As part of Unsung Heroes, in which we look for ministries for future teams to serve with, we do a lot of praying and walking around town. I have many stories of how God provided several contacts! I’ll share those in another post, but I wanted to tell you this story in a separate post. This story is about the Holy Spirit and rainbow pants.
The team was headed out for a prayer walk. We split up into two groups. And headed in opposite directions. I was with Debbie and we headed toward the market side of town which is where Debbie was feeling led to go. As we were walking down the street we walked past a lady selling little bags of chips and snacks. I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me to go back and buy some chips. I kept walking because I thought it was silly. But I finally decided that I needed to listen to the Spirit and go back. I turned to Debbie and said that we needed to go back. Come to find out later- that the Spirit was telling Debbie to not walk past the second horse and cart that was parked on the street. We turned to go back just as we were about to past the second horse.
So back we went and I got some chips. As we stood there eating our chips we noticed that across the street was a clothes shop with a pair of rainbow pants hanging on display. Out of the blue Debbie said that the Spirit was telling her to buy those rainbow pants. My first thought was- uhhhhhh, ok. If God tells me to buy chips which is weird, then this shouldn’t surprise me either. So we went over and Debbie got the pants. As we were walking away I asked Debbie if our next mission was to find someone to give those pants too. She said “Yep.”
Every intersection we came to we would stop and pray about where God wanted us to go. Every time, Debbie and I got the same direction. As we were walking down one street I became uncomfortable about going further, but before I could say anything, Debbie said that we needed to stop and wait. So we did and prayed. We stopped near a parked semi-truck and we couldn’t see down the street that way.
After a few minutes Debbie asked what I getting. I got a vision of a girl (16-19 years old.) wearing rainbow pants. And that was it. We waited some more and all of a sudden I was getting more about the girl. “White T-shirt, converse shoes, hair pulled up and a backpack.”
Oh my freaking word! Not 5 seconds passed when a girl comes around the semi wearing a white t-shirt, converse shoes, her hair was up and she was wearing a backpack. I seriously wish I could have seen the look on my face. After standing there in shock for a few seconds we followed her a very short distances (in a non-creepy way) into a pharmacy shop.
We approached her and tried talking to her in our very limited Spanish. She didn’t really want to try to talk with us. After a few attempts we gave her the pants and said (in Spanish) that Jesus loves her and we walked out and down the street and found a place to sit. Debbie asked “What just happened?”
To be honest, I still have no idea what happened except that for some strange reason God wanted that girl to have those rainbow pants and He used Debbie and I to get them to her. Those rainbow pants will be an answer to prayer to someone. Whether she will keep the pants or gives them away, I don’t know. But we obeyed the Holy Spirit and I’d say mission accomplished.
A couple of things I saw through this-
There is unity in the Holy Spirit. 2 Cor. 12:18b “Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?” Debbie and I felt the Spirit telling us the same thing. Yet He told us the same things in different ways. Like the chips and horse. He told me to go back and get chips while He told Debbie to not go beyond the second horse. If I didn’t obey, Debbie would have stopped before passing the horse. Thus would have confirmed for me that I should go get some chips. The fact that we were getting the same sense in which way to go and what to do was confirmation that God was at work and wanted us to be willing to obey no matter how crazy this seems.
God still can and will give us visions for a purpose and He will fulfill those visions. Sometimes you wait years and other times it seconds after you get it.
I had been feeling spiritually dry and God used this to remind me who He is and that He has a plan in every little details. God has us exactly where He wants us and I can rest in that with peace. I will never know how someone’s life was changed through mine and Debbie’s obedience to the Spirit in giving away rainbow pants which sounds so crazy and silly, but I have faith that God has a plan in every detail, no matter how great or small. And He also cares about the little things. Rainbow pants may not seem like a big deal to a lot of people, but for someone out there it’s going to be a reminder to them that God cares.
“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”
Isaiah 30:21
