We’ve had lots going on, giving us a variety of opportunities to be around people to share a message from the Word. Here’s a samping of what’s happened lately:
1) Two nights ago, we were at a local outdoor orchestral event. Ethan heard a lady talking about the Lord right behind him, so he politely interrupted the conversation to offer the lady one of our ministry website cards. They got chatting further, and the lady mentioned that she had just been in Starbucks talking with a man that was sitting reading his Bible. She told Ethan that she had deliberately waited to speak with the man, wanting to share a word about Jesus with him. Then, minutes later she returned to the event where Ethan purposefully spoke with her…! She said she could definitely see God’s hand upon things, and she was eager to look at our website, especially our videos on the “Winging It!” page. I love how God works, and His perfect timing!
2) A couple of nights before that, we were walking downtown again and our daughter spied a gorgeous tiny teacup poodle in the crowd of people. We all couldn’t resist, so we approached the owner to ask her if we could pet her puppy. We ended up chatting with her and her friend about the Lord after they asked where we were from (they noticed our accents) and how we had met. At first, I thought the friend seemed more interested than the lady I was speaking with, but it was actually the dog owner that ended up proclaiming, “Oh, I would love that to happen to me…!” (meaning, being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit). We both immediately replied, “It can!” So, Don and Elisabeth and I went off around the corner to a quiet place to pray over her. She had recently started to go back to a church (non-denominational) and study her bible, especially after losing her husband as well as a good friend of hers, and she could clearly see God’s hand upon us meeting her that evening. She ended up receiving the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, praise God!
3) We were invited to our realtor’s end-of-year client appreciation party, and it was there that we got chatting with Kevin again - the other realtor on his team that Don prayed with and water baptized many months ago. It was wonderful to connect with him again and discover that he has been praying in tongues every day since then! He said his life forever changed back then and things just don’t feel right for him unless he’s praying in the Holy Spirit every day, connecting with God using the language of the Holy Spirit. That was so encouraging for us to hear!
4) We needed a new mattress and, after looking in a few retail stores, Don felt moved to browse Facebook marketplace. It was there that he saw an ad for a local clearance center. When Don went there the first time, he discovered that the owner/manager is Spiritfilled and uses his store as a vehicle for his Christian ministry. Don shared some encouraging words with him and mentioned he’d be back again soon to decide on a mattress.
Both Don and I purposed to go to the store together many times over the course of a few weeks, but we never seemed to get there. Then, suddenly, we found some time and Don texted the owner/manager to set up an appointment. We were hoping to meet with him that Wednesday, but he told Don that he was currently at a conference and that he wouldn’t be able to make it until the Thursday. So, we set an appointment for the afternoon, expecting to see the same guy at the store, but it turned out to be his son-in-law (Jeremy) instead. Jeremy is a manager, too, and he had come to meet with us on his own. Instantly, Don and I both thought that maybe there was a reason… and there was…!
After checking out some mattresses, we asked Jeremy if he was filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, just like his father-in-law. He said yes, so we said a few encouraging words and then asked if he prayed in tongues often. This led to a wonderful, long conversation. We shared with him many scriptures and personal stories, and we watched our most recent “Winging It!” video together. We ended up laying hands on Jeremy and praying over him many things that came to us from the Holy Spirit, and we prayed in tongues together, too. Jeremy was in tears, and he felt wonderfully inspired and empowered to go and do the things that God had been laying upon his heart to do for quite some time.
It was especially encouraging for us when Jeremy shared two of his own stories:
a) Just that last night, his two year old woke up with serious breathing problems. They rushed him to the emergency room, and as Jeremy sat waiting with his son (who turned out to have croup), Jeremy prayed in the Holy Spirit - the first time in a while. Jeremy shared with us that he thought at the time, “Why don’t I do this more often? Why do I wait until difficult times to pray in tongues?”
b) Jeremy shared that the moment Don had texted his father-in-law at the conference on the Wednesday, his father-in-law was right in the middle of a conversation with some of his church-going friends and business associates. They were all comparing what goes on today with the period of the first churches (in the Book of Acts). They were questioning, “Why don’t things look like that today?” and “Why aren’t there people doing the work of God today like the disciples back then?” It was at that very time that Don “happened” (God’s hand!) to text the father-in-law who immediately showed his friends his phone and proclaimed, “I know someone who is… This guy…!”
When Don and I heard these two stories, we were so inspired and encouraged to keep doing what we’re doing. We just never know what God has His hands upon behind the scenes in order to prepare situations for us to minister into. Thank you, mighty Lord, for the privilege of doing your work upon this earth!
