Divine encounters.
Those moments when God interrupts your schedule and connects you with someone for eternal purposes. It’s a challenge to be aware of them. Usually, I focus on tasks and get lost on my checklist, however, this one, was clear.
She smiled back, that’s an unlikely gesture in Prague. The only people smiling in the streets are the tourist. Locals tend to be way more serious, but this lady smiled back and approached to us at the metro station. We shared a train for a few stops. That was enough time for her to find out that I was Mexican and for me to know that she loved Hispanic culture. Before she got off she handed me her business card and invited me for some coffee.
A week later I was at her front door. As I entered her home, I felt like I traveled through time. The furniture and decoration in her home were from the early 1900’s, for this alone I was stoked to see all her home’s decor.
I listened to all the details of her life during the communist era and how the Czech Republic was always a country that experiences it in a different way in comparison with most eastern European nations. A warm smile came upon me as she spoke about her passion for Latin-American music. I observed how her expressions changed when she reminisced of her late husband. Our conversations were endless but very interesting, it made time fly without us noticing it.
Afterword, she said there was an area of Prague that she wanted to take me to. We put our coats on and took a tram to the old part of town. During our afternoon walk after she basically shared her story and I shared mine. I was waiting for this moment patiently, it was extremely difficult to hinder my excitement. She was puzzled about my reasons to serve in Israel and my visit to Prague, then, at sunset, I shared my life-changing encounter with Jesus at age 17.
We closed the evening by meeting with one of my friends in a coffee shop. Liba, the nonpracticing Catholic was completely intrigued in how someone could relate to God outside of everything she knew as religion. That evening grace and favor met. The favor that God gave me to be able to present to her the good news and the grace that saves and convicts to the extent that it makes us embrace Gods perfect love. I am indeed grateful for these divine encounters and willing to change my schedule for them any time.
