Surveys & Soy Steamers

On Sunday night I walked into Starbucks. There was several people just hanging out in there all doing their own thing. Some were on their computers while others were reading books. I must say the environment is pretty laid back. It's seems to be the perfect place people can go to be anti-social in public (I know that's an oxymoron but that's literally what people do). The purpose I had for going to Starbucks was completely different from most frequent Starbucks attendees, I wasn't there to order some sort of coffee that takes 30 seconds and 15 adjectives to describe, I was there to give a Bible study. While I waited for my Bible study contact to arrive, I decided to get a soy steamer.

For the record if you haven't had a soy steamer before, they're amazing! Even if the Starbucks barista has no idea what it is they should be able to make one. When I ordered mine the employee looked at me and said "well I have soy and I have a steamer, I figure it out." After getting my delectable warm beverage, I sat down and waited for my contact. The only problem was she never showed. I tried calling her, but the number she gave me didn't work either. Instead of leaving I figured God still had me at that Starbucks for a reason so I might as well do something productive. 

I then reached into my bag and grabbed some surveys and started talking to everyone in the Starbucks lobby. There was a few people interested in natural foods cooking school but that's not what I was really looking for, I really wanted to find people that wanted to study the Word of God. After finishing surveying half the store I started walking over to the other side. There were four individuals all doing their own thing and I really had no idea who I should talk to, so as I walked over I prayed in my head, "Lord, who do you want me to talk to?" Right as I finished praying that prayer an older gentleman looked up at me. I walked over to him and started a conversation with him while asking him questions on the survey. I started talking to him about cooking and the conversation eventually led to talking about God. Now that I think back on it I don't even entirely remember how it led to God but it sure did. What I do remember mentioning to him was how God wanted to be his friend, and that sparked his attention. I offered doing a Bible study with him right there and he agreed to it. In this Bible study I mention how I had experienced some bad friendships in the past and how it made me scared to have a best friend. However, now that I do have a best friend and our friendship is grounded in Christ it's helping me to understand what a relationship/friendship with God is like. I also mention how many times just as I was scared to have a best friend, others are afraid of having a friendship with God because they've been hurt in the past. 

As I was going through this point his jaw dropped, and he told me "you have no idea how much I need to hear this right now." He then began to tell me how just a few hours earlier he had seen the love of his life with another man and how it just shattered his heart into pieces. He told me how he just sat in his car and poured out his heart to God as he wept. He told God how his heart ached and how he needed assurance of God's love for him. After crying in his car for hours he thought he would pull himself together and try to get some work accomplished. He wanted to be around people to be happy so he went to Starbucks, and that's when I walked up to him. He kept repeating, "I know God sent you to come talk to me and you've inspired me to study my Bible more." After we finished studying he agreed to continuing studying only at his house. On Tuesday Sheila and I went to study at his house and he has been throughly enjoying what he's been learning. While at his house he also mentioned how his brother had been praying for him to study the Bible with someone and how I was an answer to his prayer. Also he doesn't simply want to study once, or twice a week, but tomorrow will be the third time we've studied this week.

On Sunday I anticipated to give a Bible study to someone at Starbucks and I did, however not according to my plan but God's. 

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." 

Romans 8:28