March 9, 2019 - How's that for a Divine Appointment?
Posted by Daphne Nicely on Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Our day started with a breakfast meeting at 7:30am. We walked to Grace Christian School (GCS) at approximately 8:55am. This was the first day we were availalbe to start Vacation Bible School (VBS) at GCS. We worked with the kindergarden class. We played Duck, Duck Goose and other games for recreation, we sang songs to Abbey's accompaniment on guitar. Dorian told the story of Adam and Eve and I read Genesis 2:7-8 and 15-24 in Romanian. We closed with crafts.
Shortly after 12:00pm we left GCS and went to a compound for special needs children and adults, PC 10/11. I had been to this particular facility previously in 2006 and again in 2008. On this day, I shared the gospel with approximately 5 young people; however, while there in June 2008, I met a young man by the name of Ramon who had learned to speak Spanish watching cartoons on television. He saw me from a distance and despite the fact that there were dozens of other people around called out, "Hola! Hablas Espanol?" and proceeded to wave me over. At that split moment I thought to myself, "Wow. This is unbelievable," and I was awestruck by the realization that God had meticulously orchestrated my life for that very moment/person... for His Glory [I had learned Spanish in Southern California; moved to Tucker,Georgia; discovered Romania missions at a church in Atlanta, GA; joined a missions minded church in Norcross, GA; went on a mission trip to Romania and met a Romanian young man with special needs who looked at me from 50 yards away and instantly knew I spoke Spanish. How's that for a Divine Appointment?] I shared the gospel with him in Spanish primarily and Carmen translated English into Romanian when Spanish and English weren't quite enough. At one point I asked him to read John 14:6. Afterwards he asked me to wait because he wanted to show me something. He ran upstairs to his room and came back with his Bible which was bookmarked at the 14th chapter of John. He said he had asked God to explain to him what this meant and that now he understood that Jesus was "the Door". He prayed to receive Christ. That evening he walked to the evangelistic service at Grace Baptist Church (GBC) and brought two friends with him. One of them, Gabriel, asked me questions and we looked up the answers in the Bible and Ramon shared with him. Gabriel (also from PC 10/11) made a profession of faith across the street from GBC in the parking lot as people were leaving the service. I had packed several copies of a Spanish New Testament Study Bible the past two years and took four with me... just in case. I asked the director if Ramon was still there and she had his social worker bring him to me. He was so excited to see me and kept saying that he couldn't believe I was there and he truly appreciated the Spanish Language Bible. When I left he said, "From now on I will call you Madre". On top of that his social worker asked me for an additional Spanish Language Bible for another resident by the name of Albert.
We returned to GCS for lunch at approximately 1:30pm.
At 2:30pm we left GCS for PC 3/4. Many of the young people were there on site and Haley and I were able to just hang out with them. I saw a young man that I had met last year. He would always listen when I was sharing with various groups and would ask me many questions, but was quick to let me know that he was Orthodox. Well he picked up where he left off last year, but this time he asked if he could join in while I was talking one on one with a young lady that I had met in 2007 (she prayed with me to receive Christ in 2008 and I follow-up with her every year to find out how her walk with the Lord is going). He listened even more intently this time and asked more questions and while he was doing so a social worker walked up and told me that she was Orthodox and that she wanted to know what the difference was between what I believe and the Orthodox church. I told them both that what I think and what any denomination/religion of man teaches is not as important as the Word of God and shared the Gospel with her. She left before we could finish our conversation, but I asked him to think about what I had shared and challenged him to confirm the Truth in the Bible and to ask God. He agreed to speak with me again.
At 5:00pm we left PC 3/4 and headed to an evangelistic service at Betel Church in Timisoara. This church ministers to young people, including university students, and is reminiscent of a Campus Crusade ministry. I was asked to share my testimony as was Haley. I spoke on the Goodness of God, His faithfulness, His Peace, and how He comforts and strengthens us - Romans 8:28 & Philipians 4:13. Brother Gearl preached on Galatians 6. The pastor of this church said that I would be called upon to partner with him in his ministry to the young people during my stay in Romania. After the service we were taken to a fine eating establishment in Timisoara by the name of KFC (the chicken even tasted like what I would expect to eat at home).
We arrived at the Hotel Dacia at 11:14pm.
- Yo soy el camino, la verdad y la vida, le contesto' Jesus -. Nadie llega al Padre sino por mi.
Juan 14:6 Nueva Version Internacional
Isus i-a zis: Eu sunt calea, adevarul si viata, nimeni nu vine la Tatal decat prin Mine."
Ioan 14:6 Cornilescu Version
Shortly after 12:00pm we left GCS and went to a compound for special needs children and adults, PC 10/11. I had been to this particular facility previously in 2006 and again in 2008. On this day, I shared the gospel with approximately 5 young people; however, while there in June 2008, I met a young man by the name of Ramon who had learned to speak Spanish watching cartoons on television. He saw me from a distance and despite the fact that there were dozens of other people around called out, "Hola! Hablas Espanol?" and proceeded to wave me over. At that split moment I thought to myself, "Wow. This is unbelievable," and I was awestruck by the realization that God had meticulously orchestrated my life for that very moment/person... for His Glory [I had learned Spanish in Southern California; moved to Tucker,Georgia; discovered Romania missions at a church in Atlanta, GA; joined a missions minded church in Norcross, GA; went on a mission trip to Romania and met a Romanian young man with special needs who looked at me from 50 yards away and instantly knew I spoke Spanish. How's that for a Divine Appointment?] I shared the gospel with him in Spanish primarily and Carmen translated English into Romanian when Spanish and English weren't quite enough. At one point I asked him to read John 14:6. Afterwards he asked me to wait because he wanted to show me something. He ran upstairs to his room and came back with his Bible which was bookmarked at the 14th chapter of John. He said he had asked God to explain to him what this meant and that now he understood that Jesus was "the Door". He prayed to receive Christ. That evening he walked to the evangelistic service at Grace Baptist Church (GBC) and brought two friends with him. One of them, Gabriel, asked me questions and we looked up the answers in the Bible and Ramon shared with him. Gabriel (also from PC 10/11) made a profession of faith across the street from GBC in the parking lot as people were leaving the service. I had packed several copies of a Spanish New Testament Study Bible the past two years and took four with me... just in case. I asked the director if Ramon was still there and she had his social worker bring him to me. He was so excited to see me and kept saying that he couldn't believe I was there and he truly appreciated the Spanish Language Bible. When I left he said, "From now on I will call you Madre". On top of that his social worker asked me for an additional Spanish Language Bible for another resident by the name of Albert.
We returned to GCS for lunch at approximately 1:30pm.
At 2:30pm we left GCS for PC 3/4. Many of the young people were there on site and Haley and I were able to just hang out with them. I saw a young man that I had met last year. He would always listen when I was sharing with various groups and would ask me many questions, but was quick to let me know that he was Orthodox. Well he picked up where he left off last year, but this time he asked if he could join in while I was talking one on one with a young lady that I had met in 2007 (she prayed with me to receive Christ in 2008 and I follow-up with her every year to find out how her walk with the Lord is going). He listened even more intently this time and asked more questions and while he was doing so a social worker walked up and told me that she was Orthodox and that she wanted to know what the difference was between what I believe and the Orthodox church. I told them both that what I think and what any denomination/religion of man teaches is not as important as the Word of God and shared the Gospel with her. She left before we could finish our conversation, but I asked him to think about what I had shared and challenged him to confirm the Truth in the Bible and to ask God. He agreed to speak with me again.
At 5:00pm we left PC 3/4 and headed to an evangelistic service at Betel Church in Timisoara. This church ministers to young people, including university students, and is reminiscent of a Campus Crusade ministry. I was asked to share my testimony as was Haley. I spoke on the Goodness of God, His faithfulness, His Peace, and how He comforts and strengthens us - Romans 8:28 & Philipians 4:13. Brother Gearl preached on Galatians 6. The pastor of this church said that I would be called upon to partner with him in his ministry to the young people during my stay in Romania. After the service we were taken to a fine eating establishment in Timisoara by the name of KFC (the chicken even tasted like what I would expect to eat at home).
We arrived at the Hotel Dacia at 11:14pm.
- Yo soy el camino, la verdad y la vida, le contesto' Jesus -. Nadie llega al Padre sino por mi.
Juan 14:6 Nueva Version Internacional
Isus i-a zis: Eu sunt calea, adevarul si viata, nimeni nu vine la Tatal decat prin Mine."
Ioan 14:6 Cornilescu Version