continued from page 27

It’s strange, when you’re 23 and single, you don’t see every stranger as a potential crook, you don’t see every need as a potential scam. I’m 31 now, and I’ve gotten cynical. Taking a risk to love as Christ loved is a little harder now. Opening yourself up to be taken advantage of isn’t quite as easy. But at 23, it wasn’t so much that I was so spiritual and willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ, as it was that I was young and naïve. There was no doubt in my mind that this was a divine appointment. We decided she could spend the night

at my house and then take the first train back home in the morning. I gave her clothes to change into and made out the bed on the couch. I put the teapot on to boil, while she showered and changed into decent clothes. Then Sveta told me her story. She told me how her mother had left two years ago to work in Italy. She had never returned, and they hadn’t heard a word from her since. She told me

28

theGLEANER n May/June 2010

her father had a drinking problem. Sveta had two younger sisters, and she was trying to somehow hold the family together. About a month ago someone from school had invited her to a Baptist church. She had heard the Gospel for the first time then and began attending services. Now she had lots of questions. Inexperienced as I was, and still making ghastly mistakes with the language, I tried to explain God’s plan for her. We spent several hours going through the plan of salvation and figuring out the questions that burdened her heart. She was open and ready for Jesus, but I left her the few hours that remained until morning to think about it. The next morning Sveta prayed a

prayer of salvation. She asked the Lord to come into her heart and save her from her sins. I gave her my address and cell

phone number, and encouraged her to write or call if she ever needed anything. I wish I could say that Sveta went home, joined the local church, dedicated her life to the Lord and is now faithfully serving Him with her husband and beautiful children. But the truth is I don’t know. I never heard from Sveta again. She never wrote or called. A few months later I relocated to a new address, so even if she had tried to get in contact with me, it would have been impossible. To this day, however, I still believe that my meeting with Sveta was a divine appointment. n Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32