My first installment reached years back to the place where it all started. The season of my life that ignited my passion for evangelism. This time I want fast forward to just a couple of weeks ago
Trinetta and I were on a rare date at Red Lobster. I know what you're thinking that I'm such a big spender. Well what's worse is we actually shared a meal- and paid with a gift card. But, with three boys in college, cheap is very sexy.
Anyway, our waitress was so wonderful and I shared with her that I could tell she really loved her job. We paid our bill and as I often do, I gave her one of the tracts I wrote for our evangelism class called: "The Helping Hand to Christ."
Trin and I left the restaurant and were almost to our car when I heard footsteps behind us- it was our waitress. She proceeded to share with us that her best friend had died after a long battle with cancer on that very day. She said that when she got to her station and saw the booklet was about how to know God she was so grateful that she just had to come and thank us.
I wanted so badly to share Christ with her at that moment however she said that she had to rush back in to work but she just wanted to thank us.
We prayed for her and this was the beginning of an unusual series of witnessing encounters that week.
A couple of mornings later, I found myself at Jim's Restaurant with two of my heroes of the faith. Helen Schaper, a widow from our church who used to be a children's worker at CHFBC who now lives in Africa (wow...that's another tale for another day...I promise to get to it) and Pastor Andrew Mwenge one of the finest pastors in Uganda. I relished to hear all that God is doing in Kampala and the surrounding area- a place I have been to several times and place that is dear to my heart. We were about to bless our meal when I asked the waitress if she had any needs we could include in our prayer time. She looked, startled and said simply: "wait". She proceeded to run to the other side of the restaurant and bring her friend back to the table with her. They joined hands with us forming a prayer circle and she said to her friend: "these people want to pray for us." I bowed my head and just began to pray as the Spirit directed. When we finished they were both in tears and thanked us for allowing God to touch them at a time when the both needed is desperately.
Finally, just a couple of days later, Trinetta and I took Helen and Pastor Andrew to a steak house to eat after church. Again, we had such a delightful waitress. She bounded up to our table and greeted us by saying that her name was "Brooklyn" and that she would be helping us. It was apparent that she had a strong New York accent and we soon found out that this was her nickname given to her by her coworkers. Pastor Andrew then, for some reason, shared with her that his last name "Mwenge" in his native language meant "beer." She laughed and said: "I love beer...can I bring you guys some?" I declined to which she replied: "that's o.k., I will drink one for each of you."
When our meal came again, I asked if we could have the privilege of praying for any need in her life. He entire countenance changed and she said: "yes, I am dying of cancer and my one prayer has been that God would help me find a family to raise my 3 year old daughter."
Needless to say, we were devastated. That restaurant suddenly became a power house of prayer and the four of us joined hands and began to pray earnestly for a miracle of healing so that Brooklyn could see her little girl grow up and graduate from High School and get married. It was a sacred moment and she was reduced to tears of joy that God would lead us to her table on a day when she needed it so badly.
So, what's the takeaway for me? There are many. But the one I want to focus on is this: "they are thirsty."
Many of you know that I have been working on a book for some time now. Who knows if it will ever be published but writing is a great release for me. It allows me to get the thoughts that continuously bounce around inside my head to be still long enough to get on a page. And the working title for this book so far has been: "They Are Thirsty."
It comes from one of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies: "The Three Amigos." In the movie these three crazy gringos are crossing a barren desert. They are parched and dry and suddenly Dusty Bottoms, played by Chevy Chase, pulls out a canteen full of water and proceeds to drink the entire thing, except for the excess which overflows out of his mouth and onto the drought stricken ground. After drinking his fill, with his to cohorts looking on with mouths full of dust, he throws the canteen on the ground- looks at them and offers them some lip balm!
There are people all around us who have been eating the dust of the vehicles they are chasing through life. They are parched and dry...they are thirsty.
Don't believe the devil's lie that no one wants to hear about God or his precious Son Jesus. When I have dared to open my mouth I have found, they are thirsty.
No comments:
Post a Comment