A prayer walk with friends led Joleene to Ashley, in whose heart God was already working!
By taking a simple step of obedience, Joleene and her friends encountered a young lady whom God had been preparing to read His Word. All they had to do was follow His leading and talk to her. Read Joleene's story so you can be inspired to do the same!
Meeting a Shopkeeper while Prayer Walking
At the end of May I went prayer walking with some ladies in downtown San Diego. We came across a street fair and asked God about who we should talk to and where we should go.
Our group stumbled upon a little crystal shop—the kind of crystals that are often claimed to have spiritual or healing properties. One of the ladies I was with felt we should walk into the shop.
Once inside, we saw a college-aged gal who looked like she owned the place. We started a casual conversation this girl, Ashley, and asked her questions about the crystals.
Ashley Was Interested in the Bible, Not Religion
"Some people believe that there's spiritual meaning behind these crystals, but I don't," Ashley explained. "I'm not a spiritual person or religious at all. I just think the crystals are pretty. I could tell you what people think the meaning of them are, but I don't believe it. I just think they're decorative."
As our conversation continued, Ashley shared how, even though she's not religious, she has a boyfriend whose father had her download a Bible app on her phone.
"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to read it. And I haven't really tried yet," Ashley admitted. "I would be open to reading it though—I'm just now quite sure how!"
She Agreed to Meet for Discovery Bible Study!
It was a total God moment. I felt like I needed to say, "Hey Ashley, I love reading the Bible myself, and I actually love reading the Bible with people. So if you would be interested, we could get together for coffee and get to know each other. And I could teach you how to read the Bible!" "Yeah, I'd love to do that!" Ashley replied. So, I got Ashley's phone number and she shared a little more about her background. She's new to the area having been here less than a year. And she had been wanting to get to know people and build relationships. She said most of her friends are from these little street fairs. To top it all off, she doesn't live too far from me! So we arranged to meet together to get coffee and start a Discovery Bible Study. Pray for Ashley—pray for her heart, that she'll want to read God's word and continue doing so. And praise God for this divine appointment!
Lessons Learned
God has prepared unbelievers for you to meet and invite to discover Him, just like Ashley. He has blessed each of us with the privilege of joining Him to make disciples of all nations. God is doing His part. Will you do yours? Will you be like Joleene and step out in obedience to find those God is drawing to Himself?
Podcast: How Will You Befriend Lost People This Fall?
In this podcast, Paul Watson and Rebecca Ewing share engagement ideas and how to think outside the box on where you can connect with people who don't know Jesus.