Extra: You Weren’t Sitting There Before

Every time I take a long distance bus, I start by asking the LORD to let me sit next to someone who is open to hearing about Him.  With this as my ongoing prayer I have had some amazing conversations with complete strangers.  Sometimes even as I am ascending the stairs and boarding the bus I am already scanning facing hoping the Lord will lead me as to where to sit.  I remember very clearly on one trip I was still standing outside of the bus, waiting in the pushing line to get close enough to the door to get on.  As I looked up at one of the windows I saw a young woman, maybe in her late teens looking out the window.  Our eyes met, and she smiled tentatively at me.  I knew in that moment that was who God wanted me to share with on this trip.

Once I was on the bus I started making my way to her side.  She too had seen me and had started to pick up the stuff that was on the seat next to her to make room.  Before I was able to get there I heard the drive on the bus yell out “Everybody sit in our own seat, you have to sit in your assigned location”, I looked at my ticket sure that since this is who God wanted me to talk to, we would have seats next to each other, but to my shock and disappointment, my assigned location was nowhere near hers.  I was on the other side of the bus, close to the back.  ‘This is crazy’ I thought to myself, they never make us sit in our own seats in these old buses, they just keep filling up until there is no more room, the number on the ticket is just a curtsey.”

The woman who sat next to me, seemed hard and uninterested in even striking up friendly conversation.  It was going to be a long eight hours sitting next to someone who didn’t want to talk.  She had her son sitting with her, and he kept pushing on me in an effort to squeeze between us and turn a two seater into enough for three.  I was hot, annoyed, and confused as to why God hadn’t let me talk to the smiley girl.  Soon the warm afternoon sun and the motion of the bus helped loll me off to sleep.  I woke up an hour later or so.  Even before my eye were open I could tell I had more room on seat, the sons feat were no long sprawled on me. 

I blinked against the sun light, and looked at my seatmate.  Suddenly I was fully awake.  Gone were the mother and her pushy child and in their place was the woman from the window.  She too was resting, but I took time to confess my impatience to the Lord and thank him for somehow even while I was sleeping arranging for me to sit with this girl.  I prayed that God would give me wisdom on how to start up conversation. 

I took out my YOU bible from my backpack and started reading on my own.  Within just a few minutes I had the feeling that someone was reading over my shoulder (which is exactly what I want to happen when I read the bible in public).  The girl next to me was awake and already engaged.  “Is that a holy book you are reading?”  she asked hopefully.

  “Yes, it is the Injil”

“In YOU?  Where did you get it?  My father and I are very interested in Holy books.  Have you read it all?”

“I haven’t read all of it in YOU.  But I have read the Holy books in English, my mother language.  I feel it is most important to read it in the language of your heart.  God created all languages and so we can all learn of Him”  I was hoping to debunk the Muslm teaching that the Holy Books are only really holy if you read them in Arabic. 

“If you have read it in your own language before, maybe you would be willing to trade with me so I can take this one home to my father”

“It is a very valuable book,” I said slowly, “but I did just tell you we should read it in our own language and you are YOU”  I faked the fact that I was really struggling with the decision as to whether or not to give it to her. 

“I have a thumb drive filled with PDF files of old YOU books, it is my fathers, but I know he will think this is a worthy trade, if you will give us your book”

Just was I was starting to agree to her trade, our bus stopped at a check point, and a police got on.  He was looking at everyone’s identification papers.  I carefully slipped the bible back in my bag and tucked it down the seat beside me.  After the police left, and our bus got back on the road, my seat mate leaned over and whispered “That was very wise of you, we could both get in a lot of trouble over that book”.  For the next few hours the book stayed tucked in its safe spot and we talked about daily things like family and work. 

When we were just minutes for our destination I decided to try again.  I thought maybe the girl has been scared off by the polices showing up right when she was about to take the bible, but I had to at least ask if she was still interested.  I lifted my bag on my lap and pulled the corner of it out the top.  “Did you still want to trade?” I said nodding discreetly at the facing cover of the bible just barely visible.

“Oh yes!  Thank you, thank you.  I was so scared you had forgotten or where no longer interested.  I did know who to ask if I could have it.”  She walked forward on the bus, grabbed her own bag and moved things around so that we could make a fast transfer.  As we did I prayed in a whisper just load enough for her to hear “Oh great God, I pray that this woman and her father would read your holy word.  That they will believe what they read and that you will lead them to your own true right road”.