Divine Appointment

I had just snapped the picture of this gate at 4:45pm this afternoon when the homeowner appeared beside me. "Hi," she said in English smiling knowing I was a foreigner, assuming I was American.

I had gone up the street, in the village of Izvin, ahead of Pastor Jerry's group and waiting for them to come along. Noticing I was just outside her gate, she was obviously curious as to what I was doing and decided to ask (in Romanian, of course - which I don't speak ... at all).

Thankfully, Jerry and the interpreters were right behind me by only a few moments and immediately struck up a conversation with her and her daughter.

As Pastor Jerry began asking her about God, church, and faith, she told us that she had begun going to the Pentecostal church and was wanting to be baptized to become a Christian. Jerry excitedly explained that you don't have to be baptized to become a Christian. Only confess with your mouth and believe in your heart and you will be saved. After some discussion about faith and the free gift of grace, her eyes began to swell and I could see a thoughtful longing in her face. She nodded, "Yes. Yes. I want to do this." She called to another child to bring a cloth to cover her head to pray.

At 5:15pm, Thursday, July 5, 2007 - both this dear woman and her daughter prayed to accept Christ. She can now celebrate their new spiritual birthday.

I believe that by divine appointment, I was meant to be standing outside this woman's gate, taking this picture, causing her to wonder who I was and what on Earth I was doing there.