Coincidence or Providence?
Chapel at Trinity Seminary, Accra, Ghana
I’ve never cared for Miracles.
They’ve always posed a problem for me. I’m a Christian and an intellectual, for better or worse.
While I’ve always believed in what C.S Lewis calls “the grand miracle”, the incarnation, that never made it any easier. I’ve even believed all of Christ’s miracles, often begrudgingly, but I’ve always had a problem with modern miracles.
Miracles present a problem for the intellectual mind because our post-modern programming tells us there’s an explanation for everything. We’re hesitant to say it’s God, because we know people like to make this stuff up sometimes.
Herein lies the tension. We want to believe, but sadly, we end up needing to prove our beliefs.
With that out of the way, here’s the story.
Reverend Darko is flying, and on his plane he meets 2 students from Trinity Seminary in Accra, Ghana. The students tell Darko that they are in dire need of water at the seminary. Darko listens to them, and assures them he will do whatever he can to help.
Sometime Later, it’s March 23, 2009, my dad and I have arrived in Ghana. That evening we were eating with Reverend Darko, and coincidentally, we ended up talking about some water projects my dad had done. Darko remembered those two students, and said, “You know, if you have time, Trinity Seminary has a very pressing water need.”
We talked it over, and we decided to go on Wednesday.
Tuesday morning, my mom called us and told us that she had met a professor from Trinity Seminary who was visiting. She told us that we should try and go check out the seminary. We told her that, coincidentally, we had already spoken with Darko and made plans for the next day.
Wednesday comes, and that morning a friend of ours from Living Water International arrived. His name is Stan. Stan works in development, working with LWI on fundraising and suggesting new wells.
Needless to say, it’s a good thing Stan’s timing coincided with ours an that he would be able to come with us to see Trinity Seminary.
We arrive an we meet with the President, Cyril, and the Vice President. They told us that since they were at the end of the municipal water line and it was the dry season, they had had no water for two months. There need was dire.
We spoke about the possibillity of a new well, and mentioned that we would need a study to see where they could drill.
Coincidentally, the president mentioned that one of the students at the seminary was also a Geologist.
The student’s name was Sam and he was probably in his mid-to-late 40’s.
Sam told us that, coincidentally, he had already been looking into the water problem and had identified a few potential sites.
We asked him if we should get a hydrogeological study to be sure, and he concurred.
By coincidence, there happened to be a geological conference nearby that Sam had been attending. Sam said he knew someone who was attending the conference who would be able to help us.
We spoke to the geologist, and coincidentally, hydrogeological studies used for drilling wells are his specialty. We arranged the study for the following Monday.
We left the seminary, but told the president we’d be back after we came back down from the north.
While we were heading North we were speaking to Stan about the possibility of getting the Living Water drill rig to the seminary to drill the borehole (well). Stan told us that it would be tough to get it quickly since it was way up in northern Ghana.
Coincidentally, our friend Tom Powell, who is working on affordable housing for students, knew of a woman with the Methodist Church of Africa who was drilling boreholes. We called her up and talked to her about it. Initially she wasn’t sure she would be able to help because they had so many other projects.
Several days later she called back and told us that her boss had heard about it and wanted to expedite this borehole. By coincidence, their drill rig was already in Accra.
We arrived on Monday, and everything was worked out. We talked details, we asked questions, made plans and so on and so forth.
But the bigger point is that Trinity Seminary is getting a well, maybe two, and all because of an endless stream of coincidences.
1. The students meet Darko and express a need for Water.
2. My dad mentions in passing how he’s here to look at wells, and Darko mentions Trinity.
3. Mom called us the next day and told us to visit Trinity without knowing we’d spoken to Darko and made plans the night prior.
4. Stan from Living Water arrived the same day we were going to visit Trinity.
4. We needed a geologist and A student at the seminary was also a geologist.
5. Sam, the student & geologist, had already been looking into it and had identified 2 potential sites.
6. We needed a 2nd geologist and A geological conference just happened to be was on nearby.
7. Sam knew a geologist at the conference who specializes in hydrogeological studies in borehole operations.
8. We wouldn’t be able to get the LWI drill rig down in time, but Tom Powell knew of someone in the Methodist Church who was drilling wells.
9. We spoke to her and she wasn’t sure she could help quickly either. Somehow word got to her boss and we get a call from him saying that they did want to help and that they would expedite the process.
9 coincidences, and probably even more that I’ve forgotten.
There’s not much to say here, other than to say this. How many coincidences does it take for us to see the providence?
Coincidence or Providence?
I think God’s trying to tell us something…
It’s your call.
Praise God.
Amen.