While I will do my best to capture the sights, sounds and feelings in this blog post, understand that the only way to fully comprehend what you are reading is to be here. At times, this trip has been exhilarating as we have great conversations with people who either have a heart for the Lord, such as those at King's Cross Baptist Church. Other times have been frustrating as you visit with an atheist and all you can do is pray that God would unveil Himself in a might way. There's been plenty of humor, such as finding two cows in the middle of Camden (think bovine at the Summit). At times, the trip has been overwhelming as you stand in a sea of thousands in the Camden markets (kicking an ant bed will give you a good visual) and wonder how in the world can I possibly make a difference? I would encourage you to read Luke 10 because it fully captures the work being done here. Each day two of us begin walking, armed with only a map and His word. Our prayer is to find a heart willing to listen to God's call.
On my first full day walking, I found the London Krispy Kreme. Now for those who know me well, is that really a surprise? Of course I had to walk in and see what the differences were. Dave and I immediately noticed that this was not like the Hoover store. There was no huge glass wall with dough floating through the river of oil and glaze, cooking to perfection and quickly whisked piping hot from conveyor belt to sticky fingers. This store was the size of a large master closet with only to chairs at a counter.
We were greeted by Monique in an empty store. She was pleasant and welcoming as we made small talk comparing the different flavors to what we have back home. My wife would have loved the chocolate covered caramel creme filled and the toffee doughnuts are something special. We transitioned our conversation from doughnuts to the area and Monique was helpful in explaining some of the demographic changes and other information about the business district. We then moved the conversation to Monique.
Monique is in her early to mid 20's and was born and raised in Malta. She appears to have had a relatively normal childhood with her brother and parents. Monique did tell us that she went to church as a child but it was clear that she had never accepted Jesus as her Lord. She doesn't go to church today because she doesn't have time and also has a hard time with the language barriers. But at least she had a working knowledge of church! As we left, Monique was quick to say that she was there all week and to please come back. We had a spark that we left praying would turn into a flame.
On Monday, Brock and Mike were able to go by and visit. Their visit focused more on Monique and her needs here. They asked if there anything they could pray for and she quickly said yes. Her boyfriend, Leo, had just recently been deported due to an expired student visa. After a good visit, Monique again reminded us that she would be here all week and to come back.
Geoff and I went back today with the hope to really dig deep into Monique's concept of God and who Jesus was. We sat outside on a bench and wrote her a note of encouragement on a bible that we planned to give her. We prayed that there would be an opportunity to share in an environment free from distractions. As we entered, we were excited to see that again, we were the only customers. As we ordered a strawberry and cream doughnut (unbelievable!), we were dismayed to see a line of people form behind us. It was as if someone had turned a hot now sign on.
Geoff and I sat down at the counter and were content to wait the line out. Geoff read our scripture cards and prayed as we waited for an opportunity. Unfortunately, Monique had now been joined by two others behind then counter. They quickly worked through the line. One of the co-workers asked Monique to go outside for a smoke break. On her way out, we engaged her again and she stopped to talk. We asked about her visit yesterday with Brock and Mike and about Leo's situation. She then told us that she had been praying to God that day about her best friends baby Sara Jay. This baby was only days old and struggling in the hospital. While certainly not excited to hear about a struggling baby, we were thrilled to see that she grasped the concept of praying. We assured Monique that our team would pray for this baby.
We then told Monique that we wanted to give her a Bible. She took it and read through the note we had written. She was clearly moved. We explained some of the scripture verses that we had highlighted. Her co-worker stuck his head back in and asked her tom come on. She stayed still. Geoff then asked if we could pray for her and her friend's baby. She immediately said yes. So while customers came in and an agitated co-worker came back behind the counter, we prayed in a small corner of the London Krispy Kreme. I prayed, and am asking YOU to pray, for Monique to come to know and accept Jesus as her personal savior and for the recovery of the baby.
We left excited about the work that God was doing through us in London. Others will visit her in the coming days with the hope that the spark will ignite. Pray for Monique that she will remain open to learning more. Pray for those in our group who will see her Thursday and Friday... Specifically that we will have the wisdom to know what to say.
It's easy to look around here and wonder how in the world we could possibly make a difference. It's very comforting to know that God truly is in control. While there are thousands of people that we won't meet this week, we know that we made a difference with Monique and many other individuals that you will learn about in this blog.
More to come later!
Franklin
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:London
No comments:
Post a Comment