Last night during worship the Holy Spirit told me to take a walk to Boxi (Boxhagener Park) and then down to this sandwich shop that we discovered when YWAM Brisbane was here. The owner of the shop was really friendly to us and Bre shared Jesus with him for a long time.
So....today around 11:45 I took myself off to Boxi. The sun was shinning and it would have been really warm today except for a cool breeze that was blowing. I entered Boxi and didn't see York sitting where he usually sits on the first bench. There was a really "normal" looking lady sitting there. As I walked down I saw Ed. He was just strumming his guitar and I said, "Ed!" I hadn't seen him since last summer when he joined our church worship in Boxi. He came right to me with a big smile and shook my hand. Next to him was tall Alex and since Ed shook my hand so politely, I think Alex felt propelled to do the same. As we chatted and I asked Alex how life was....Curly came up off the bench and over to me. He began speaking rapidly in a mixture of French and German. He was obviously very drunk. I asked him to speak English as I had no idea what he was saying and then Ed came over and said, "Be polite now" to Curly. Then Curly got a menacing look on his face and kept stepping towards me. I said, "Curly, only Jesus loves you like you want to be loved. Only Jesus." He kept on with his language and threatening when suddenly Alex came up to him and grabbed him away from me. That was my cue to take myself off. I was pleased inside that Alex and Ed totally came to my defense and not one bit scared of Curly. I thanked them and told them that I loved them and left the park. It was a strange experience but I told the Lord, "Okay...I went to Boxi like you told me to."
Then I went to the sandwich shop and ordered my sandwich from a guy I didn't know. Then the guy we had witnessed to walked out from the back and when he saw me he said, "Hey! Hello! How are you?" I was pleased that he remembered me and told him that I came back because I wanted another one of his delicious sandwiches. The other guy began making it and put 2 pieces of salami on and he said, "Put another one on. Make it with love! More lettuce. More jalapeno." I was giggling....what favor! I didn't feel led to say any more to him about Jesus.....just smiling and buying his sandwich was enough, I think.
At 2pm I traveled out to Marzahn to have coffee with a sweet girl who just returned to Berlin from 2 years with Operation Mobilization in Russia. We had a wonderful time getting to know one another and then she walked me out to the tram station and put me on a tram that she said would take me all the way home. (This was a different way home from the way I came). I settled myself in for the 30 minute ride, book in hand, when after about 5 stations I heard, "This train is ending here. All get off." Huh??? I was so confused. When it stopped people started getting ON and so I thought I heard wrong. Then the train driver came out of the front and walked to the back to drive back in the direction we came from. So....I called Fran for help and while I was explaining to her my dilemma a lady across the aisle said to me, "I know what's going on. I can explain it to you and help you." So I hung up with Fran and the lady explained that they are doing construction on the line. She happened to be going to almost the same place as me and so she said I could follow her back to another station and transfer there to our stop. She was very friendly and we chatted all the way home. When she found out I was a Christian missionary she said, "That is very strange because I just got done reading a paper I found in the station about God. It was saying that there are many ways to God and that Jesus is the Way." (Inside I was jumping up and down!!!!) What a God-thing! Then she asked me if I was with any sect or group and I explained that I had come to Germany alone and that the bible was my guide. She said, "I met another Christian like that". I said, "Oh...maybe I know him/her because the Christian world is very small in Berlin," and she said, "Oh that was two years ago!" (I got the impression that she had only met ONE other Christian in Berlin!) While we were walking I pulled out my card and told her about der Garten. She saw that my email was on the card and said, "I will email you. My last name is: ________ so make sure it doesn't go in your spam box." She lives right here in Friedrichshain!!!!!!
I wondered why Naty put me on that tram instead of going home the way I came....and it all became clear. I was also late for a prayer meeting with Fran....Naty and I had totally spaced out on the time....and that became clear as well.
At 6:15pm when Fran and I were done praying, there was a knock on the der Garten door and I opened it right away thinking that it was Michael come for worship but instead it was Olaf - another man from Boxi. We met Olaf 2 years ago when we first stared going into Boxi. We watched him kick his girlfriend in the face. It was horrifying. Then months later I started having conversations with him and one day the Lord told me to tell him that HE was his Papa. I had found out that he was raised in foster homes and didn't know his mom or dad. After that, every time I saw him I said, "Your Papa loves you!" One day last year, he came bouncing into der Garten with 2 friends. He said, "Here they are! Here are the Chrisitans!" Turns out a friend of his had just come into Berlin and the friend jokingly said, "Where are the Christians?" and Olaf immediately said, "I know where they are!" and brought his friend to der Garten. Before they left he said to Bre, "Will you pray for us?" When she prayed the power of God came down on them and they were visibly moved. They took der Garten fliers with them to place in their new Squat-House bar and they invited us to come at anytime and pray for people there. Olaf informed us that he was done with Boxi and would now be working in the bar. Well.....almost 7 months have gone by since I have seen Olaf. When I was in Boxi today I thought, "I wonder what Olaf is up to?" . He was a bit drunk and so when Fran left, I was a bit apprehensive but I asked him if he wanted a coffee and to my relief he said he did and so I busied myself with that and soon Michael arrived who was to do worship. Then Michael's girlfriend Helena arrived. I told Olaf that we were going to pray before worship and he seemed glad. He wanted us all to hold hands and he told me to look into his eyes when I prayed. So I did and I asked Helena to translate what I prayed into Deutsch. I thanked the Lord for sending Olaf in that day because I had just been thinking of him. I said that Jesus was his Papa and loved him so much and I asked the Holy Spirit to come down and fill his heart and life with his love. Then Helena prayed in Deutsch and Mike prayed. After the prayer time, I got up to light all the candles and wonderful Helena began ministering to Olaf. She asked him if he had a bible and he didn't and so I got him a bible and another small booklet to read (all in Deutsch). (BLESS Helena!!) I was so thankful she was there to talk to him in German. Then all of a sudden Olaf began coughing in spasm's. Really bad coughing. I got him some water and he told me it was asthma. He stood up still coughing horribly and I laid my hand on his chest and began praying. His coughing stopped almost immediately. About a minute later, he took my hand and placed it back on his chest so I would pray some more, so I did and I believe the healing of Jesus came all over him. I gave him lots of hugs and it was so fun to pour the love of Jesus upon him. He left not much later and took the bible and booklet with him.
Hallelujah!!! Our worship was so sweet. There was only 5 of us but the atmosphere was filled with the presence of Jesus. We were all relaxed under the sweetness of Jesus.
THANK YOU LORD for a day of walking with YOU and working with you. There is just nothing else quite like it!
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