It was a cold Friday night in our location in China, and we had the option of going to an “English Corner” at the local university. All day I felt a tug on my heart to attend the English corner, and as the evening progressed there was a battle going on in my mind about it….which made me feel like God wanted me to go even more.
All we knew about the English corner was that it was an opportunity to talk with Chinese students, make friends, and help them practice their English. Sarah, Danny, and I left for the English corner and as we rode in the taxi to the university, I prayed for the conversations. I prayed for God to work, for opportunities to share about His love, and for a new friend or two to hang out with during my stay in our location.
Here is an example of God not only answering prayer, but working in ways that I could never imagine or ask for.
As we walked around the university, we kept looking for a building with a bunch of students. Little did we know, the English Corner was literally over a hundred Chinese students standing outside on the corner of the street talking in English. As they saw three Americans walking up…they crowded around us individually and we all had our own circles of conversations. So many awesome questions, discussions, fun topics, hilarious questions, and smiles. These Chinese students were so excited to practice their English. It was so fun, and a bit overwhelming. Towards the end of our time there, I was so excited about the opportunities God had provided to share my testimony and about His love. I left to go to the restroom and came back. Two girls my age walked up to me smiling and one of them said to me, “Can you tell me what you know about Jesus?” I was so stunned. I said “of course”. As we talked for a bit, they told me they met an American on their campus who told them about Jesus a few weeks prior…and they wanted to know more. We talked about Jesus, how he has changed my life, and how much He loves them. We exchanged phone numbers and talked about going to lunch together.
A few days later, we had plans for lunch. All morning leading up to lunch, God kept bringing there girls to mind. I prayed for them and kept feeling like God wanted me to tell them He loves them and he is working in their lives. When we met up, we chatted like we had been friends for years. After we ordered our lunch, one of the girls said to me, “Can you tell me more about Jesus?” I told them all about Him. Different passages in the Bible came to mind, we read them and talked about them. We discussed different questions they had and God gave me answers to share with them. I shared with them about my life and how God has changed me. Towards the end of the conversation, they were ready to know Jesus. We prayed together and they asked Him into their hearts. He was knocking on the door of their hearts, and they opened the door and let Him in. It was an amazing moment we shared together. As I sat there with them, I knew the Lord was sitting with us…rejoicing over His two daughters falling in love with Him for the first time.
I’ll never forget these girls. And I’ll never forget what the Lord did that day. It had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with Him, calling His children into His presence. I wish I could put into words how this day has changed me…all I know is the more I see people fall in love with Him, the more I fall in love with Him…and that is my prayer for the rest of my life.
Our “sister picture”
Our “goofy-sister picture”
