When you connect their story with God's story, love wins
Cassie is a disciple-maker in North Africa. Through texts, coffees, and long conversations over many dinners, she developed a friendship with a woman she met seemingly by chance. Eventually, her friend shared one of her deepest wounds. Lovingly, Cassie connected her friend's tragedy with God's Story and that's where healing began.
Here's Cassie's story:
A Divine Appointment Leads to Meaningful Conversations
A stranger approached the table where we ate dinner. Excited to hear my friend and I speaking English, she asked if we could meet up sometime. We exchanged information and barely slipped in one coffee before our country went into a COVID-19 lockdown.
As we cupped steaming mugs of hot coffee in our hands, we spent over three hours getting to know one another. Our conversations spanned decades and covered a variety of topics, ranging from casual to incredibly meaningful. Even through the lockdown, we checked on one another regularly. I am so grateful for something as simple as texting, which allowed us to stay connected while confined in our homes.
When restrictions lifted and restaurants reopened, my friend and I met for dinner. During another long conversation, my friend opened up and shared some difficult things that she experienced, including some horrible accounts of racism that wounded her deeply.
Connecting Her Pain with God's Story
Before we met again, I felt led to connect my friend's pain to the love of God.
Prayerfully, I decided to write a letter. In the letter, I acknowledged that the way she was treated was wrong. “…people must learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.” I wrote, quoting Nelson Mandela.
I shared that Jesus taught me to love people. I quoted The Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12) and wrote out 1 Corinthians 13. I wanted her to read those beautiful words about God's love.
A few days later, we met for dinner. I must confess that I was a little nervous about giving her my letter, but I did so anyway. She read it immediately. As soon as she finished she stood up, walked around the table, and gave me a huge hug.
“Thank you so much—this means so much to me,” she said, as tears filled her eyes.
Our friendship continues to grow over coffee and dinners and our conversations are often deeply meaningful.
Please join with me and ask the Spirit to move in my friend's heart. Pray for spiritual conversations and opportunities for her to understand that God wants to know her-- personally.
—Cassie, Disciple-Maker in North Africa
Lessons Learned from Cassie's Story
Cassie connected God's story with her friend's story - something all disciple-makers look for opportunities to do. When Cassie's friend shared her experiences with racism, Cassie knew that God's love was the answer that could bring the healing her friend needed. Now, prayerfully, Cassie will move into more spiritual and discovery conversations and seek to invite her friend to study God's Word for herself.
Podcast: How to Have Deep Discovery Conversations
Click here to learn how to connect with your friends and family with God's story the way Cassie did.