Pandora

I met a lady on the 7 train two days ago. Her name is Pandora. She was preaching the gospel on the train car I was in. I've heard them before. In the past, I just turn up the volume on my mp3, or CD player. I didn't that day.

She started off with,

"I just wanted to tell you all that Jesus loves you."

I'm not going to lie, I assumed she was going to ask for money or it was at least one of those shady, fishy evangelism speeches and I am embarrassed for thinking that.

She went on to saying,

"God wants nothing more than to have a personal relationship with you... You can have a relationship with Him today... He will meet you where you are... Nobody's perfect, but God is forgiving."

I've heard this so many times before. I've told this to others so many times before, but I never felt so loved hearing this from Pandora. It could have been her genuineness and honesty and the visible care she had for the people around her, people she didn't know, whether they were listening or not. Or it could have been the weird mixed feelings I've been getting all week. Whatever made me really listen and take in what Pandora was saying; I just really needed to hear it. I guess you could say it reaffirmed my faith.

She got off at either Junction or Woodside, I forget... one of the express stops closer to Flushing. I was so encouraged by her boldness and I understand that even preachers and people as bold as Pandora need prayer. So I followed her out of the crowded train and tapped her on the shoulder and she let me pray for her. Then, she prayed for me. I didn't tell her anything about me or my family or what I was going through with my own faith, but she knew exactly what I needed prayer for. [[One thing I really miss about Pittsburgh is the culture of prayer and just being surrounded by brothers and sisters I know I can randomly pull aside from what they were doing and , without hesitation, ask them to pray for me or vice versa.]]

Since then, I've been praying that God would use me in the morning and at night, a prayer I've sort of been neglecting intentionally for a while. Today, I got to share a small piece of my faith to 2-3 of my coworkers. Only one guy was asking the questions, some of them were just to be funny, but I hope that my responses will open his mind some and that he will question his own faith, or lack thereof. Since I started work, I found that I couldn't really be myself around the guys (yes, I work with a bunch of guys), but when one guy found the word, "shalom," as the banner on my phone, there was a huge weight being lifted off.

Eternally grateful for Jehovah Elohe Yeshuathi