*Names and places have been changed in order to protect identities
For the past 6 days I’ve been in Brasov Romania in this great little hostel. We get to meet a lot of interesting people passing through. Kevin and I were able to meet one man from Paris who was able to teach us some gypsy jazz. But there was one guy that sticks out in my mind more than most. He was a young man my age, 24, who was on vacation before his big finals for college. Let’s say his name is Donkey Kong, from Iraq.
From the start I could see he was a very open and friendly guy just looking for some conversation. He first struck up a convo with my new teammate Josh Spurgeon and since I was playing the guitar close by I decided to come and meet Donkey Kong. He was about to graduate with an engineering degree and proceeded to tell us that he was Muslim. We were able to learn a lot from him, and he talked about how scared he was of going to hell. In Islam you can never really know if you are doing more good or bad so he lives in a constant sort of fear of death.
I could tell by the way that he talked that he had pretty much given up on the Muslim faith, although he still claimed to be one. We were able to tell him of the gospel. He was open to it but there was one small problem. He had a 1 liter bottle of beer sitting in front of him. So the more we talked, the more he drank, and the more glazed over his eyes became. Josh had to leave but I decided I would just hang out with him and listen to some house music and just chill for a bit.
We decided that in about 30 min we would go get something to eat, my clever rouse to sober him up, and then he was going to join us for the worship session we were having that night. So we went our separate ways and I prayed that God would open his heart, that the alcohol would not affect him no matter how much he drank, and so on. So with high hope I came down and knocked on the door. After a bit a belligerent Donkey Kong came and answered the door still wanting to come out and eat, I convinced him it would be better for him to stay and sleep this one off. That was the last I saw of him, he left early the next morning and all I have is this key chain with his country’s flag on it that he gave me.
So for the next few days he was on my mind and in my prayers. What was all that about? Was I throwing pearls to swine? I prayed hard and with faith that the Lord would impact him. That He would soften Donkey Kong’s heart.
God gave me a revelation today. I have done some stupid things, frankly probably waaaay more stupid things than smart things. And all God did was love me through it. He was always there for me if I turned from sin. We are all in different seasons in our life, and we need to be patient with The Lords timing. I am called to do my part, whether it is big or small, obvious or not, I do what I do because I believe in a God who changes hearts. And I want to love like Christ no matter the season someone is going through.
