Touched by an Angel called Grace

It was Thursday night. My teammate Abby and I joined a book/Word study on Tim Keller's book "Gospel in Life" a couple weeks ago with some sisters in downtown Changchun. And tonight, we sprinted out of our study in order to catch the last bus to our school because it's about 45 minutes outside of town. The last bus comes at 8:30 pm. And it was 8:25, so we sprinted hard. We had at least a mile to go to get to the stop, and finally we made it. Except, we were too late. We stood there for about 15 minutes before we realized despite our best efforts, we had missed the bus. So, we begin to flag down taxis.

At this time of night in the city, getting a taxi is an absolute nightmare! Last Thursday, it took us walking 2 miles, and waiting for about 45 minutes before we were able to flag one down! However, before I realized what had happened, Abby was yelling at me to hurry... and as I snapped to attention I realized she had caught one!!! It's like catching a fish on a slow day! Woo hoo! I practically danced my way over to the cab, and hopped in! Abby and I exchange laughs & high fives over snagging one so quickly! After about ten minutes of driving, our night did a 180!

Suddenly, our cab driver pulls off the road and stops. Abby and I give each other strange looks and try to figure out what's going on. Our cab driver was yelling in his little radio pager, but of course, it was in Chinese and we were unable to translate any of it. After about ten minutes, I get frustrated and make myself comfortable. It still didn't look like we were going anywhere. Uncertain if he was just getting directions to where he was driving us, we use our limited Chinese to confirm that he indeed did know where he should take us- and of course, he was not confused on how to get us to our school. Well, what's the problem then?! We didn't know. After waiting for a good 20 minutes, I pulled out my cell in desperation.

"Should I call RiRi?" (RiRi is my Chinese tutor) I asked Abby.

"Ya, I think that would be a good idea, I have no idea what we're doing and it's kinda creepy around here"

Literally the same moment I'm pulling up RiRi's number, another taxi almost hits us as he pulls up right in front of ours. A bit frazzled, I pause on calling RiRi, and a Chinese woman gets out of the cab and walks over toward ours. My thought "Dang, he's going to try and rip us off like last time and give two different parties a ride to make more money! I hate when they do this because we always end up going way out of our way and getting back to campus sooo late! However, my thoughts quickly came to a halt as the woman gets in and looks behind at us as the cabbie pulls back out into traffic and says in perfectly crystal clear  English, "Yes, I am confused too. I think we are going the same direction and the money will not matter."

Our jaws dropped! We never run into Chinese women who can put together a grammatically correct sentence in English! Miracle #1! Reeling from the initial shock, we begin one of the most awesome conversations I have ever had with a native! She introduced herself as Grace, and I kid you not!! I had a gut feeling that this woman was a believer... I don't know if you have ever had this feeling, but I have never felt so certain that this woman was a believer. And as soon as I had this feeling, my mind instantly began to quickly analyze how to confirm this without just coming straight out and say "so are you a believer?" Praise Him, because I didn't even need to look for a way- the Father simply delivered! Miracle #2!

As Grace explained her background, she lets it slip that she is a sister! Abby and I about peed our pants in excitement and awe at the quick turn of events our night had witnessed! We quickly inform her that we are as well, and we in fact had just finished a study. She got so excited and our conversation kicked into high gear... So, Grace, is originally from Jilin city which is the capital of the province we are living in. Her brother and sister live and work in our city, Changchun. She went to Northeast Normal Univ. in Changchun years ago, and then went on to get her Master's, work in Shanghai, and then moved & worked in Hong Kong where she met her husband who is Norwegian. Once they married, she moved with him to Norway and that is how she has perfectly beautiful English! She is currently on vacation visiting her brother and sister! Um, Holy Cow, FAther!! Do you believe His divine intervention in our lives?!

But, that's not all!! As we carry on the conversation & find out she was a sister, Abby grabs her hands and said, oh this is such an answer to my prayers! Before you came to our taxi, I was praying because we had been sitting there forever, and with our little knowledge of Chinese we weren't sure what was going on or how to get back to school!

Grace laughs, and says "Oh yes, I believe it! I believe this is true- that He planned this! I believe that with my whole heart!" Miracle #3 AHHHH, LOVE IT! 

Intrigued, I begin to pester Grace with questions about her faith. I asked her how she first came to faith.. She replied that while she was getting her Master's she was given the Word by a foreign teacher. However, she read it and read it, but she could not understand it's meaning. Then, she met an American pastor who explained the whole thing to her and she came to faith. She literally said, "At that time, Father was calling me to him, so I came" Wow... oh us of little faith in how BIG and Sovereign our Daddy is- His will will be accomplished regardless of our ability to make sense of things!  Praise Him! Miracle #4!

As we listened, Abby and I just sat in complete awe the whole ride. Grace explained how she believes the Word now with everything in her, and that it is the most important book to her. She also knocked our socks off when she explained how she feels and relates to the Holy Spirit throughout her days. She finds him constantly present and she takes such joy in that! Unfortunately, the cabbie eventually pulled up in front of her building and after exchanging numbers (as she will be in town for a bit longer), she speaks for awhile in Chinese to the cab driver and pays for our ride! We hadn't even made it to our campus, yet, she wanted to make sure we got safely back there so she gave the cabbie strict instructions and enough money to cover our cost as well. Miracle # 5! I sat back against the seat after waving goodbye, and turned to Abby.

"I would not be surprised if her phone number never worked, and she was really an Angel," I said. Abby laughed at me and we processed what just happened.

Okay, while this story may not sound so "awe"some to you, let me spell out a few things for you that added the "awe" factor for me!

1. We were stuck in the middle of a dark street with a cabbie who wouldn't drive us to our destination for a good 20 minutes. *cultural barriers*
2. Abby prays
3. We are lacking the gift of bridging the cultural gap *language failure*
4. Grace is given (literally and personally) *divine intervention*
5. Grace was uniquely designed with this x-factor.. the ability to bridge cultural gaps... this woman was fluent in both Chinese and English... and had lived for a number of years in a Western country.
6. Grace is a sister!! [Okay it's hard enough alone to find brothers/sisters in China that only know Chinese, but then to find one that KNOWS English!! That is unheard of!!]
7. Grace encourages us in our faith through her life's story [I mean what better encouragement then hearing straight from the horse's mouth that foreign teachers have an eternal influence?!] *divine affirmation *
8. She joyfully paid for our cabfare! *blessed unexpectedly*

These are just a few things that put things in perspective of just how "awe"some our Father is! I mean somehow, he divinely ordained that me and Abby would cross paths the way we did with His other daughter Grace, who is native-born Chinese but has lived and worked in Norway?! I mean, really what are the odds of that 'just happening'... I'll tell you... it's zero! Because the only reason that occurred, is because I have a Heavenly Father that is Sovereign, who is not bound by "chance" or "time" or "fate". He creates life for each one of us, shaping us by our experiences and people we meet in order to prepare us for the times when our unique gifts glorify Him and encourage the Body.. Abby and I discovered that when we were touched by an angel on Thursday night. I saw how Father had made Grace a woman comfortable in both Eastern and Western cultures and on Thursday night at 10 pm it encouraged me, and it brought Him glory! Sometimes(not nearly enough), (especially when I have these moments in China), I just stand in awe of the Father, and His character that is so far beyond my comprehension!