Have you ever had one of those moments where you didn’t expect the day to be extraordinary, and God turned it into something extravagant?

Yesterday was one of those days for me.

Sometimes God speaks from the past, teaching me about the present and giving me better insight into the future.

My oldest daughter and I departed yesterday morning from our home on the Gulf Coast of Florida for JAARS, a missionary recruiting and training center. I spent the first part of the week with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade kids at church camp, and had enough time home the previous evening to wash some laundry and spend some time with the family.

Hannah and I got up and left at 4:00 am, anticipating a 10-12 hour drive to North Carolina. I expected yesterday to be a day of riding in the van, getting to know the people on the trip, and catching up on some lost sleep from camp.

It was all that, and more.

Upon our arrival at JAARS, they invited us to an ice cream social. Nothing big, right?

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

That little event may just be the biggest, life-changing moment of the trip for my daughter and I.

What we experienced wasn’t just an ice cream fest. We were given the opportunity to sit and soak in the collective wisdom of several retired missionaries, people who had served in South America, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and several other places. These individuals served overseas from as early as 1948 through the 70s and 80s.

We sat and listened to their stories. And we gleaned so much wisdom from them.

Here’s how it worked: four of us sat at a table with one of the missionaries (or a couple). They told us their stories. We asked questions. And we gained some valuable insights. After 20-30 minutes, we would leave that table and rotate to the next one.

We listened to stories from around the world. One couple was in Peru when Jim Elliot and Nate Saint were attacked and killed in Ecuador. They were there for almost 60 years. Another lady spent 39 years with her husband as aviation missionaries around the world.

At the third table, we met a retired missionary named Audrey. Audrey served in the Philippines for thirty-three years, translating the New Testament into one of the local dialects, which is spoken by 250,000 people.

These stories impacted me deeply, and I know I gained more than I have had time to process yet. But a spark was ignited in my daughter.

Hannah has spoken of missions before. She’s felt like that may be something that God could be leading her toward. But last night, something clicked in her. As we listened to Audrey tell of her translating experiences, Hannah realized that this is something she would like to learn more about. She thought that translation may be where God wants her to be.

I don’t know if that will be what she does with her life. I don’t know where God will lead her. But I can see this being what God may be doing within her life.

That excites me.

And even though I learned a lot last night, what I see God doing in my daughter is simply amazing.

I will need to process what I’ve learned. But I need to help Hannah process what she heard even more.

Yesterday was an absolutely incredible day after all.

Has God ever surprised you right out of the ordinary? What happened? You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.