March 12, 2008
Richard Bush, superintendent for the New England District, was feeling fine when he boarded a plan from Denver to Boston. “I remember thinking how grateful I was for the energy God has allowed me over the past many months,” he said. “Little did I know at that point the ‘up close and personal’ application of Psalm 91 that lay immediately ahead of me.”
Two hours into his flight, Bush, who has experienced heart-related health issues in the past, began feeling weak and shaky. Sensing that he was about to lose consciousness, he hit the call button. The flight attendant brought oxygen and called for any doctors on board. Three answered the call and came to attend to Bush. On their recommendation the pilot made an emergency landing at the Detroit International Airport, and Bush was rushed to the nearest hospital in Wayne, Michigan.
Bush, who was stabilized and subsequently admitted for testing, realized he was alone in a strange city and hospital. “But God had me covered,” he said. When a visitor to the other patient in the room introduced himself as Tom and offered his help, Bush explained that because his checked bag had gone on to Boston, he was in need of some personal items. Tom said he would be happy to help even though he normally avoided shopping on Sundays. Picking up on the cue, Bush asked Tom if he was a believer.
Their conversation led the two men to a delightful discovery. “The man is Tom Thompson,” said Bush. “He’s the son of Alliance pastor Tommy Thompson, a well-known figure from past days in the Alliance.” (Thompson Sr. pastored several Alliance churches in the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes, and New England districts over a period of more than four decades.)
“Tom became an angel of mercy for me, doing myriad tasks to support me and my family in our time of need,” Bush said. “He came to the hospital very early the next morning to pray with me before the catheterization procedure and was at my side during the hours I had to lie immobile on my back with a sandbag weighing down the artery that had been invaded by the catheter. He even fed me lunch!”
Thompson not only provided transportation to and from the airport for Bush’s wife and daughter, but with help from his wife, Beverly, he also provided them bed and breakfast during their stay. Bush commented, “God sent the Thompsons to be His Body for us. We were comforted beyond imagination just in experiencing God’s providence in such tangible and practical ways through folks like Tom and Beverly who are sensitive to His leading.”
God didn’t stop there. In leaving Detroit, Bush learned how God had provided others in his path. “As we handed our boarding passes to the ticket agent at the departure gate in Detroit, the agent asked me, ‘How are you?’” Bush said. “When I looked at him in surprise, he explained that he was there when they took me off the plane and then added, ‘I wanted you to know that I’ve been praying for you.’”
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty . . . If you make the Most High your dwelling—then no harm will befall you . . . For he will command his angels to guard you in all your ways . . . “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (Psalm 91, selected portions)