Sowing seeds

As Andrew and I have traveled around the Eurasia region for both ministry and vacation time, we have encountered interesting people and held unexpected conversations, making ourselves open to "divine" encounters.

We have talked about religion with a Hindu doctor on a train in England; discussed faith with an Italian hostel owner named Leonardo in Florence; prayed for a Canadian foreign student named Joanna who spent a day sightseeing with us in Rome; and most recently I talked with two young Nepalese men in Portugal who fled political upheaval in their home country to bounce around Europe seeking jobs.

Sometimes it is tempting to wonder what good such brief encounters might do in the lives of the people we met. Does God work in their lives through chance meetings? Are seeds planted deeply enough as to produce fruit sometime later? Can God really do transforming work in someone's heart through a few minutes' conversation with a stranger?

I have learned recently the answer is yes.

In this month's issue of the regional newsletter, Where Worlds Meet, we received permission to reprint a blog written by a pastor in the United States, who reflected on a chance meeting with a missionary while he was vacationing in Austria. The writer was an atheist at the time, and avoided Christians at all costs. Yet, after meeting the Nazarene missionary, Dan, on a train, the two young men realized they were both traveling alone, and decided to spend a day or two sightseeing together for some company.

The writer said that God used this brief encounter with a respectful Christian to lead him into a believing relationship with Jesus Christ many years later. Although they had little in the way of conversations about faith, and Dan didn't try to "sell" the young traveler on Christianity, the Holy Spirit was at work anyway. And all these years later, this former atheist is now a pastor.

Recently I was also encouraged when I heard from my friend "Jenny." I met Jenny in Colorado Springs, shortly after she'd arrived in America from South Korea to be a nanny for a year. She was struggling with her English and so I suggested she attend church with me sometime to practice.

"But I'm a Buddhist," she protested.

"That's OK," I replied. "Anyone is welcome. It would just be a good way to meet more people and practice your English."

She agreed to come.

After the service, we went out for lunch with a mutual friend and Jenny gushed that she had "felt love" the second she walked through the door.

Over the following months of our friendship, Jenny came to church with us occasionally, began listening to Christian music radio and gratefully received our prayers as she went through some difficult experiences. She never expressed a direct statement of faith in Christ, but I knew that at least it had appeal for her.

When her student visa was not granted, she was forced to return home. I tried to reconnect with her over the next 5 or 6 years, but because of the great distance we lost touch. During this time she got married and had two children.

A few months ago, she found me on Facebook and joyfully shared that in the past year or so she had connected with a group of believers in her home city and begun to worship with them, study the Bible and enjoy a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. She said that her new faith in Christ has replaced sadness and hopelessness with joy, and that she has new purpose and pleasure in her life.

I was thrilled to hear that the seeds we planted with Jenny so many years ago had been nurtured by the Holy Spirit, even in the absence of any other believers in her life for several years. God was faithful to continue His prevenient grace to Jenny so that when the time was right, she could plug into a community of believers and enjoy a personal relationship with God.

If you would like to read the original blog by Pastor Scott on how God used a divine appointment to reach him years later, visit http://theunexpectedpastor.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/sowing-seeds-in-vienna/.

Never underestimate what God can do with our brief encounters.