Divine Appointment #1: Sheraz from Turkey.
Krystel & i were eating our lunch outside, wearing our “Free Hugs” tshirts, by the Liffy. We look to our right & Sheraz was just sitting there by himself, sitting quitely. We quickly became friends & talked about each other’s lives. He has been in Dublin for just a few months trying to find a job. He grew up in Turkey & that is where his family is. He is one of the sweetest guys i have ever met. In the middle of me & him talking, Krystel had noticed a group of guys hovering around us & they were moments away from stealing my purse (until Krystel warned me to grab my purse) & they stole his phone from out of his pocket. Without saying much, Sheraz picked the guy up & set him down…gently reaching into the theif’s pocket & grabbing his phone back. He did it so smoothly that we werent quite sure what was going on haha! The group of guys who were into mischief took off, scared by his quiet strength. Sheraz never yelled at them or cursed or even get violent with them.He handled it so peacefully, i was impressed. He began to tell us that he felt empty inside & he knew there was more to life than getting up, going to work for a paycheck, going to the pub, going to sleep, & then doing it all over again the next day.He said he had heard the name of Jesus before ,even as a young child, & knew beyond a doubt that Jesus was MORE than just a moral teacher, prophet or man. He KNEW Jesus was God. He asked me about Jesus & wanted to know EVERYTHING i knew about Him.So, i shared with him. His face lit up & said “i want that passion that you two girls have. I want to know this Jesus personally! How do i ask Him to become my Lord & Savior of my life?” At this point, i was just picturing this ripe peach on a peach tree…about to fall off, ready to be picked! His heart was so open & thirsty & ready, it was exciting! So he prayed with us to accept Jesus Christ into his life, & he immediately had this smile & glow about him, it was awesome! His whole countenance changed! We invited him to our Wed night Alpha meeting @ Trinity Church (12 week meeting where they serve free delicious dinners & have question & answer time for anyone, everyone’s welcome.They also have worship & someone shares a testimony about what Jesus has done in their life) He said he would love to go & see us again before we leave for Romania, so i gave him my email. Please pray for Sheraz that he will continue to seek Jesus & grow in his relationship with Him!!And that his family in Turkey will come to know who Jesus is through Sheraz.
Divine Appointment #2: Evan.
It’s amazing how many people NEED hugs & affection. Everyone does, whether we admit it or not. Human touch is healing. But even more so, God’s LOVE is healing. God=Love 🙂 Something simple like a hug can bring smiles, joy & hope. As my team & i were out about on the town, hugging strangers all evening, we came across a young guy in his early 20s named Evan, sitting down on the curb with his face down. He said “you guys came at JUST the right time..i was planning to END my life tonight.” Isnt God’s timing perfect? Coincidence? I think not! We gathered around him & asked him his story. He put down his bottle of whiskey & told us that he felt hopeless & was actually praying to God that He would send him a sign to show him that there’s hope & that someone cares about him…..then we came 🙂 God was faithful to deliver!! We all hugged him & he smiled. We prayed for him & encouraged him, sharing with him that God had a purpose & an awesome plan for his life. It’s Satan that wants him to end his life. It’s a battle for our souls! But praise God that we are victorious in Jesus name!! That God is more powerful than Satan & that we can overcome ANY battle in His strength. We ran into Evan later that night, & more people had come to encourage him also & get him some help. Please pray that he will continue to have hope & carry on in His strength!
I had a blast wearing our Free HUgs tshirts. All i did was use a black sharpee marker to write on plain shirts. I am definitely going to do this more often! Over just the 2 days i wore it for a few hours, i met so many new friends who were at once strangers 🙂 I hugged probably over 100 people & saw 100 or more smiles. I had one older lady tell me “I can’t remember the last time i was hugged!” Another woman told me after i hugged her “wow, i actually feel alive again now.” I saw people turn my hug down, then the next second be like “oh, ok, why not”,…and jump up like a little kid & smile the biggest smile! haha it was a blast. Such a simple gesture yet it blesses both parties…the hugger & the huggie. You give one, you recieve one.On the back of my shirt i wrote ” God is love” so everytime someone asked me WHY in the world we were hugging people & loving people, i shared because God loves them, & so do i!
My street friends Rodrigo & Martis. Met them serving at the Lighthouse shelter the first week we arrived in Dublin. Every day this month we usually see them & give them a hug.Rodrigo says im his girlfriend, & Martis raps to us everytime we see him. We will be walking down the streets at night returning from some event & we will see them on the corner & come run to give them hugs, shake tehir hands, joke with them. Shout their names from across the street! haha Alot of people dont even look them in the eye or care to learn their names or stories, because they dont have an address (are homeless)..but to me..they are my precious friends who i will dearly miss. Love you Rodrigo & Martis! You will be in my heart, thoughts & prayers!Please pray that they will be safe/warm on the streets & find a roof over their heads. Most importantly, continue to be surrounded by those who love them & continue to seek the Lord in their lives for wisdom, strength, healing & guidance!
