Near the end of a long day of running errands, we were standing in a Wal-Mart checkout line. As I stood there, tired and looking forward to getting home, the elderly lady ahead of us smiled at me and struck up a conversation. “This is my Christmas present,” she said with a twinkle in her eye, pointing to a box of chocolate candies in her cart. I mustered a smile and tried to humor her by showing an interest in her holiday prize. As her son was busy checking out, she continued to talk with me. She said she was 89 years old, but aside from the fact that she was hunched over with a walker, she looked quite a bit younger. After a couple minutes of conversation, I learned that she had been struck by a car in a parking lot a few years earlier, and she’d had to use a walker ever since. I sympathized, asking if she was still in pain. She said she often was.
She then introduced me to her son whose name was Bob. Like his mother, Bob was friendly and outgoing. I soon learned that he had served in Vietnam.
As I continued to talk with Bob and his mother, I felt strongly impressed to offer to pray with them even though I was next in line to check out. As they finished checking out and started to say goodbye, I asked if I could pray for them, and they both happily agreed. I asked Cindi to check out, and I walked with my new friends to an open area in the store. Bob asked me to pray specifically for his children, some of whom work in different countries. When I told him I am a missionary in Thailand, he replied that one of his sons is a teacher in Chiangmai. As I listened to him, I couldn’t help but be amazed at how God had orchestrated this meeting. Even though Cindi and I were in the States, the Lord led us to cross paths with someone with a strong connection to Thailand. I gave Bob and his mother a GLOW tract and wrote my email on the back. Then we prayed together. After the prayer as we were walking toward the door, Bob’s mother told me that she felt better already, and they thanked me again for praying with them.
As I reflect on this experience, I am reminded that if we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, God will give us divine appointments. Sometimes I feel anxious and pressured to reach people and witness, but I am learning more and more that if I keep my heart in tune with God’s Spirit, He will open doors. It is my prayer that as we go back to Thailand after spending some time in the States, we will remember this lesson and allow the Lord to guide us to many more divine appointments.
