We’re playing catch-up yet again. Here’s an update on what has been happening recently:
1) Don went hunting for a matching armchair that he had found on sale. Through a series of circumstances, he ended up down south, at the sister warehouse. While there, he spied another furniture store opposite, so he decided to have a quick browse there, too. It turned out to be a very high-end place. Don was all grubbed out in his work clothes, so the first couple of staff members kind of looked him over as he entered.
Don didn’t care, though, and he happily chatted to the representative who was assigned to him. It was a young Brazilian gal named Hana, so Don immediately commented on her Biblical-sounding name. This led to a one-hour conversation between the two of them right in the middle of the showroom. Hana was in tears, pleasantly shocked at God’s timing as only three months earlier she had been in the depths of depression and had tried to commit suicide.
Don ended up inviting her to come over to meet the rest of us and to have us pray over her. Apparently (Hana told us afterward), she phoned her dad (her parents are Spirit-filled) in Brazil as soon as she got off work, and he encouraged her that it seemed to God’s miraculous hand upon her life, so to go with an open mind and heart to whatever God was putting before her. So, Hana came over that evening and she received the Holy Spirit. She was quietly excited to be speaking in tongues, but more so relieved and very touched that God would work so beautifully in her life after everything in her past.
Hana shared that she grew up going to her grandparent’s church and she would spend up to six days per week at the church with her mom and dad. She had even been water-baptized multiple times over the course of her childhood and teenage years. Even so, Hana strayed, and she never received the infilling of the Holy Spirit until she met Don and he shared with her the full gospel message.
Anyway, we ended up spending quite a bit of time with Hana over the next weeks, and now it looks like she’s preparing to return to Brazil before her visa expires. It will be interesting to know the kind of impact she will have on family and friends back in her hometown and beyond.
2) One early evening we met Hana at a local(ish) cafe and then went for a stroll afterward. By that time, the street market had been set up, so we were able to wander around the stalls. Don spied one offering crafts with scriptures engraved or printed on them, so he got chatting with the booth owner. After a short while, he asked our standard Acts 19:2 question. She mentioned she “can” speak in tongues, but she had done not so in quite a long time. After encouraging her some more, we offered to pray over her to help her start praying in tongues again. She was open to it, so we stood right there in the middle of the market stall with the six of us (including Hana) praying over her. It was beautiful to hear her praying fervently and clearly, and toward the end of the prayer, she was quietly crying with joy. She was very thankful that Don would be bold and speak up as he did, and we encouraged her to go and pray in tongues every day, to feel that “river of living water” flowing freely again.
3) We invited Hana and her brother and his wife over for an early dinner one evening. They are here temporarily, too, and they were keen to meet us after Hana shared with them (i.e. her experience at our home). That night, we repeated our testimonies and some of our stories, after which we invited Hana’s family to pray, too. Hana’s brother was already water-baptized and Spirit-filled, but he only tended to speak in tongues when moved during church worship times. So, we helped him to pray in tongues more purposefully and intentionally as part of his private prayer life. We also prayed with his wife (who had only been baptized in water multiple times just like Hana), and she was filled with the Holy Spirit quite powerfully. She was in tears, and it was beautiful to see all three of them come to be united in the born-again experience.
4) While waiting for a zoo bird show to start during a “family day” outing, Don got chatting with a young married couple because one of them was wearing a shirt with either a scripture or church name on it, I can’t remember which. Then, while chatting with them, an older man interrupted the conversation to ask, “What about those people who are already believers?” Don wasn’t sure of his intentions, and Don hadn’t yet finished with the couple, so he offered for the man to stick around to chat once Don was available.
Very soon, the bird show started, so I approached the older man and gave him a card, just in case we missed answering his question. I’m glad I did because he left and we never saw him again that day. However, about two weeks later, the older man called. He said he would have been in touch sooner, but he and his family all got sick after their vacation. This time, Don had a great chat with him, so we ended up praying for him over the phone. He received the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and he was very surprised and happy.
He and his family are descendants of the gypsies somewhere in Europe, either Bulgaria or Romania. Anyway, they speak a rare gypsy dialect, but he was amazed to be praying in a brand new language that he couldn’t understand. We chatted a bit more, further explaining the scriptures about speaking in tongues and the born-again experience. They live a few hours away from us, so we’re hoping to catch up with them in person at some stage.
5) Our home renovations ended up extending to our front yard which has been very opportunistic for the Lord’s work. Don has been doing most of the work himself so far, and being out there each day has led to lots of interesting conversations about the Lord with various passers-by, from utility workers to landscapers and construction workers, and from dog walkers to strolling couples to service providers. Don always looks for an “in” to bring the conversation around to Jesus and the scriptures. Most people have had some degree of experience with church or church-goers, yet few know the fullness of what Jesus preached and how the early church (the one Body of Christ) was established and continues to grow even to this day.
6) I’m not sure if readers will remember, but a long while ago (early November last year) we chatted about the Lord with a couple we met in a local bookstore. The conversation lasted at least 45 minutes and in the end, we encouraged the (Spirit-filled) lady (Barbara) to pray in tongues daily and the man (James) to seek for the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It was an amazing night that the Lord miraculously coordinated (as neither they nor our family originally intended to visit the store), so it’s worth scrolling back to catch up on the story.
Anyway, one Friday night recently, Don received a call from Barbara (we had given her a card at the bookstore). She said she felt very moved to get in touch with Don, but she wasn’t sure why. She said she was just being obedient to the Holy Spirit, so Don was able to build on what we had first shared with her and James. Barbara was very encouraged by the end of the call, so Don invited her to come visit with us on Sunday when we would all be home. She said she would try.
Late Sunday morning, I went for a run, but instead of following my standard route, I felt moved to run down the main street downtown. I was actually behind time, so as I passed a man reading a Bible on a park bench, I started to wrestle with thoughts — “Should I stop and say hi… the family is waiting for me… do I have time?” By the time I had resolved that I should simply be obedient to what God was putting in front of me (I felt very moved that I should stop and chat with him in particular, out of all the people I passed on my run), I had already gone quite a ways. So, I purposed that if he was still there on my loop back around, I would stop, no matter the consequences.
The man was still there on my return, so I slowed and sat next to him, asking him what he was reading. He gladly shared with me and, as he was talking, I realized it was the man from the bookstore — James! After he finished speaking, I said, “We know each other!” I explained and he was pleasantly surprised. Just then, I looked to my left to see Barbara approaching the park bench. I said to her with a big smile, “Barbara, you called my husband on Friday night!” She had come to meet up with James (they are friends and a platonic couple for now) and she was happily shocked to see me.
I proceeded to explain to them both the various aspects of my morning and how it was the miraculous hand of God that I had connected with James. Barbara then shared how she had tried to go to three different churches that morning, none of which worked out for various reasons, and then she tried to visit a local museum instead and it was unexpectedly closed for the day. She decided to simply meet up with James at the civic park instead, and here I was — sitting right beside James as Barabara walked up! We all sat in awe of what God had done to connect us again after many months — and, most amazingly, right after Barbara had phoned Don! In addition to this, Don had apparently (he told us all later) texted Barabara on that Sunday morning, reminding her that we were looking forward to her visit. So, though she never came, the Lord had me run into James and then Barbara anyway!
I stayed on the park bench and chatted with James and Barbara for a short while, at the end of which I emphasized how much the Lord wanted us all to get together. Barbara could now see this, too, and James was also keen to see what else the Lord would do, so I invited them to come by the next day. This time, Barbara came! And James accompanied her. We were able to share so much more with them, adding to what we had spoken about at the bookstore, and Barbara in particular went away thoroughly inspired and encouraged. She texted me afterward to say the following:
I’m never going to slack again on my heavenly language, I Got it, I’m so encouraged, I feel complete!!!!!!!!🙏🏾 Bless y’all again, I’m so happy that I’m self-sufficient because of my Holy Ghost 😊🙏🏾
7) On another family day out, we were in a very long lineup. Don noticed a couple (they were brother and sister) ahead of us in line. The brother had a church-related t-shirt on, so Don introduced himself and started chatting to him. It turns out that they are both born again (water-baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit), and they actively pray in tongues, which was great to hear. They are actually from Australia and originally from South Africa, and they were out here (to the United States) to attend a large Christian event/conference and to have an extended vacation. We ended up chatting with them for over one hour, praise God!
