This happened in Florida! Gladys Hankerson called the wrong number. She ended up talking to Mike Moffitt of Rhode Island. But it was all God’s plan. God purposely connected these two. And…. &….. And!….. Catch your breath !…….. They both are still in touch.
More than 20 years have passed. They have an amazing story to tell of how their special friendship came to be!
Long ago, Gladys Hankerson thoughtfully picked up the phone. She wanted to call her sister, who lives in Maryland. But she accidentally called the wrong number. She dialled a 401 area code instead of 410.
But once again,….. catch your breath!……. What happened next shows how God can use anything for HIS WILL!
Mike Moffitt, now 46 years old, was the one who received Gladys’ call. He politely informed the sweet lady from Florida that she’d called the wrong number.
“I’m so sorry child!” she exclaimed and hung up hurriedly.
But then, sometime later, the whole exercise got repeated! Gladys Hankerson misdialed Mike again. It happened on & often, with Gladys ardently expressing her regrets apologising each time for calling the wrong number.
Mike, who was in his mid-20s at the time, didn’t get annoyed.. And he eventually stopped Gladys from hanging up. He asked her who she was and where she lived.
“I was like, we might as well get to know each other,” Mike answered when asked. “I asked her where she was from, and we just started talking,” he continued.
The precious time this busy youngster took out of his daily schedule to have a cordial talk with Gladys meant a lot to the lady who was 60 years old at that time. And she talked to him about many issues, sometimes seeking guidance, sometimes offering guidance. She bonded with him to such an extent that finally one day she confided in Mike about the serious crisis she was facing in her personal life.
It so happened that Gladys’ 30-year-old son had just passed away. Simultaneously she was going through a divorce. Both the incidents were causing a lot of pain to her. And though she’d called the wrong number, the comfort she got from this total stranger was just what she needed for not slipping into depression. He comforted her with his chats.
Eventually Gladys and Mike no longer talked about casual things. There was substance in their talk. It did not happen just because Gladys called the wrong number. Now, this nice lady was calling the number in particular, to talk with her trusted friend, who comforted & cheered her up..
This did not happen with Gladys alone. It wasn’t just Gladys who liked the special friendship. Mike felt the same & enjoyed the talks & he found them interesting.
For Gladys Hankerson, Mike Moffitt was no longer a wrong number. Instead, she purposely started calling him every couple of weeks to check in on him. And these two people who started out as total strangers, separated by age and distance grew to become close friends.
And for Mike, the wrong number put another motherly figure expressing tender love in his life. He pointed out with a smile, Gladys would sometimes call worriedly when Rhode Island got snow.
“She would watch my weather, almost like my mom does,” Mike said affectionately..
This continued & the unlikely friends remained in touch over the years. And then something exciting happened! Mike and his family decided to take a trip to Florida more than two decades after Gladys first called the wrong number & Mike had a special exciting stop in mind!
Mike Moffitt and his wife planned a vacation in Florida with their three kids. And since this was where his close friend Glady Hankerson lived, Mike decided to give her a pleasant surprise by showing up on her doorstep!
For over 20 years, their connection was through telephonic conversation only. The bond between the two had developed just through spoken words on the phone. But Mike found that bond to be very special & strong.
So, when Mike Moffitt out of the blue arrived at Gladys Hankerson’s house, the sudden outburst of tender emotions was worth remembering for both. Suspense, thrill & joy was in the air.
While this true & strong bond of friendship took birth from what appeared to be like a mistake, we are 100% sure that God’s Hand was all over this. He connected Gladys with just the right person for the difficult season she was in, that is when she was sailing through troubled waters — someone she never would have met otherwise.
As Mike points out wisely, “There are incredible people in this World that are a wrong number phone call away!”
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10
Yes! Sometimes wrong numbers are the right numbers! And God’s plan is always the best! So Accept It! Trust the Direction! Move Ahead!
