…….that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27)

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In Mauritius, it’s not uncommon to have items stolen. In fact, the people living in the flat that we now call home were robbed while sleeping. The thieves even took jewelry off the nightstand, inches from their heads. Also, people have barbed wire around their homes and always lock-up their cars. I don’t think there is violent crime here, like that in South Africa, but a lot of things are stolen. Also, I was told that if I find lost items, I don’t bring them to the police, as they will be pocketed and never returned.

So, this brings me to this past Tuesday. I had to drive to Port Louis to pick up a package and to finalize something with the visa office. I took both children so that Alex would have some relief for a few hours since Jack is on school break. I parked in an old granary building which was converted to a parking garage. Upon my return to the car I noticed Will (the baby) was in need of a diaper change. I open the car and laid him on the back seat, changed his diaper and buckled him in his car seat. I told Jack to get in the car and buckle up. Then the three of us left the parking garage and headed home.

Thursday morning Alex asked for the car keys. She returned from the car quickly and asked where the borrowed “Bon Jovi Rock-Star” stroller was. Like a near death experience, my brain started replaying the last two days of my life as I searched in my head for the possible location. “Well, it wasn’t in the car yesterday” I said, trying to buy me time to think. I went through the motions of looking around the flat, as if by some chance Alex didn’t see it sitting in the open somewhere. At this point I realized I left the stroller in the parking garage. I took Will out of the stroller, changed his diaper, got Jack in the car and left. The stroller was out of sight, behind an old granary slide. Then, looking at the car, I was hoping that the car was broken into, and that the stroller was stolen. At least then I wouldn’t be to blame…..those thieving Mauritians. But, the car was not broken into. I then stated that I think I left it in the Port Louis parking garage. At this point we knew the stroller was gone forever. I imagined some 70 year old Mauritian man pushing his laundry and fruit around in the red Bon Jovi – designed stroller. By the way, why did Bon Jovi design a stroller, and more importantly, why was I pushing my son in one? Anyway, I decided to drive to Port Louis to confirm the stroller was gone.

On the way, I prayed to God. While I was praying, the enemy was filling my head with doubts. Things like “Why are you praying for the recovery of a stroller…that’s so unimportant”. But I realized that God wants us to pray to Him always, for the big things and for the little things. “Why are you more passionate in prayer about a stroller than you are about someone who has a more serious request”? A very valid point, but I knew that regardless of my short-comings, God wants me to pray to Him. I mean of course I don’t deserve God’s mercy, but that’s not the point. If I waited to pray to God until I deserved His mercy, I would never pray to God. As I was praying I made sure to proclaim that I will praise God if I find the stroller or if I don’t find the stroller. He is in control and He deserves praise because He is God and I’m not. Also, as I was driving, I knew that if my wife prayed in unity with my prayers of finding the stroller, then that is something that would please God. This of course doesn’t mean that God will do what I ask, God is God and our prayer should be about being more like Christ, not attempting to change God’s mind about something. Anyway, it was difficult to ask my wife to pray with me, since I had lost the stroller. I sent a text message asking for her to pray, knowing that regardless of what happens with the stroller, I would be doing the right thing by having unity in prayer with my wife.

As I approached the parking garage in Port Louis, I kind of expected to find the stroller just sitting there, behind the grain slide. As I walked through the parking garage, to the location where my car was parked, I saw no sign of the stroller. I thought, “well, I would have liked it to be found, but what can I expect….of course it’s gone forever”. As I continued through the parking garage, I passed a maintenance room that was open. A man was inside with his back to me. I though maybe he has the stroller in this room, but as I quickly looked in I verified that there indeed was no stroller. I kept walking until I came to the little office at the end of the building, where the parking attendants issue the time-stamped (actually hand written) tickets before you park. I said to on attendant that I left a red stroller here on Tuesday. I don’t know what my real motive was for stating my loss. I think in my head I just wanted them to know whose stroller was stolen, figuring that one of them saw it on Tuesday and now they would see the person who lost it….not that they would give it back, but that maybe they would feel bad about steeling it.

At this point, something unexpected happened. The guy seemed to gesture that he knew what I was talking about and walked back into the office. Could it be that the stroller was in the office? I felt a sense of hope and excitement filling me as the possibility was rising. Then, out from the office, rolled this red stroller, yes indeed the Bon Jovi Rock-star stroller. Praise the Lord! “Mercy Boku, Mercy Boku” I uttered. I thanked all three people there, although I have a feeling only the one knew what was going on. I left the garage and texted Alex “Praise the Lord”. She was very surprised that the stroller was found, but very confident that the Lord’s will would be done. What a blessing.

I told a few others about this story and a Mauritian man said that I was truly blessed because you never hear stories like this. As I said in the beginning, people risk a lot more to steal far less. So, more important than finding the stroller was the experience in the car ride to Port Louis, while in prayer. I think we all underestimate the power of a husband and wife praying in unity. While I know there is power in prayer and I know that where two or three are gathered, God is in their presence, I think there is a special blessing when those two people are husband and wife. I encourage all of you who are married to pray together, which some of you already do, to be like minded, sharing the mind-set of Christ.