…The Difference One Number Can Make!

My husband and I had been married four months when our mission appointed us to go overseas. We were giddy with excitement and eager to do this “deputation-and-fundraising” thing right. My husband was born and raised on the mission field, so he knew that the first thing to do when writing a prayer letter was to get everyone’s attention. He had a great idea. We worked hard to make our prayer letter look like a passport. The outside was decorated like our own treasured passports and the inside with our passport photos, numbers, etc. The idea was to have our passport number be a scripture reference that meant a lot to us in that season of our lives. We finished it up, sent it to the printer, and then sent it out to our mailing list. Imagine our shock when my mother-in-law called a few days later. “Is this an announcement?” she asked. “About what?” my husband replied. He quickly hung up the phone and scrambled for our prayer letter. He was mortified! My passport “number” was supposed to be 1 Samuel 12:24, which reads: Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart. For consider what great things He has done for you. Instead, I had written 2 Samuel 12:24, which reads: Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Needless to say, we held our breath for a few days, but only ONE other person commented on the mistake. Though we were very happy no one caught it, we did wonder how many people actually read our letter.

 

© 2012 Women of the Harvest.

Question to Consider: Got any funny stories to share? We’d love you to submit your funny stories for publication — language-learning blunders, insect and rodent hair-raisers, priceless MK quotes, cross-cultural escapades.

But if you don’t want to that, put ’em in the comment section here…may laughter abound!