I am a friend of the God who knows our name and phone number!

This past weekend, I took part in a Hope to the Heart conference here in Kansas City. Deeper Waters Ministries organizes these events about quarterly, offering a business track as well as a prophetic track with the goal of loving God and equipping people with tools to take the message of Hope to every sphere of life!

Bob Hartley is a precious man of God who heads up the Hartley Institute and Deeper Waters. He has cultivated an intimate relationship with the Lord for decades and hears from God for God's people to be encouraged and propelled into their callings and destinies. I am not in any way exalting a man, but rather the God whom that man loves and serves and whose voice Bob heeds.

The apostle Paul encourages every believer to seek the gifts, especially that we would prophesy. Every believer can prophesy, but in some people, this gift is very highly developed and fine-tuned. Bob is one such person. This weekend, during the ministry time on Saturday night at the conference, Bob was telling stories and praying and prophesying when he called out my name. Mind you, he has given me prophetic words in the past which have been spot on, so I was ready. What I wasn't ready for was the odd characteristic of this word and how it would affect me if I followed through on it.

In a nutshell, the Lord's word to me through Bob was the first name of a woman and her phone number as well as two words of encouragement to her. Bob said, "Arden is someone who will actually follow through and call this person." (Amazing how true that statement is!) Of course my first reaction was, "Cool, let me call her right now and see if this is really true." You see, I'd heard that the Lord gives Bob names and phone numbers of people he doesn't even know...but I'd never experienced this myself.

The weekend passed, as did Monday, and this morning, as I was preparing to leave the house, I sensed the Lord quickening my heart to call this number. Of course doubts began to arise: What if it's not really this person? This can't be for real. (By the way, the area code was completely unknown to me) But, BY FAITH, I dialed the number...and got this person's voicemail...no name, no indication if it was a male or female. I chose not to leave a message, and I decided I would call her back later.

Well, as I was walking out the door about 15 minutes later, I noticed a missed call on my phone. It was THE NUMBER! I was floored that this person would call some unknown number back. So, I got in my car, prayed, pulled out the word I was to give this woman, and dialed the number.

A woman picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Um, hello, my name is Arden Czaszewicz and I'm looking for (Name)"

"This is she."

GULP....in that split second, FAITH arose in me!

I continued, "Um, you don't know me, but I live in Kansas City, and I was just at a conference where a gentleman named Bob Hartley was ministering. Have you ever heard of Bob Hartley?"

"Uh, no, I have not."

"Can I ask you if you know the Lord?"

"Yes, I do, I love the Lord with all my heart!"

"Ok, let me tell you more about who I am....."

And the conversation proceeded....she was SOOOOO open from the very first moment we began to speak. When I spoke the words of encouragement to her from the Lord via Bob, she began to weep and said, "You have no idea how much this means to me...you know how you have hills and valleys in life? Well, I've been in a deep valley and to hear these words from a stranger half a continent away, whom the Lord gives my name and phone number to is just blowing me away!"

To make a long story longer, she was JUST pulling in to the parking lot of the house of prayer in Bedford, Oregon when I called. We talked for probably 15 minutes, I was able to pray for her, and the Lord even gave me more words of encouragement which were...surprise, surprise...spot on! We both were floored and amazed at this God of the details, who knows our names and phone numbers and we are planning to stay in contact! God completely knit our hearts and I know there is much more to come! She has always wanted to come to Kansas City and visit the house of prayer here so of course I told her she can come stay with me! (oops, need to clear that with my hubby!)

Needless to say, my faith in God is SOARING right now...His intimate concern for every human being simply boggles my mind. Truly, nothing is impossible with God! Hallelujah!