirit.

Would you call all these pure coincidences or divine arrangements?