We arrived in South Carolina on Monday, July 8th. We hadn’t even left the Hartford airport when the encounters began!
We have so many stories already- and this is still our “down time!” We had planned to take a week or two to just be together as a family, regroup, and catch our breath after the busyness of the last few months. Our bus is in the garage being worked on and a pre-trip to SC seemed like a really good idea.
God has been really bringing people into our path who need to know Him and His love for them. The amount of need is so great!
Here are a few encounters:
Mom with three kids - daughter with alopecia. Prayed for them and for God to heal the daughter. The mom cried as she felt the love of God for her family through Matt and Leah. (They were a Russian family and Leah knows some Russian so she approached them with Matt.)
Evan at AT&T- Matt prayed with him. He said Matt reminded him of his grandfather- “a different kind of man.”
William at the hotel by the airport- asked prayer for his father
Daniel- over the phone prayer
Shauniece, lady at Sam’s Club- Matt prayed for her and she asked if she could give us all a hug!
Girl at Bruster’s- Matt prayed with her after sharing how much God loves her and she told him how much she needed to hear that.
Family at Sam’s Club- Matt saw a mom, dad, and 3 kids go to the dining area. He immediately felt that the dad needed encouragement. He ended up sitting at their table for about 10 minutes. He shared Jesus with them, paid for their meal, and prayed for the whole family.
Jim- Matt prayed for a man at church who had some health issues. It was a really sweet time of prayer and encouraged both Matt and Jim.
Family at McDonald’s- after we went on a hike, Matt went into McDonald’s to get a drink and some food for the kids. He saw a family sitting at a table who commented on his shirt (JESUS- no other name). He asked them if they knew Jesus and they said yes. But it wasn’t over. The fries weren’t in the order so he had to go back to the front. After he ordered, he heard the Holy Spirit tell him the lady had knee problems and to go pray for them. He went back to their table and when he asked if anyone had knee problems, the lady started to tear up and say it was her. Matt shared more about Jesus and then prayed for her, paid for their meal, and went to wait for the fries. When he left the store, they had just gotten into their car. As he walked by their vehicle, the door opened, and the lady got out and said, “It happened! It happened! All my pain is gone! He (God) did it!” She was crying and other family members were praising God too in awe of Him.
Dr Stuart- Matt went to get an eye exam so he could buy some glasses (He hasn’t had glasses in many years, but wanted to have a back up to his contacts.) Although there was no natural indication of this, Matt asked the optometrist if he was Jewish. The man asked Matt why he would ask that, and Matt told him that it was a compliment, that he loves Jewish people, and just wanted to bless him. Matt shared how Yeshua the King lives in him and how we go around sharing the love Yeshua has for people. The man’s whole demeanor changed as he answered that he was a Jew and told Matt that the whole encounter with him made him feel like his day was fulfilling. And Matt was his first appointment!
We have also been able to enjoy spending time with Matt’s parents. A bonus in being down here!
A HUGE highlight of this trip is our time in North Carolina at a worship event with a group from Israel called SOLU Israel. Leah describes here own thoughts about it on her blog here: The Grace Haus
We are grateful that our bus is being all looked over, getting new tires, lots of preventative maintenance, and some issues being corrected. But, we are looking forward to moving into it and beginning this new phase of our life! It is realistic to think that everything will be done by next week and we will fly back to Massachusetts to get it. (Can’t wait to see our kids and grandkids!)
This time away has been exactly what the Lord knew we needed. Matt has been getting more clarity in the direction God is calling him, our family, and ministry. Stay tuned!
