Miracle Wool

I again had the oportunity to serve as one of the Trek doctors for a combined Augusta-Greenville Stake pioneer reenactment.  The conditions were a bit warmer than and much wetter than four years ago.  It is impossible to predict and prepare 100% for every medical issue that may occur during an event thik this.  I am grateful for the entire Trek medical team.  Between the members of the team, we seemed to have just about everything we needed. Due to the warmer weather, fire ants were a bigger issue.  Fortunately, our EMT member had a benedryl stick. I brought the Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, and another team member had a large bottle of Gold Bond Medicated Powder which was very useful. 

However, even with our sincere preparation and teamwork.  We couldn’t predict and prepare for everything. Fortunately, a Walmart was not too far from our location. One of the adult organizers offered to stop buy Walmart and pick up anything additional I needed.  I was using up all my mole skin and needed some more in addition to a few other items. This brother told me he’d be back early the next day and would leave the items outside my tent. 

The next morning, the shopping bag with the requested items lay outside my tent.  The four items I requested were present in addition to an unpackaged but clean tuft of lambs wool. Lambs wool is used between the toes, to comfortably spread sore toes to prevent painful rubbing.  I hadn’t asked for lambs wool, but was very thankful to get some. However, when I thanked the brother for the items and the lambs wool, he denied getting the lambs wool.  None of the other adults admitted to providing the wool either.  Most didn’t even know what it was. 

Anyways, I put the lambs wool and other items in my pack.  Later that day, a returned missionary volunteer with a painful ingrown toenail approached me for help.  After performing a wedge incision, he still had quite a swollen and painful toe.  I thought, “lambs wool would really come in handy ... wait a sec....  I’ve got some lambs wool right here”.   I told the RM, “I want you to know that this is divinely provided lambs wool”. I briefly related to him the story as I applied it.

The source of the lambs wool remains a mystery.  But whether another volunteer felt  inspired to sneek the lambs wool into the Walmart bag or the miracle wool was provided by more supernatural means, the point is that in addition to our preparation, and teamwork, God knew that someone would need lambs wool that day. 

I have found that God does care about our youth activities.  Whether its a pioneer reenactment, 50-miler, or girls camp, I think we do experience miracles in these exercises. Trek miracles let us know that if God is watching our practice trials, He will also be watching over us during the real thing.