(1) October 26-28 Intervarsity Fall Conference
Every time I have been to Intervarsity's Catalina Island, I have come back sick, as well as completely changed and transformed! HOWEVER, to my very pleasant surprise, I came back this past October as healthy as can be...AND God came through to do some house cleaning inside me. Could this just coincidence? Could it be that I took especially good care of myself that weekend? Could it be that the prayers of several brothers and sisters were actually answered? But wait, it doesn't stop there! A couple other God-inspired miracles happened that weekend as well!
While on the island, we didn't have cell phone reception, so when our boat arrived back in San Pedro, I checked my phone to see what I had missed over the weekend, and saw 8 unread text messages! I wasn't gone for THAT long, and I was curious to see who it could be. When I opened them, I saw that it was all from the same person (identity withheld).
It was a little thrilling, as I have never actually met this person face to face, but had only sent text reminders about the small group Bible study they had signed up for at the beginning of the quarter. As I read the text messages, I immediately sympathized with the situation. They had grown up in the Church, but recently found it difficult to get back to the same intense relationship with God that once was. It was crazy because that was one of the very issues that many experienced healing and deliverance from during the weekend on the island!
I'm not guna lie...it was a bit weird to talk on the phone, just to see what else was going on, but in the end, our schedules perfectly overlapped so we could meet, talk, and pray. At that meeting, I literally had NO IDEA what to do. I understood the situation this person was going through--and could even personally identify with it--I just didn't have an answer about what the next step was. I feebly suggested that we spend some time asking God why this situation would go on for so long, and if there was any hidden purpose behind what was going on.
We spent some time in silence, and I was a bit nervous that I wouldn't get anything to share. However, after a substantial pause, the idea of wrestling came to my mind. It felt like I was actually physically engaged in wrestling someone--Satan. I had no idea what this could mean, or how it could be interpreted, but then Genesis 32 came to my mind when Jacob wrestled with God.
I read the passage, and it almost immediately resonated with the person. The part that described Jacob wrestling with the man until dawn really stuck out--it definitely felt like that was going on internally and spiritually.
Praise God for this encounter & opportunity to encourage and come alongside someone else's struggle!
(2) Breakfast with a Purpose
One morning after my daily exercise class (I think it was physical conditioning that day), I was wondering where I should eat my breakfast. For some reason, I felt like I should sit by the front of the gym...so I did. I was just relaxing, eating, and watching the people walk by to their classes when I saw my friend Omar. We only briefly knew each other from a volleyball class, and only greeted each other when we saw each other on campus. Other than that, we didn't really know each other.
As he came closer, I saw that he had his breakfast too, and he sat down at the bench I was at. We got into a conversation about finals and finishing up the undergraduate program in the Spring. Inevitably, post-grad plans came up, and I told him about the possibility of applying for an internship with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, mentoring, shepherding, and leading college students. As I was explaining what this internship would look like, I felt like I should go deeper into a spiritual conversation with him...I chickened out.
We continued to talk about finals, but he apparently had SO much more to be stressed about than me! He had four finals, 2 lab finals, a group project, AND the GRE a couple days after all his finals! He was also going to China for a few weeks after all that, and he still had to get all the visa paperwork together.
Then, I felt like I God was prompting me to ask him if I could pray for him. He consented, but like the other situation, I had NO IDEA what to pray for! Eeeeks...I started by just thanking God that we were able to just sit and talk and enjoy our breakfast before finals. Then, God put the words in my mouth and I thanked God for how He has been sustaining Omar for this long, and prayed that God would only continue to strengthen and energize him through his finals, the GRE, and his trip overseas.
After that, he thanked me and said that he really needed that. I was all happy inside, but then I remembered that I had to go brush my teeth because of these invisalign things. It would have been cool to stick around and maybe converse with him some more about what he thought about God and stuff, but I had to brush my teeth and study. But I praise God for that divine opportunity =D
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