Do you ever take a step back and think, “Wow, I never could have orchestrated that… that is all God!” when you look at your life? As I reflect on the past month, there is one event in particular that is a huge God-story.
In January, my parents and best friend so lovingly traveled across the world and came to visit me for over two weeks! As my parents were planning the visit, the first half of the trip was to be sightseeing around the country and then a week of seeing my real life in my current city. They went through several travel agents for months on end attempting to put together an itinerary for our tourist part of the trip, but they continued to run into walls and difficulties. Eventually, a family friend recommended a personal tour guide who had taken him and his family on an amazing trip earlier in the year. They gave my mom the personal phone number of Amit* and my mom quickly began coordinating a trip with him directly. He set up a longer trip for less cost than any of the other travel agencies had offered, and he would be traveling with us for the duration of our sightseeing.
Amit met my parents, my best friend, and me at the airport at 1am with a car to transport us to our hotel, and he coordinated and dealt with every crisis, large and small, for the following nine days as we all traveled to four different cities. Within the first couple of days, it was clear that Amit was a man of strong beliefs and extensive knowledge of his country, culture, and religion. As we spent more time with him, Amit imparted his extensive knowledge on everything, from food to architecture to stories of his gods. He answered all of our endless questions, and if he did not know the answer, he would do his best to find out or connect us with someone who might know, for as he often said, “I have connection.”
As we traveled and spent long days together, Amit began to share more about his life, especially with my best friend and I, and we quickly developed a sweet friendship. Soon, he began asking questions about us, and we in turn opened up about our lives to him. When talk of Jesus entered our conversations, Amit seemed astounded by our depth of faith and commitment, and commented that he never thought he would meet someone more spiritual than him. My friend and I explained that it isn’t so much about spirituality as it is about relationship with Christ. Many such conversations took place as a mutual respect for each other was established.
Several times, Amit would comment on my current city and would continually ask why I was living there, as it is one of the most undesirable places in the country to reside. For a while, I gave him the standard answer that I give all nationals, but he knew that there was more below the surface. On one of our last nights, when talk of my city came up again, Amit turned to my father and asked, “So…why is your daughter living in that city?” and my father answered, “Because the Lord called her there… but she can tell you the story behind it.” For the rest of the evening, I shared the miraculous God story of my journey to my current city, and at one point, Amit interjected, “Wow… so that definitely was not a coincidence” after I had shared a particularly magnificent moment of God working.
The climax of the trip happened over a period of two days. For the last several days, we road-tripped in a larger car from city to city, which meant two five-hour periods of time hanging out together with nothing to do but talk. On the first five-hour trip, I asked Amit to tell me more stories about his gods, and he shared one story with us. When I asked for more, he responded, “How about you tell me some Jesus stories instead?” My heart full and praying for direction from the Lord, I shared a few stories of Christ’s interactions with people. This led to a time of conversation and somehow led to the question of creation, so I went all the way back to Genesis and shared the Biblical story of creation. Throughout the entire account, Amit was engaged, asking clarifying questions, and even making connections to his own beliefs. This led to the conversation that obviously, we are not in the Garden of Eden anymore, so I explained the Fall and the consequences of sin. We discussed the problem of this world and what it is to live separated from our holy Father. By this point, we were reaching our destination, but Amit asked, “So… what is the solution?” Never have I heard a more honest question. I answered, “I will have to explain when we have more time!”
Our next road trip, which would end with him dropping us off at the airport and parting ways, I waited to see if Amit would engage with us about our beliefs again. Almost as soon as our journey began, he turned to me and asked, “Are you going to tell me what the solution is?” With the help of my family, I took Amit through the Old Testament covenant journey that leads up to the birth of Christ, such as stories from the life of Abraham, Moses, and David. Once again, the entire time, Amit was engaged and asking questions when he did not understand something. He is the best student I have ever had! Finally, I reached the birth and life of Christ, culminating in His death and resurrection, and the Good News and solution that Christ provides. Amit asked several questions, and my family helped to explain what the Gospel means and how we apply it to our lives. As we neared the airport, my dad asked Amit, “Do you have any more questions?” He answered, “No… I will study and then I will write you a letter.” At the airport, my best friend gave Amit her personal Bible with a note card explaining where to find each story I had told and how to navigate the Scriptures. Then, we said our goodbyes and left.
Oftentimes, when the Lord provides the opportunity to share His Good News with someone, we wonder if our words have made any difference and if the Lord is going to continue to work in that person’s life. A couple of days later, I received a text message from Amit that said he has been having dreams about the stories that I told him, and he has been waking up happy from them! Praise the Lord that He is continuing to move in Amit’s life, even in his subconscious!
Going into the trip, I thought I was just going to be a tourist with my family for a week… I could not have imagined the God story that would result. When we live with our hands open to the Lord and His leading, He will provide magnificent opportunities – we need only to be obedient.
*name changed for confidentiality