A Strange Encounter


A few years back I was introduced by a pastor friend to a gentleman named Randy Fields who was an interim pastor of a local SBC church. Randy is a SBC missionary and was in the U.S. on furlough. He was looking to meet a person who could take over when he returned to the mission field. We met over coffee, and hit it off. I preached at the church but they called someone else to pastor them. Randy and I have kept in contact via e-mail since then. He sent the below e-mail to me today. Please join me in praying for the situation and for him and his family as they serve the Lord overseas. Thanks.

Friends,
Leah, Randall and I had a strange encounter last month. It all started 5 years ago in Columbia, South Carolina. Before Leah and I began dating/courting I was helping with this ministry that fed 200 international students from the University of South Carolina every Wednesday and Thursday. During this year there just happened to be a group of 12 Kazak girls who were studying at USC. "Alice" and "Jane" and some others... They were standing in the lunch line and I walked up to them and in the Kazak language said, "Hello, how are you? My name is Randy and what are your names?" They stood there shocked with mouths gapping wide and then began to squeal and clap there hands! Wow. All I did was say hello. :) We became friends. They met Leah. We would have each other over for dinner, do things in the city together and had a great time. After 6 months or so we all started going our separate ways. Well, last month Leah, Randall and I were visiting Almaty on business and had to get some medical testing done in a local Kazakhstan hospital. I entered the hospital not knowing where to go or how to begin this medical testing. As I began walking the halls looking for a place to start this girl walks up to me and says in Kazak, "Randy, is that you?!" This girl was none other than "Alice" from Columbia. She just happened to be visiting that hospital that day, at that moment. She helped us, we visited, met her husband ("Matt"), and exchanged cell phone numbers. 30 minutes later we go to the second floor and this Kazak girl walks out of one of the rooms looks at me and says, "Randy, is that you?!" This time it was "Jane" from Columbia that bumped into us. T'was a crazy afternoon. Since then, we have had "Alice" and her husband "Matt" over for lunch. "Matt" and I have played tennis together twice and he is a really neat guy. I was able to share briefly how Jesus changed my life with him and some other truth as well. After hearing some of the Gospel he continues to want to be friends. I share this with you because I do not believe our meeting after 5 years is a coincidence. I also believe we need to BE INTENTIONAL in praying for our friends that God work in their hearts and help them embrace Jesus. So, could you please pray for "Alice" and "Matt" that:

-the Holy Spirit would work in their hearts and lives drawing them to Christ, that He would take the scales off of their eyes so that they could see the Light of Christ & be saved?
-Father would give us more time with them and that HE WOULD OPEN DOORS for us to share Good News?

Leah, Randall and I are doing well. We love and appreciate you all very much. Thank you much for remembering our friends Alice and Matt. Take care!

Love in Christ,
Randy