After leaving Istanbul, we were supposed to go to Spain, but because of the flight costs, we first needed to train/bus to Greece. We stayed in Athens for a few days before catching our flight to Spain, and during that time, we were intentional about reaching out to the locals.
One morning, my team did something called “listening prayer” where we ask the Lord to speak to us about who He might have us encounter that day. Some people got impressions of places to go or things to do, but I got a whole list of seemingly random objects, colors, or descriptions of people.
If I’m being honest, I wasn’t too enthusiastic about sharing my list with the group because the last time we’d done listening prayer in a previous country, none of it came to pass. Hesitantly, I shared some of the items: light pink hijab, butterfly, yellow taxi, Greek Orthodox Church, little boy holding his mom’s hand, etc. I also saw a pink flower pot in my mind’s eye but because it seemed so random, I omitted it from what I told the others.
My team could sense how discouraged I felt and said, “Alyssa, just because you didn’t see anything last time doesn’t mean that God isn’t speaking to you this time. Have faith like a child and just try again!” Dragging my feet a bit, I went out that day with my team to explore Athens and see what God would do.
After walking around most of the day, exploring a museum, and seeing the city, my friend Lennie and I started walking back in the direction of our hostel. I was feeling a bit discouraged once again because we hadn’t yet seen anything on my list.
THEN… right in front of us was a pink flower pot broken on the sidewalk with dirt strewn across the road. You couldn’t miss it. I thought, “No way. There’s the pink flower pot that God showed me this morning!” I told Lennie that I had been too ashamed to share about the pink flower pot earlier because of how random it seemed. But it was undeniable… there it was.
So we looked around thinking that maybe there was someone we were supposed to talk to there, but everyone was busy with their errands and we walked a bit further. Right around the corner was a Greek Orthodox Church (another thing on my list). Lennie and I stopped to take a picture, and while I had my eyes and camera focused on the building, I felt a tug on my arm.
It was a woman and her son (yet another thing on my list) begging for money. I knew it right away – these were the people God intended for us to meet! The woman was motioning toward her mouth as if in need of food. She said that she had babies at home she couldn’t feed. As I usually do in these situations, I asked if I could bring her to the market (instead of simply giving her money).
Her face lit up immediately and off we went happily toward the market. Once inside, she started loading diapers, baby shampoo, milk, bread, and HUGE chunks of meat into her roll-behind cart. By the time we reached the register, it was so full that things were sliding out and we had to pile the items in our arms.
All the while, the woman’s face was both bright with gratitude, yet grim with shame at the fact that she had to rely on the kindness of strangers to survive. The son kept saying, “Sorry, so sorry.” And all I could do was smile, rustle his hair and say, “It’s okay. Get everything you need. Jesus loves you.”
As we exited the store, covered in grocery bags, we talked to them more and discovered that they were followers of Jesus. Wow! Amazing. I paused for a moment, taking in the amazing reality of what just happened: This woman had undoubtedly prayed for God’s provision earlier that day, then God gave me clues that led directly to her, and through us He responded to her need. Incredible.
We sent them off with a big hug and a prayer. What a beautiful day it was! I learned several things: I can hear God’s voice clearly. I shouldn’t get discouraged as I navigate the learning process. And God truly DESIRES us to be His hands and feet in this world.
Woohoo! What a fun, thrilling life we get to live in relationship with the King of the universe! A question to ask Jesus: How can I show someone a tangible expression of your love today?
