a divine interaction

My whole squad and I were in Lima for 10 days having a Leadership Development Week, learning about inner healing, spiritual gifts, hearing the voice of the Lord, and much more.  It was a great week of growth.  But by the end of it, I was a bit disappointed that I had not made any connections with many people in Lima.  

The last weekend there, the Lord blessed me in one of the biggest ways.  

I have never seen so many little miracles that the Lord perfectly orchestrated in a situation than this one weekend in Lima.  He gave me the sweetest connection, and a new lifetime friend.  

My team was planning on leaving Lima on a Friday to head to Quito, Ecuador.  However, the bus we needed did not leave until the next Tuesday.  Personally, I was a little upset by this because I did not see much in Lima and was ready to get out.  Saturday, some teammates and I went to the Starbucks we had been regularly attending, just passing time.  Morgan and I stayed way longer than we should have- calling friends, talking and just honestly being to lazy to get up.  

We weren’t supposed to be there, but it must have been apart of God’s perfect plan all along.  

Unknown to us, in this time, God had already been planning such a divine interaction.  A Starbucks worker I had seen a few times before, Valeria, came and sat with me and Morgan.  She speaks the most perfect English, you would think it was her first language- thanks God!!

Morgan’s birthday was the following day, and we had been planning how we were going to celebrate.  The topic came up, and Morgan heard God’s voice telling her to invite Valeria to her celebration.  

She said yes, saying how she doesn’t have many friends around and doesn’t get to do many things between her busy schedule of class and work.  

 

 

Morgan and I were so ecstatic about meeting Valeria that we couldn’t bear waiting until tomorrow to see her again so we returned that night. We stood at the counter for hours chatting about our time on the race and life. Valeria had an hour break so we spent that talking too. It was such a quick and easy friendship, a direct gift from the Lord, answering doubts I had earlier that week.  

At the moment Morgan and I met Valeria that Saturday afternoon, we had no idea what the Lord had planned for the following 2 and half days, but we were filled with so much excitement, joy, and anticipation at what was to come. In talking with Valeria, her kindness, generosity, and authenticity were quickly noticeable. Morgan and I both felt an instant connection and a longing to get to know our new friend more. We anticipated such a sweet friendship despite our time left in Lima and wanted to do everything we could to spend more time with her.

After leaving Starbucks that afternoon, Morgan and I were quick to share about Valeria with our team and felt the excitement continue to swell in both of us for the rest of the day. We were super eager to chat more and couldn’t fathom waiting until tomorrow night so we returned to Starbucks hoping to get the chance to talk with her. Thankfully we did!

Morgan and I stood at the counter for hours talking to Valeria while she worked. It strangely felt like we were the only three in Starbucks even though obviously that wasn’t the case. The conversation flowed so effortlessly! She began by asking questions about why we were in Peru which eventually led to sharing about the World Race and how Morgan and I had chosen to become racers. Naturally we shared testimonies of how we’ve experienced God’s power, faithfulness, goodness, and love. Moment by moment doors continued to be flung wide open for Morgan and I to share our faith with our new friend. As we were sharing these stories, I could see God moving in her. She even got chills and asked more and more questions.

Morgan and I weren’t the only ones sharing, Valeria opened up and let us into parts of her life as well. It was then that I felt led to share a portion of my testimony. So, I did, standing at the counter with busyness racing all around us but with a supernatural stillness surrounding the three of us, I shared as if we truly were the only people there. From what I could tell, she seemed genuinely interested in everything we had to say. Valeria continued to ask question after question. At this point neither Morgan or I knew with confidence if she had a relationship with Jesus but we felt drawn to Valeria and thoroughly enjoyed our conversation, so we planned on continuing to talk for as long as God allowed. I was just extremely thankful to be given a second chance to connect despite my previous disobedience.

What Valeria said next revealed the mystery behind of our bus leaving 4 days later than expected. Truly not a coincidence, it only confirmed to me God’s divine purpose and provision! Her next words stunned me…“I actually don’t believe in God! I stopped believing in Him about 2 years ago. I’ve wanted nothing to do with Him. Anytime anyone mentioned God, I would turn and walk away.” She no longer felt as if God had a plan for her life right where she is now. She felt like she had to do everything on her own. Valeria, as a 19 year-old, lives on her own, supports herself financially, works long shifts at Starbucks, and when she’s isn’t working, she attends classes at the university. She is a young woman with immense courage, strength, and determination, but earthly strength only allows us to go so far before it fails us. She felt alone in this busyness. She felt unseen. She no longer saw God working in her life. She felt abandoned by God. She felt betrayed by the church, and no longer wanted anything to do with it. She felt lonely as if she had nobody in Lima; no friends, no family, and no God. She felt there was no way God could be good in the midst of her circumstances. She continued to fall deeper into shutting God out of her life entirely, adopting a mindset that if she wanted something done she had to work for it herself because nobody else would.

But then it took an unexpected turn! Once again her words stung, but in this instance, in a totally different way. Valeria began explaining how she felt God had brought Morgan and I into her life to give her hope in Him. She began to feel the love that God had for her once again. Her words still penetrate deeply even now, “He is still coming after me!” Let that sink in! I held back tears in that moment. What a beautiful display of God’s relentless love for His child. She could feel Him coming for her heart and desiring her to turn to Him again. We got to share with her just how sweet our Father is that, yes, He is in a continual state of chasing after His children. No matter where we run or hide, our Father will never leave us behind; He meets us right where we are.

The very next night we were wrapping up Morgan’s 22nd birthday gathered around the table with Valeria, Rob, and Brandon. We laughed and had light hearted conversation for majority of the night. It was such a sweet way to end my birthday, surrounded by new friends whom I love deeply. My heart was so full!  We discussed everything under the moon. God is full of unexpected twists and bringing the impossible into the light. Suddenly, Valeria broke down and poured out her heart to the 4 of us! She felt overwhelmed that the Lord brought these relationships into her life in a time that she so desperately needed it. The Lord was filling her up with hope and love, and using us to pour His love and truth over her. She believed that God was real, yet she still did not feel like she was ready to have a relationship with Him because of what she had done and what she was going through. Instantly, John 10:10 was on my heart. We got to share the abundant and full life that God desires for each of us, right where we are. God isn’t a god who requires us to clean up our lives in order to come to him, in fact, He says that we can come just as we are, broken and messy and in desperate need of saving.

I never thought ministry would look like God moving at a Starbucks in Peru, but God surely had a different idea. Golly, I am amazed by God’s goodness and faithfulness. It was a privilege to be apart of showing Valeria just how relentless God’s love is and the abundant life she receives from following after Him. Now I have a new friendship and a sister in Christ. Although my life has continued to move from country to country, that didn’t stop our friendship. I’ve gotten the chance to encourage, listen, and pour into Valeria’s life from afar. It’s been such a joy to watch the Lord redeem the pain and hurt in her life and draw her heart close to His.