Miracles

So I did it. Spoke at the university meeting and I thank God that He guided me through it all! So let me tell you what happened – it’s quite a story.

So I get there and the band is still practicing. I’ve never been there that early because I usually come late after work. Thumbs twiddling, I start to pray. Please, God, speak through me and not with my own words. My roommate arrives. I show her what I will speak about. God’s grace. She uses my notes as a fan. We laugh.

Then, it starts to rain. It is both a great blessing and a curse. A blessing on a humid, balmy night. A curse because being in a chapel with a huge tin roof, you cannot hear anything over the clatter of rain beating the roof like a drum. The band plays on as the rain pours down. God, my first time speaking to this bunch of kids and they won’t really even hear me with such noise. God, You provide, with faith I pray. As my time comes closer, the rain lets up. Praise God! He is answering my prayers! He is good.

Minutes before I am called to speak, the power goes off. The sound system is down and we stand in pitch black. Pitch black literally. God, my first time speaking and not only will they not really hear me but they won’t even see me? Very funny, God. But thanks for the reminder to remain humble. Humility, humility, I mumble to myself.

I get up and stare into blackness and a few lights from people’s cell phone. It feels like a candlelight vigil. “Hello, I can’t see you”, I say unsure of how I should begin in the awkward darkness. Just then, the power flickers on. Lights, sound and no rain. Wow, nice one, God!

I begin. I’m sure some of it was lost in translation but I lay everything out. The depths of my heart served on a platter to about 40 Cambodian students. Tried to be honest. The funniest part was when I shared my most intimate secret and the translator didn’t get it. I had to repeat it 4 times! By that time, half the kids were cracked up laughing. But I pray that some of the students got something out of it. I know I was blessed preparing to talk about God’s grace, and experiencing His grace this very night.

Even as I type this moments after the meeting, it is raining outside. But just for an hour, Jesus stopped the rain. And it feels like He did it just for me. That’s a pretty awesome feeling.