Our youngest son, Aaron, was a baby when my dad and mom gave him a $25 US Savings Bond for his first birthday. That was in 1978.
Becky and I held on to it for many years and then turned it over to him. We never knew or even thought about what happened to it. In Mother’s later years, she asked about it a couple of times, but we did not have a real answer. My dad died in 2000, and my mother joined him in Heaven in 2013. I think she may have brought it up to Aaron at some point. Basically, it was in the forgotten past.
Aaron is now 48 years old. In the middle of all the work of getting The Gospel Advance started and trying to raise startup funds for this new venture to get out the Gospel, I got a call from Aaron. He said, “Hey, Dad, guess what I just found?” I told him that I had no idea. He asked, “ Remember that $25 bond grandmother gave me?” I answered, “I do.” He said, “Can you believe that?” We both agreed it was pretty unbelievable.
He took it to his bank to see if it was still valid. They told him it had matured many years ago, but it was worth $106.76. They put the cash and coins in one of the little envelopes they use and handed it to him.
He called and told me about that strange experience. He also said that he and Ginny had decided that they wanted the money to go to the startup fund for The Gospel Advance. They thought it was really special that my mom could be part of this new ministry God has given to her son, thirteen years after she went to Heaven.
It will be deposited into the account with genuine gratitude to the Lord, to Aaron and Ginny, and an additional – Thank you, Mother.
May God be pleased to use The Gospel Advance for His glory in the salvation of millions and the discipling of those new believers to the advancing of His cause in this world. I’m thrilled that God opened an unusual way for my parents to be a very real part of it.
– Dr. John Reynolds