It was 11:30 P.M. on New Year's Eve when my husband Paul and I received an unexpected phone call from our city's hospital--a call that led to a mysterious and wonderful meeting with a man whom neither of us will ever forget!

"A Mr. McMullen has been admitted to this hospital," the voice on the phone informed us. "He is in extremely serious condition. His admission records list you as his next of kin."

"Neither my wife nor I have any relatives named McMullen," Paul replied. We looked at each other in bewilderment. "In fact, neither of us can recall having ever met a man by that name," he added.

It seemed such an obvious mistake. But then the hospital did have our correct names and phone number. After we hung up, we couldn't put the call out of our minds. Finally we decided to go see Mr. McMullen.

We arrived at the hospital at 1:30 A.M. As we entered the room, we found a very frail, graying old man whom we had never met before. The nurse asked him if he knew us, and he responded that he did not.

He was no longer the lonely, forlorn man we met the night before, for he had found Jesus, and the Lord's love shone in his eyes.

"What is your name?" I asked him softly as I bent over to take his hand.

"It's Jim," he answered, in a tone that betrayed his loneliness.

For the next hour or two we talked with Jim, getting to know him and reading him comforting passages from the Bible. "Jesus loves you in a very personal way," we reassured him. Then Jim prayed with us to receive Jesus as his Savior.

The next day we brought Jim some flowers, and our children came along to chat with Jim and sing for him. He was no longer the lonely, forlorn man we met the night before, for he had found Jesus, and the Lord's love shone in his eyes.

About a week later, Jim died. We missed our new friend, but were happy to know that Jim had passed on to a better life.

We made some inquiries, but never did find out who put our names on Jim's chart. Perhaps it was an angel, sent by the Lord to lead us to Jim just in time to help him find his way to his eternal home.