Thursday:
2) Time spent at Turtle Bay working on homework and journaling.
3) Grocery trip to WinCo
Friday:
As I entered the store, I noticed a man crouching down looking at shoes by the Nike section. He had already stood up and was walking toward the cashier when I asked, "Excuse me, do you have pain in your neck?"
His eyes shifted to mine.
"No."
"Do you have any pain in your body?" I said. This is something interns sharing testimonies say all the time.
"Yes, in my lower back."
"Can I pray for it?"
"Yes."
"Can I place my hands on your back?"
"Yes."
After commanding the pain to leave, I felt directed to ask him about his relationship with God. I told him that God wanted to encounter him very intimately and lead him in a prayer asking for more of Jesus. I started pulling out the gold in him and blessing him.
By the end of the night, suddenly outreaches did not seem so intimidating. I am so used to testimonies about radical healings, salvations, and Spirit baptisms that the stakes seemed prett high! On Friday, I realized that God's primary goal is to BLESS people...what a privilege to be His ambassadors!
Saturday
2) La Soiree Francophone. I prayed with members of the French-speaking group from Bethel. One of the members is from Burkina Faso and was in desperate need of grocery money. Directly after praying for him, at least five people handed him $20 bills. We are the body of Christ, representing His provision!
Sunday
2) I spent the afternoon at the prayer chapel doing homework. I actually prefer to sit outside, where I hear waterfalls pouring over the pool leading up to the prayer chapel, see international flags lining the hill leading up to Bethel Church, feel the wind caressing my face, and watch the planes leaving a trail of white in the wind. I often think of my upcoming trip to South Africa and my past trip to France. I accomplished much of my homework! That night, Ginny, Cait, Christy, and I went to Applebee's, where we feasted on half-off appetizers and two games of Uno. Ginny won both times.
Monday
"It is nice to finally meet you. You can call me Sino. On peut se parler en francais si tu veux."
"Si tu veux," I said. "I am Joanna. I am studying at Bethel's ministry school. And you?"
"Shasta College. I came to Redding from Morocco because I wanted to discover something new. I met several Moroccans during the semester I spent in San Francisco. Here, I only know of a few."
We spent the next hour talking about Islam, French, work, school, and his time in Morocco. At around 4, he excused himself in order to get ready for a soccer game. As he had explained, soccer was a big things for Moroccans. He left me with a richer understanding and love of the country of my birth and the faith of millions. I blessed him, telling him how much God was proud of him and was going to begin speaking to him without speaking "Christianese." I walked back into Starbucks. Curling up on a chair, I opened my pink Jane Austen journal and pondered on the fact that the reason for Jesus' arrival was restored relationship with God. Relationship that is meant to be so much more than memorized prayer five times a day, a devotional on a Sunday morning, or a church camping around a sermon. God is just waiting to speak to us in so many different ways, and all we have to do is receive it! I felt like I could have gone up to anyone in that coffee shop and told them how much God loved them. Right then, I caught sight of Ana, a girl in my small group. I ran outside.
"Ana!" I said.
"Joanna!" she squealed, reaching over to give me a hug. "How are you?"
"Good!" I shared what had just happened. As we walked inside and she stood in line to order a mocha, she celebrated with me. Just then, a girl on her mission trip to Israel walked up to her.
"Did you hear? Sara's mission trip was paid off! Elizabeth just told her yesterday, 'I say that $2000 will appear in your account in the name of Jesus!'" She woke up, and the money was there!"
Later, as Ana was leaving, I put my hands in hers.
"I proclaim $1000 in Jesus' name!" i said.
"I proclaim $1000--no, $2000, for you!" she countered.
I did not think much of it. When I got home, nothing else had appeared in my account. I texted my dad about my plan to pay off the $1050 deadline myself. He called me to go over details. By the time we got off the phone, I was almost tempted to pay everything off that night instead of waiting to see what God could do in the morning.
Several minutes later, I opened my Facebook account. A friend had messaged me asking how much I still needed and what specific South Africa team I was part of. Five minutes later, my entire tuition--not just my deadline--had been payed off--the total amount, $2155!!! Thinking back, I had had two dreams concerning the costs of my mission trip. In each one, I had received $1000 for my mission trip. Just three weeks ago, the $750 from my tution had been payed off. A month before that, money had opened up from a former stock account. And all throughout this year, God has provided enough funds to my parents for them to be able to pay my rent and groceries each month. I have even been able to provide for others a few times. Wow! God is so good.