Joplin Flea Market
A year ago - She yelled at me . . .
April 21, 2007 - She hugs me and recieves a New Testament from me!
Last summer at the flea market where we go fishing for men (and women, and children), I witnessed to this couple. I had finished going through the Law with them and into the illustration about our natural justice system to explain the spiritual truth about God's justice in punishing sin for eternity in Hell. (If you have not heard Hells Best Kept Secret yet - DO IT! Then listen to How to Effectively Use the Law. These teachings will explain what I'm talking about http://livingwaters.com/listen.shtml .)
It was at this time in the conversation when their Jewish friend walked up in the middle of the conversation. Her name is Melissa. As she walked up the two litterally told this pettite and fiesty woman to "Get her!" like they were sicking a pit bull dog on an intruder. They were talking about me! But because Melissa didn't understand the groundwork that I had already laid when she stepped in, she got heated quickly. She thought she was quite allright with God and that she was a very good person even deserving heaven. Trust me I prayed to God for wisdom and grace to communicate with them, but the conversation went hot (on her end) and she and the others persecuted me - yelled at me calling me names and walked away doing so until they were out of sight.
Well . . .
On this particular Saturday at the same flea market, Melissa walked up to me, I greeted her and said, "Melissa, right?" she said that's right. With enthusiasm I said hi and get this - she gave me a big hug! I listened to her as she shared what was going on in her life for around 15 to 20 minutes. She mentioned going to jail a month ago and that the judge let her go on her own recognizance (spelling?). I asked her if she remembered that we had talked last summer. She said she had remembered it very well and that she had thought about it often. She then starts almost quoting some of the things I had said. (Good person test) - Mind you this is almost a year later and she was angry at the time!
Another detail about last year. A few weeks after she got angry with me she came back to "reason" with me. I tried to show her the scriptures in the OT (Isiah 53 and Ps 22) about Jesus being the promised Messiah but she had to go and promised she would be back the following week. That was the last I saw of her until this Saturday. She not only let me show her Isaiah 53, but she took a reference list on the Deity of Jesus and she took a New Testament from me!
Ken, Jarred, & Tony thought I had met a good old friend by the way things were going! Melissa gave me another giant hug and promised she would read all the stuff I gave her! Praise God for working on her and pray for her salvation! It was a huge blessing - I was definitely clicking my heals at the end of that day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
