A Miracle in South Africa
Johannes Adendorff, the author of A Different Plan, learns of a friend’s challenges and helps her find a new perspective…with some incredible results.
Wherever I went in the world, I tried to come home for haircuts. My hairdresser, Martha, was a middle-class South African woman in her mid-thirties. She always sported an interesting hairstyle to show off her talent.
When I walked into the salon one day, she got me seated right away. We made small talk as she worked on my hair.
“Do you have any children, Martha?” I asked, continuing the small talk.
Her face darkened slightly. “No, I do not have any children.”
Without thinking, I blurted, “Do you want to have children?”
I could see her reflection in the mirror in front of us. Her brow furrowed, and her hands paused for a moment. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked that, I thought, snapping my eyes down. I wasn’t sure what had possessed me to ask the question.
To my surprise, she finally answered. “I cannot have children.”
I remembered a passage I’d read in my Bible about how God had done the impossible in a similar situation. A woman named Hannah had been trying to have a baby with no luck. She went to the Lord, crying, and asked Him to grant her wish. He did, and Hannah had a son named Samuel. “How did you come to that conclusion?”
“My husband and I have tried everything. I’ve always wanted a baby, ever since I was a child. It’s been a dream of mine.”
“Martha, have you prayed about this?”
She shook her head no, trying to blink the tears out of her eyes.
“Only Jesus can do things that are impossible for man,” I said. “He can fix the problems.”
She looked skeptical but nodded as she finished off my haircut. As I got up to leave, I said a little prayer of my own for her. Please, Lord, give her this child that she so much desires.
I had no doubt my prayers would be answered.
A year later, I returned to the little shop in South Africa to get my haircut. I noticed Martha’s smiling face immediately. “You seem happy,” I observed.
“I am very, very happy,” Martha said, hardly able to contain herself. “I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?”
Without any hesitation, she led me into the backroom. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the dim light, spotting a pram in the corner of the room. “Martha—”
“Let me show you the child Jesus has given me,” she said, walking over to the pram and taking out the small bundle.
A former military man and professional skydiver, Johannes Adendorff shares his experiences of overcoming adversity in his memoir, A Different Plan. After years of life in the skies, Adendorff commits his time to spreading God’s message and encouraging others to live for Jesus Christ. You can contact Johannes here.