Several days before the Fall Festival, I began praying for divine appointments --opportunities for God to connect me with someone who needed encouragement

We set up, so I started to walk around.
Out of the blue, a man stopped me and said he liked my sweatshirt and the logo.

I shared with him the meaning behind the design—that the letters in the word HOPE are intentionally broken, because whether we are Christians or nonbelievers, we are all broken.

But through the cross, we are reminded that Jesus died for each of us, no matter our past.

When I asked what drew his attention to the logo, he told me that earlier that morning, he had prayed for a sign from God that everything would be okay—and seeing the sweatshirt was that sign.

He went on to share that he had lived for years in drug-infested Philadelphia, battling addiction, and was now in recovery. He had recently moved to a rural area about an hour north of the city to rebuild his life.

Just two days earlier, his 12-year-old son had attempted suicide, and his son was now institutionalized to receive help. That morning, this father was in a dark place, struggling to hold on to hope.

As we walked back to our tent, he told me he had prayed to meet someone who would be easy to talk to. We gave him and his wife each a HOPE-branded sweatshirt and a copy of my book. Together with two other brothers who were serving with me, we prayed for him, his son, and their family.

He shared his deep guilt over his past and wondered if his son was “paying for his sins.” We gently assured him that there is forgiveness and redemption in Jesus, no matter what we’ve done or where we’ve been.

That day, I witnessed firsthand how God answers prayer. This was my divine appointment, something I could never have orchestrated on my own.

God is good — Divine Appointments Happen When We Are Prepared!