Do you ever have those days when you simply have no motivation to leave your house for any reason? I suppose if you are a strong introvert, those days come often. In any case, I was having one of those days. I had resigned to staying in and had my day planned. Then as I was reading my devotions, I remembered (likely, God reminded me) there was a sale on coffee.
Coffee. I should have known coffee would be the inciting force of such a day. I checked my phone to see when the sale ended, and wouldn’t you know it, it was that day. So I finished my devotions (you were concerned, weren’t you?) and got ready for the day. I went back and forth on when exactly I should head out and finally resigned myself to order a Yango (it’s like an African Uber).
The Yango application shows the car and the driver, and I noticed it was a woman driver. I have probably taken over 100 rides, and only one other time had I had a woman driver. So I thought Great! Maybe I’ll be able to get into a good conversation with her and be able to share the gospel. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I love using these ride-share apps. It’s really good French practice, and I can at the very minimum invite them to church.
So I got in the car and went through the typical French greetings. Then I asked, “Êtes-vous d’Abidjan?” (Are you from Abidjan?) She replied, “Oui, mais j’habite à Bingerville.” (Yes, but I live in Bingerville.) So I said, “Ok, je travaille avec une église à Bingerville.” (Okay, I work with a church in Bingerville.) And she said, “D’accord.” (Okay.) And suddenly I got the vibe that she didn’t really want to talk.
Then her WhatsApp notification went off and it was with a distinct American accent. I thought about commenting, but then again, the vibe. A few minutes later another notification went off, and the Holy Spirit pushed me to speak. I said, “Son accent était vraiment américain.” (Her accent was really American.) She replied, “Oui, c’est anglais.” (Yes, it’s English.) So I responded, “Ah, ok, je suis américaine.” (Ah, okay, I’m American.) Then with excitement she said in perfect English, “I’m from South Africa!”
And suddenly we were speaking back and forth about ourselves like we had been friends all along. In the end, I invited her to church, and we exchanged numbers, and I hope to see her this Sunday.
As I reflect on this, I am keenly aware of two things. First, in order to truly reach people and make a difference in their lives, it is essential that we know their heart language. When this woman and I were speaking French, she was closed off because it wasn’t her heart language, but when we switched to English, we were truly able to connect. This incentivizes me all the more to continue my French studies, so that I am able to truly connect with the Ivorian people.
Second, we must be Spirit-led. Believe me, this is easier said than done, and I have by no means attained. For every one moment where I heeded the Spirit’s prompting, there are probably two where I allowed myself to be distracted or I allowed fear or pride to keep me from obedience. But when we experience moments like my interaction with this young woman, our faith is strengthened and we are encouraged to do it again.
I don’t know what will come from this interaction, but I truly believe that our meeting was orchestrated by God. I look forward to seeing in what other ways He will use me if I stay surrendered and Spirit-filled.
I also got coffee on sale. It was a win-win.