The following is a continuation of our last post from two days ago…

5) One day, we had a very unusual day trying to get to Los Angeles and things not turning out as expected once we got there. We all commented on how there must be a bigger reason for how the day had ended up. As it turned out, there was:

On our return, we realized we were getting low on gas. We could have made it, but we made a last minute decision (which was actually the guiding of the Holy Spirit – we realized afterward!) to turn into a small gas station we came across unexpectedly. It wasn’t even the type of gas station we would normally frequent.

Once inside, we got talking with the young lady who was alone, attending the cash register. One of us commented on how unusual it was to see a lone, petite gal working late at night at a little gas station in the heart of L.A. We asked if she (Angela) was concerned about it. She shared her fears with us, revealing it was actually her very first shift at the station. This led to a conversation about God and His protection which then led to Angela sharing her love for Jesus and her desire to get to know God better. We asked her if she had received the Holy Spirit since she believed in Jesus, to which she answered “No.”

Within minutes, we were praying with Angela behind the counter with one of us keeping an eye on the door for customers. She received the Holy Spirit (speaking in tongues as the first manifesting sign) very quickly, and she was absolutely elated. She said she felt changed – brand new, and we were able to share how that was consistent with what the Bible says about being born again of the Spirit. We chatted a little longer, offering encouragement and quoting some more scriptures, and she received it all with joy and a fresh look on life (she had had a very heartbreaking upbringing).

It was amazing how just before we arrived, the gas station seemed busy with people, and after we had finished spending time with Angela, it got busy again, but during our time inside with her it was dead quiet. Praise God for the way He moves upon situations to facilitate the sharing of His Word!

6) We found a nail in one of our car tires and decided to take it to a tire store even though the tires were all run flats. It turned out that the nail was only a very short tack, so it hadn’t done any damaged at all. But, while we were there, we saw a young gal (Brittany) reading a self-help book outside in the sunshine (she was waiting for her car tires to be serviced). We got talking with her and gave her one of our cards, mentioning that God has amazing wisdom in His Word for improving someone’s life. It turned out that the gal was very God conscious and was very open to hearing about people’s spiritual experiences. We shared with her our testimonies and she was excited to hear that she, too, could receive the Holy Spirit with proof.

We invited her to come sit in our vehicle to pray, so we all piled in. Very quickly, Brittany was filled with the Spirit, praying in tongues softly but very clearly and fluently. She kept praying for quite a while and then stopped, beaming that what we had recently described had just happened to her. We expressed to her the importance of baptism in water as part of the conversion process, shared more stories to inspire and teach her, and then exchanged contact details.

We had arranged a date for Brittany’s baptism, but some things got in the way of her plans (we always warn people about this happening as Satan will try his best to get in the way of people completing their reconciliation with God!), so hopefully we can catch up with her again as we’ll be back down in California very soon.

7) We visited a local fair while in California and as soon as we got in the gate, a guy approached us, offering us one of his church pamphlets. We wandered over to where the rest of his group were chatting to various people, and we began to ask him questions. One of them was if he had received the Holy Spirit since he believed in Jesus. The guy became very agitated and his feelings of animosity toward us grew to the point where he walked away (even though we were simply encouraging him to discuss the Scripture calmly and openly as mature adults), but this was perfect as it left us alone with a woman from his group who had come over to listen to the conversation.

At first, she was very closed minded toward all of the scriptures and amazing personal testimonies we shared, but after a while her heart softened. We managed to end the conversation with her agreeing to take on board what she’d heard, and to look up the scriptures we’d highlighted with a humble approach. We pray she will do so and that the truth will prick her heart even further. Her name is Mandy if you’d like to join us in upholding her in prayer.

8) Minutes after our long conversation with Mandy, we ran into a lady we’d met at a restaurant. We had later discovered that she was an alcoholic, so we knew what was God’s message for her this second time we met up with her.

The words we spoke to her from the Lord moved on her deeply and we asked if she’d like us to pray with her. She welcomed our offer, so we found a small area of grass behind one of the fair rides to gather around her in prayer. She never received the Holy Spirit that day, so we encouraged her that baptism in water was her best move toward the Lord, to demonstrate to Him her sincere repentance and desire to live a changed life.

She actually phoned us two days ago to share how much she appreciated everything we said to her. She shared her plans to check into a rehabilitation center and be done with alcohol for good, and she hopes to meet up with us again next time we’re down her way. Praise God!

By the way, we’re still not done! We have LOTS more to tell about God’s recent hand upon our lives, so stay tuned!