Some people believe in fate, others think life’s strange occurrences just happen to be coincidence.
For Don Herbert his chance stop at a church yard sale one day led to not just one life being saved but possibly two.
Call it fate or a coincidence but this is a story of faith and love that has lit up the internet.
The former professional wrestler turned gospel singer Don Herbert was passing the North Carolina church with his wife when they noticed a sign and decided to stop.
Drawn by the gospel music coming from inside, Don made a decision to stop, and that one simple choice would start his family on a journey they never imagined.
The music coming from the church that led Don to Pastor Tim Jones, the man who would end up saving his life.
“For me, being a gospel singer, that was like saying, ‘come on, come on,’” Don recalled of the moment he heard the music.
The “special invitation” seemingly came from a Higher Power as the man met Pastor Tim Jones, who shared Don’s love for gospel music.
Don left that day with an invite to sing with Pastor Jones.
”Went to a yard sale with my wife never expecting to find anything and come out with a date for the group to sing,” Don said.
What Don didn’t share with his new friend was the personal struggle he had endured for more than a decade.
Don had just undergone a liver transplant just six months earlier after more than a decade of sickness. This operation was successful but now his kidneys were failing.
His wife was beside herself with worry and out of desperation posted on Facebook asking if anyone could help.
“I felt alone. I was more depressed. I was more discouraged than Don ever felt. He had that faith,” Belinda admitted.
The doctors said that Don’s heart had blockages and he needed surgery, but his weakened kidneys wouldn’t survive the procedure.
Belinda would find herself crying out to God.
“I said, ‘Lord, you told me that you wouldn’t give me any more than I could handle.’ And He said, ‘That’s not really what I said. Because, if you could always handle the things, why would you ever need Me? So, you need to release it. Give Me your burdens. I’ll carry them.’ And I did,” Belinda recalled.
After that, she asked for help on Facebook, according to CBN.
“It is so hard to ask something so tremendous and so humbling, but I want the man that I love to live a long life. I want to grow old with him by my side,” Belinda wrote on Facebook, where Don had 500 friends.
Pastor Jones saw the post and immediately contacted Don and his wife, offering to help in any way he could.
Don and his wife were overjoyed and Pastor Jones agreed to take the test to see if he was a match for donation.
”The thing that really tugged at my heart was on down the post she said, ‘I love him. We’ve been together this long. He’s my best friend and I can’t imagine going through my life without my best friend by my side,’” Tim recalled.
When the test results came back, it turned out Tim was a perfect match.
As if that wasn’t remarkable enough, when surgeons started to operate on both men, they discovered something in Pastor Jones’ body that caused alarm.
During the operation, surgeons discovered that Pastor Jones had an aneurysm, that could have killed him if it had continued to go undetected.
Had Tim not volunteered to give up his kidney to a stranger who he’d only recently met, he would have never known about his aneurysm until it killed him.
This man’s kindness, therefore, had not only saved Don’s life but also his own. Talk about karma.
Today, both men are alive and doing great, often ministering together to share their story, which is a testimony to God’s goodness. What a great story!
Find out more about Pastor Jones and Don’s remarkable story in the video below:
God works his miracles to his children his way. God bless both of these families!
Share this article with your friends on Facebook to pay tribute to this man’s generosity and everyone who works in the healthcare industry and battles around the clock to help us when we’re sick!
