Encounter

As I was brainstorming what to write for this week, I considered writing out my weekly routine and a detailed description of all of the ministries we’re involved in here (because there are multiple) :). The Lord told me not to. Instead, He told me to share multiple stories surrounding the topic “encounter.”

Before coming on this trip, I listened to the song “For the One” by Jenn Johnson just about every day. One of the lyrics goes, “Even through just a smile, they will feel the Father’s love.” I always liked the idea of something that simple bringing that kind of life and healing…but I didn’t think it possible. It was a nice concept to ponder until late into our month in Indonesia when it became a reality. One night, as my team and I were preparing for bed, our ministry host told us that there was someone waiting to see us at the door. They wanted to take a picture with us. It was a little strange because it was late at night (like 10pm)..We were all hesitant to go meet the individual/s. Was it safe? Who could it be? Our host told us that we had met them while walking down the street a couple of days prior. Apparently, they spent the entire afternoon trying to locate us because we had that big of an impact on them. We opened the door not to some creepy old man but to two very eager highschool aged girls. They told us that they had been searching for us after taking a selfie with us a couple days prior. One of the girls told us that we smiled at her and called her ‘chantik’ (beautiful) and that that had “touched her heart.” It had touched her heart so much so that she spent countless hours in the next couple of days searching for us. We prayed for her and her friend that night and introduced them both to Jesus. They now follow our journeys on instagram. This is the beauty of Christ. Something as simple as a smile can actually change a life. It defies all logical, reasonable explanation. I’m learning that God doesn’t work within a formula that we set for Him. Instead, He enjoys surprising us. He doesn’t need us to get His work done. He works despite us and chooses to empower us with His purpose along the way.

A perfect example of this is the man my teammate and I met about a week ago now. On Wednesday nights, we go out on the streets and share the love of Christ with others through conversation, acts of service, prayer etc…My teammate and I had gone out alongside a trusted local. We prayed that God would reveal the individual he wanted us to talk to. I really wasn’t expecting to encounter anyone…I have never in my life “street evangelized” before in any form and I was definitely skeptical. Sure enough, my teammate found a middle aged man that she felt as though the Lord was directing us to. He was sitting alone and appeared to be waiting for some kind of transportation. After taking a good look at him, my nurse brain immediately diagnosed him with Diabetes. We began talking with him to find that, in fact, He was a diabetic. He told us that no one could help him, not even the doctors. He said he was Buddhist and that he chanted but that Budda had not helped him. He told us he didn’t want to live any longer, that there was no hope for him. My teammate and I told him about Jesus. He told us he didn’t believe in Jesus…and then for about fifteen minutes he ignored my teammate and I. I felt super uncomfortable and even more skeptical. God had not led us to the right person…This man was not ready to receive. My teammate, being the strong woman of God she is, knew otherwise. We sat there and continued to initiate conversation with this man. Finally, we asked if we could pray for him. He somewhat hesitantly agreed..To my astonishment, he looked at my teammate who had her hand on his shoulder and exclaimed, “wow, your hand is hot.” Then his eyes got even wider and he said, “power.” This man experienced the Lord that night. It defied reason and logic…It didn’t make sense. Once again, the Lord showed me that His ways are not mine. I don’t have to slave away at forcing anyone to believe. Jesus saves. I don’t. He asks for my simple “yes” to participate in what He already has planned. You can’t fail or succeed the work that God is doing…and that’s something I’ve come to find a lot of peace in. 

Another night, the Lord asked me to pray with a teammate. We both had headaches and had stayed back from ministry. Despite our headaches, we chose to pray. We went out to the rooftop and started praying for our teammates that were out doing ministry. As we peered down from the roof, we spotted a very frail man (he was probably half my size) sitting on a bench with a piece of cardboard covering it. My teammate told me that this man had been highlighted to her several times before. She told me that the man uses the piece of cardboard to sleep every night. It was his bed. I knew that the Lord wanted my teammate and I to talk to this man. So despite our raging headaches, we went out to talk to him. We asked if we could buy him dinner. He was very thankful that we had offered but said, “no thanks.” He wanted to know where we were from and what we were doing. Unlike the man I had met before, this man appeared very receptive to everything we said. He was of Indian descent. In Malaysia, it’s illegal to convert Muslims and it’s illegal for a Muslim to receive Jesus. Once you accept Islam, there is “technically” no way out. Anyways, it’s dangerous. Out of no where, I heard myself describe that we were here as missionaries. I asked if the man had ever heard of Jesus. He said he had but wasn’t sure of what he believed. My teammates and I went on to share the Gospel and answer the man’s questions for the next 20 mins. We then prayed for him and have since begun brainstorming ways that we can find him a Bible. God is doing so much, guys!! It’s incredible. These are just a few of the many ways God encounters people. I’ve encountered Him along the way. As of a week ago, I am fully fundraised!!!! Yay!!!! Thank you all for your generosity. Blessings