I was paired with my friend Harry, who doesn't speak any French (although spending the week with me I know he picked up some :P) so once again I was thrown into my role as resident translator. I was really scared. I had never approached anyone before, let alone to offer prayer and/or asked their opinion on God, and the world in general. Both of us were anxious about stepping out, and so we decided to pray. We simply asked God to point out someone specific for us to talk to and approach, and then give us the courage to act on what he revealed. It was at this point that I saw a man walk past with a guitar case. In true "Helen style" I pointed out the obvious. Harry's response was "Yes, he has a guitar, well observed." But as we walked along, we continued to talk about this man, and upon observing that his guitar case had the word original written on it, I felt even more drawn to him. But he was walking some way ahead of the two of us, and to continue following him would be weird. So, once again we said to God:
"If you want us to speak to him, then please let him sit down at these benches." The man paused and then sat down. Fantastic. I was in a foreign country, being told to approach a stranger, but I hadn't done anything like this before. Eventually we plucked up the courage to approach him, and I, in my best French asked if he had 5 minutes and if we could pray for him. I hadn't paused long enough to notice the confusion in his face, and a distinct lack of comprehension. Surely my accent wasn't that poor?! Then my friend asked if he spoke English. It turns out, after all my gabbling, that his name was Fred* and he was in fact from Cornwall.He had ended up in Montpellier after splitting with his girlfriend. I told him that we felt like we should speak to him, and he asked if we were psychics... I said no, just Christians! I gave him a word relating to the "original" written on his guitar case and Harry shared a bit of his testimony. It was a brilliant conversation and shows just how good God can be. We are still praying for Fred today and I know God has started something in him. I just pray that whatever seed we planted will continue to grow and develop.
That afternoon I also got to have an amazing conversation with a Frenchman and his wife. The lead up to it was somewhat bizarre. I had been talking to people in the morning, but after having numerous refusals in the afternoon, I was feeling demoralised, tired and generally fed up. It was then that I saw the bright orange arrows on the ground. We decided to see what they were marking out and the directions seemed to lead nowhere. But I couldn't get them out of my head and so when I met up with another group we walked around them again. At this point, I wasn't sure if I was just thirsty and deluded or if they were genuinely significant. We then came across a couple with an orange and grey back pack, who I'd seen sat on a bench earlier, and who were now conveniently stood in front of me. When they paused I approached them and asked about their beliefs. The wife was an atheist and the husband, a non practising catholic who held many doubts about the church and God. What was bizarre, was that all the doubts he held, and the things he struggled with, were the same as mine, both now and before I was a Christian. This meant that I could empathise completely and explain how I came to terms with my doubts. It was an interesting debate and I could definitely say that God worked through that situation. I love that it was so random too... I mean who follows bright orange arrows?!
I never assumed that talking to people would be easy, but equally I was surprised by their reactions. Even though many people weren't interested, the number who wanted prayer and who were willing to chat and listen was incredible. All it takes is a few seconds of courage, to walk up to someone and ask if they want prayer and introduce yourself. God uses everyone, no matter how inadequate you may feel. He knows your capabilities more than you know yourself. That is one of the many important lessons that the week has taught me, and it was only my first day there!
*Fred is not the man's real name . I changed it because I doubt he'd want cyber space to know his life story!
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