A girl on the train.
She was just a girl on the train on our trip from Harbin to
Beijing. A sweet girl, who spoke better
English than I expected. She was sitting
close to where our sleepers were, so we were able to engage in conversation for
a bit, but then we both got distracted.
I figured that was the end of our conversation and the end of my
interaction with the girl on the train.
But then, Jesus stepped in.
In BIG ways.
Everyone was winding down and attempting to figure out the
best approach to sleeping on a moving train (which actually isn’t quite bad
when a bed is involved). I got
everything situated, but then decided that I wasn’t actually that tired. So I made myself some hot chocolate and sat
down beside the sleepers to read my bible, journal and listen to some worship
music. The girl on the train came and
sat behind me. I must have turned for
some reason and when I did, she caught my eye and asked if I was writing in my
diary. I told her that yes, it was a
diary of sorts and that I love to read the bible and write down thoughts and
prayers about it. I asked her if she had
ever heard of God or the bible and she said that she thought so and that she
thought it was maybe like magic. I asked
her if it was okay if I told her what I believed it was and she said that it
was.
So, completely through the Holy Spirit, I shared the gospel
with her. It was one of those moments
where you feel as though you are floating above yourself. At one point she said to me, “I can feel your
happiness from the bottom of your heart…can you feel my sadness?� I replied, “I can feel your sadness, but this
happiness is for you too! You can have the happiness you feel in me, it comes
from Jesus!� She just kept saying thank
you and that she felt so honored that I would share this information with
her. I asked her if I could pray with
her and she responded, “yes, please.�
I started praying for her and instantly she started
crying. She accepted Jesus and at the
end of the prayer she said that she could already feel that happiness starting
in her heart. I told her about praying
and how God loves to hear from us, His children. She said that she felt like Jesus was her
friend already. Ah, it was most
definitely the most beautiful moment I have had on the race thus far.
She is from Harbin, so I was able to connect her with the
church there. She said, at one point
that she felt like there is just no freedom in China. I agreed that there are many limitations, but
I also explained to her that through Christ, she has been set free. I told her that there are other people in
China who also believe in Jesus and that she has the power to now be bold in
her faith. She kept saying that she wants to do what I do, travel the world and
tell people about God.
She told me that I could give her an English name, if I
liked. I decided to name her Esther and
I told her the story behind the powerful woman who wasn’t afraid to stand up
for her faith and defend her people.
So this beautiful woman, is no longer “a girl on the train�
She is Esther.
Our sister in Christ and a daughter of the most
High King.
Beloved of our Jesus.
