I actually wrote this blog just after training camp when I was talking to a friend about the holy spirit and how he moves today. I don’t know why I didn’t post it back then, but now I have the urge to post and share this blog. This story takes place about a year ago when I was in Costa Rica with YWAM. At that point I was just starting to see and understand how the Holy Spirit works, and I was having trouble knowing when God was trying to talk to me.
A small group of our DTS (discipleship training school) went out to the center of downtown San Jose to hand out bread and coffee to the homeless people that congregate at the plaza there. I was in a group with two women from the Dominican Republic who also where my translators. This night was one of the most memorable nights for me throughout my whole DTS and I could write a very long post, but I want to focus on just one of the conversation I had that night with a homeless man. I have now forgotten his name, but I will always remember his face.
It was a very cold night for Costa Rica, probably around 50 degrees, so people where quite happy that we were offering coffee. We approached this homeless man who truly stood out from everyone one else we talked to. He looked clean and healthy which are normally things you would not use to describe a homeless person in Costa Rica. He informed us that he had been living on the streets for the past 10 years but always did his best to live a Christian life style. He said that he didn’t drink or do drugs, went to church every Sunday and that God always provided for him and he never went hungry and that the Lord continually blesses him. When he said that I was shocked, I am pretty sure my mouth gaped open when he uttered those words. This homeless man felt so blessed that God always gave him something to eat, where I don’t think I have ever once felt blessed for the food that God provides me, let alone for my computer, camera, car, guitar, etc. that God has given me. It is so easy to overlook the things that we have in this life as anything less then a blessing, even though everything we have is a blessing.
This man then began to talk about his family and I noticed him shiver. At that moment, inside my head, I had what I presumed to be a thought to give him my sweatshirt. As I have already said it was a cold night, and I was personally quite cold even with my sweatshirt on. I quickly said to myself, “No it’s to cold”. As soon as that thought was done once again I heard “Give him your sweatshirt” I had this continual dialog in my head of “Give him your sweatshirt, no it’s to cold” over and over again, and I was starting to get mad at myself for having this stupid internal argument. Finally I HEARD “Trust in Me, give him your sweatshirt”. At that moment I realized that only half of the conversation in my head was on my part, the second part was God, and I was continually denying his request. I then immediately interrupted this man and asked him if he was cold. This homeless man responded “Si”. I took off my sweatshirt and handed it to the man and he said “you don’t have to do that for me” I responded “ I’m not, I am doing this for God”
Despite the fact that it was such a cold night, I was never cold after I gave this homeless man my sweatshirt. In fact, I was warmer without my sweatshirt then I was with it. When everyone in my DTS group saw me in just a shirt, they thought that I must be freezing, but when they touched me they realized that I was actually warmer then they were all bundled up.
When I shared this story to my friend about six or seven months ago now, he didn’t believe me. My friend is a Christian, in fact he is currently in seminary school, but he has never experienced Holy Spirit truly move and doesn’t believe that it happens very much today. me. I know Holy Spirit is moving like crazy, and I am so lucky that I get to see Holy Spirit move constantly during the Race. But Holy Spirit doesn’t just move in Africa, or Asia, He move everywhere including America. As Christians we have to expect to see God move, so that way we can actually experience it when it happens.
