I walked the floor, checking the lights and the air conditioner, slowly flipping each section of our center’s basement into darkness. Finally, I drove my motorbike up the incline from the building to my waiting passenger, Linda, a young student at a nearby language school.

Linda had only started attending our free English conversation club a couple of weeks prior. One of our church members, an English teacher, met her when he went to her campus and sat on a bench. Seeing a white gentleman on a Sinim campus, she decided to talk with him, and he invited her to our English club. On her first night joining us, I gave her a lift back to her university. She quickly took to me and showed me around the campus and her dorm, introducing me to her roommates. Since then, I have freely offered her a ride back to her university, sometimes to the chagrin of a couple of Sinim, who think it is unnecessary.

But I presently do not mind. I am grateful for our conversations on culture, health, family and other topics. It is clear she is someone yearning for community . . . and someone who is seeking.
“How was your holiday weekend? What did you do?” I yelled over the wind as we zipped down the road. The previous week, she had shared that she was going on a three-day Buddhist retreat, where attendees are taken into nature, fed vegan meals and taught how to meditate.

“We woke up at 3:30 in the morning. The teachers taught us how to meditate. Then they gave religious instruction,” Linda replied.

“Oh wow! What did you think?” I asked.

“It was boring,” she replied nonchalantly.

“Wait, but you mentioned 300 people were going. That must mean people think it is meaningful, right?” I probed.

“Yea, it is for those looking for meaning in their life. Maybe they don’t know what they are doing. Or they are seeking something more. It’s usually a lot of young people looking for answers that they should know in themselves.”

“Oh, is that what you believe? You are Buddhist?” I followed.

“No. I just went because I’m curious,” Linda offered.

“You know, Lewis River [our teammate] is leaving, and he is speaking this Saturday. I think you would like it. His sermon is ‘Don’t Worry,’ and he will be speaking in Sinim. I will be translating it into English. If you want to see a foreigner speak Sinim and a Sinim speak English, you should come,” I joked. “You can tell me how my translation is. Plus, we have free vegan lunch.”

Linda willingly agreed. That Sabbath, she arrived late but just in time for the message. Lewis shared a meaningful and very practical message from Matthew 6.

On the following Monday, as I drove her home from the English conversation club, I asked her if she thought it was boring, alluding to our previous conversation.

“No. It was good. It was very practical. I want to come again and, this time, see the whole church program. You know, I have been to a church before. In that church, a lot of people shared in the front how God helped them.” I was caught off guard to hear she had been to a church before and heard people giving testimonies.

The following Sabbath, Linda was excited to see we had baptisms scheduled. She asked me questions about the meaning and what was taking place and noted how the individuals came from various parts of the country. I shared with her the new life experience symbolized by the watery grave death to our old lives and a resurrection into a new one.

“You know, someone gave me a Bible. I read the first 200 pages but didn’t quite understand or remember everything,” Linda revealed.

How amazing to discover the Spirit had been working on Linda before we met! Please pray that we can collaborate with the Spirit to guide Linda into a place where she can understand what she is reading in the Bible and one day soon experience the new life and resurrection.

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