A Special Message from Harold Giesbrecht (Heart of the South)

Harold’s 2023 Devotional: A story of God’s Love

The Lost Sheep

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 

So he told them this parable:  “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbours, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:1-7

St. Vital Park

We had just returned from the wonderful CIAM 20th Anniversary Celebration, capped off with the one and only, Captain Phil Peters flying us home! 

The following day, Tuesday, September 26th, I was meeting with a former pastor near Steinbach and getting an oil change done on the Mission car.  Following that, I had lunch near Grunthal with a couple that supports us & was picking up some tires I had purchased (for my hobby of buying and selling things). 

Back home, Natalie and Evangeline were wanting to get out & enjoy the beauty of the afternoon.  They prayed about the day and were ‘spinning,’ not too sure which way to go with it… but decided to go to St. Vital Park. This is a HUGE city park – 100 acres with a flower garden, soccer field…walking paths…. And almost entirely surrounded by the Red River. They chose this beautiful park as it has a duck pond we enjoy walking around and wanted to check out a new place structure for Evangeline to play on!  

They were kind enough to wait till I got home, then we all jumped in the car and went to the Park.  We decided to start with the play structure, so we parked near it and our 2 year old spent some time exploring and enjoying it.  After that, Natalie wanted to see the pretty flowers.

The Lost Boy

After almost an hour at the play structure, as we were getting ready to leave the play structure area, a mother went by pushing a wagon with a three-year-old in it. She was running through the grass in a few different directions and looking more and more frantic. She finally said she was looking for her five-year-old son who is now lost in the park. We scanned the play structure but could not find him. Several parents were starting to gather, helping her search. 

We decided to walk across the soccer field stopping along the way to take videos and pictures of Evangeline in the field of geese, slowly making our way over to the flower gardens, located about 500 metres away from the play structure. As we got closer to the flowers, a little boy was walking toward us from our right. He matched the mommy’s description of him. Five, wearing a black T-shirt, no army pants (somewhere along his wanderings he had taken his pants off and was down to his underwear).  He moved like an autistic child (she had mentioned he is autistic and had told us his name). 

Natalie said, “Look Harold! I think that’s him! I think that’s the boy that’s lost!”  He was all alone. There were no parents in sight and no adults anywhere nearby. He was walking along the asphalt path that surrounds the duck Pond.  (By now the police had been called) Natalie called out his name and he looked at her. She knew that must be him. She quickly walked up to him holding Evangeline’s hand just as he was starting to make his way into the pond! Natalie said, “No! Don’t go in the water!” But he would not listen. She pulled him out as he was getting knee deep. 

I meanwhile ran to go find his mother. Natalie guided the boy to the flower gardens where she and Evangeline looked at flowers and kept running after the boy to keep him safe.  I meanwhile was running across the goose-occupied soccer field when I spotted the mother off to my left.  She had been heading toward the duck pond, but was turning back in the direction of the play structure (away from where we’d found her son).  

I ran to her and said, “We’ve found your son!” She wouldn’t believe me. Natalie sent a picture of the boy to me so I could show the mom. When she saw the picture she was assured that that was him and that we had indeed found him! She came running, I mean running across the field to her boy. The tearful embrace of a frantic mother, the kisses from her son, the sobbing of relief…. 

Our God Who Loves, Pursues, and Rescues

All the God moments… The timing of when we got to the park, the timing of when we left the play area that we even knew there was a boy missing, the timing of us getting to the duck pond at the same time as he was! She kept thanking Natalie. Natalie got to tell her that God loves her, that God loves her son, that God sees her and that she matters to Him and that He loves their family so much. Right about then, the police arrived and the dad drove up as well. They went looking for his pants and shoes… I imagine he was getting ready for a swim! 

We returned to the flower garden, praying that we would cross paths with her again if there was something more we should tell her.  Half an hour later, back at the play structure, she came back to the same area as well – that’s where she parked her vehicle and that’s where we had ended up too! She thanked Natalie again and Natalie got to tell her it was all God. She shared with the young mom that she really believed it was a God moment. 

Natalie told her about all the timing… How we’ve been trying to get to the park for hours but got there right then.  She told this young mother that, in the same way this young mother was running after her son and looking for him, God pursues us, that He is relentless and that He loves us with that same passion that she loves her son. That God loves her family so much! It was truly miraculous timing! His mom told Natalie that she had heard that autistic children are drawn to water and she’s heard of drownings in the news.  

We were thinking about it after, how neat it was that we worked together and how we got used by God today in this family’s life to share God’s love with them. What would’ve happened if we had been even 10 seconds later? God totally had Natalie happen to look in a direction that we weren’t even walking in to notice him all alone there by the water. God totally had that little boy on His radar! He might have drowned in that pond but God knew exactly where he was and orchestrated that we would be the ones to find him so we could let that mom and her family know about God‘s love for them!

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About the Heart of the South

Airing on CIAM FM every Saturday @ 1-3pm MST

If you enjoy Southern Gospel music, you’ve come to the right place! We’re a two-hour weekly Southern Gospel radio program airing across western Canada and around the world on the world-wide web! The program is hosted by Harold Giesbrecht, with special appearances by his lovely wife, Natalie.

Check out Heart of the South where you’ll also find information on concerts coming to the area, and a photo collection of us visiting with your favourite Gospel singers!

Click Below to read more stories, updates and devotionals in the 2023/2024 Annual CIAM Newsletter