When I arrived at the airport, all the "aliens" were greeted with a good old fashioned American welcome of over two hours in a passport control queue of around 600 people, being tackled by 3 surly customs guards, while watching 6 empty booths for the trickle of Americans passing straight through. So I apologised profusely to Tony, my host, who was very gracious when I finally emerged.
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Just then he had a chance encounter with two other good friends of his plus wives, who had also just arrived. One was Michael Quicke, one-time Principal of Spurgeon's College and author of a ground-breaking book on preaching called, "360 Degree Preaching"; and the other was Bob Wiseheart, a retired pastor of various American Baptist Churches. It seemed a good opportunity for everyone and a personal privilege for me to meet the man behind a book I had studied during my training for ministry and we decided to meet for lunch the following day.
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Just then he had a chance encounter with two other good friends of his plus wives, who had also just arrived. One was Michael Quicke, one-time Principal of Spurgeon's College and author of a ground-breaking book on preaching called, "360 Degree Preaching"; and the other was Bob Wiseheart, a retired pastor of various American Baptist Churches. It seemed a good opportunity for everyone and a personal privilege for me to meet the man behind a book I had studied during my training for ministry and we decided to meet for lunch the following day.
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On the way back Tony was really buzzing about this felicitous meeting and we chatted about how the Lord leads and talked about how in Acts the Holy Spirit led Philip to even witness to an Ethiopian Government Official. We were both very encouraged about our encounter at the airport.
The following day was very precious. I got on really well with Bob who had just the loveliest spirit and was so gracious towards me. He decided to take me around Chicago and poured his life & wisdom into me during my trip. We talked about every single aspect of pastoral ministry you could imagine and he gently mentored me with a real father's heart. I thank the Lord for his kindness and ministry to me. I will NEVER forget it.
While I was at Wheaton, I spent quite a bit of time in the library. One day I returned to my computer and there was a guy sat at the next station to mine who was just leaving. We got chatting briefly and he asked what I was doing in Wheaton. Then he said, "You know, I just feel I should invite you to a banquet at the Hilton I am organising. It is usually $75 for a ticket, but I want you to come as my guest. It's an Ethiopian-American banquet." I thought this a bit unusual and fobbed him off. Later at Tony and Marion's I asked them if it was normal for a total stranger to invite you to a banquet at a top hotel. They counselled caution.
The next morning though I was lying in bed and remembered that passage in Acts where Philip went to witness to the Ethiopian Eunuch and I started to read...
Ac 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians...
That was all I needed to read. Ethiopian Official. Ethiopian Banquet! Maybe the Lord was directing me to go to this thing! So that's how I ended up being at the Hilton in my jeans and hoodie at a banquet of 500 very well-dressed people, sitting next to one of the four organisers (the friend in the library) and finding out about Christians who had been granted the most amazing open door into Ethiopia: a country, incidentally, called the Gateway to Africa.
The following day was very precious. I got on really well with Bob who had just the loveliest spirit and was so gracious towards me. He decided to take me around Chicago and poured his life & wisdom into me during my trip. We talked about every single aspect of pastoral ministry you could imagine and he gently mentored me with a real father's heart. I thank the Lord for his kindness and ministry to me. I will NEVER forget it.
While I was at Wheaton, I spent quite a bit of time in the library. One day I returned to my computer and there was a guy sat at the next station to mine who was just leaving. We got chatting briefly and he asked what I was doing in Wheaton. Then he said, "You know, I just feel I should invite you to a banquet at the Hilton I am organising. It is usually $75 for a ticket, but I want you to come as my guest. It's an Ethiopian-American banquet." I thought this a bit unusual and fobbed him off. Later at Tony and Marion's I asked them if it was normal for a total stranger to invite you to a banquet at a top hotel. They counselled caution.
The next morning though I was lying in bed and remembered that passage in Acts where Philip went to witness to the Ethiopian Eunuch and I started to read...
Ac 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians...
That was all I needed to read. Ethiopian Official. Ethiopian Banquet! Maybe the Lord was directing me to go to this thing! So that's how I ended up being at the Hilton in my jeans and hoodie at a banquet of 500 very well-dressed people, sitting next to one of the four organisers (the friend in the library) and finding out about Christians who had been granted the most amazing open door into Ethiopia: a country, incidentally, called the Gateway to Africa.
The Ethiopian Ambassador to the United Nations, His Excellency Kassahun Ayele
But here's the craziest part. What I didn't know was that the honoured guest at this event was the Ethiopian Ambassador to the United Nations, His Excellency Kassahun Ayele, an important government official. As I sat there, I felt the Lord telling me I was to go pray for him and give him a prophetic word. After the banquet I had opportunity to meet him and he listened intently as I shared the word I sensed the Lord had given me; he then graciously allowed me to pray for him and asked if I would keep in touch by email.
I used to preach about the verse where Philip is told to go to the chariot. 'The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Then Philip ran...' as a beautiful illustration of a willingness to be led by the Spirit. I thank the Lord for the encounter he gave me and the way he arranged for me to end up in that special place. I am always praying that I will keep in step with the Spirit, that the Lord would open doors and give me divine appointments; that I will move and operate in the gifts and anointing of the Holy Spirit. And I am so grateful that the Lord is still teaching me.
And I am learning.
I used to preach about the verse where Philip is told to go to the chariot. 'The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Then Philip ran...' as a beautiful illustration of a willingness to be led by the Spirit. I thank the Lord for the encounter he gave me and the way he arranged for me to end up in that special place. I am always praying that I will keep in step with the Spirit, that the Lord would open doors and give me divine appointments; that I will move and operate in the gifts and anointing of the Holy Spirit. And I am so grateful that the Lord is still teaching me.
And I am learning.
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing this story about God working in your life and in the life of the Ethiopian ambassador. It is marvelous how God works. And it is an encouragement to hear others like yourself tell of it.
In my own life of recent, I see God at work in the little things of life falling into place. You see little things are often feel like big things to me. And just the fact that God cares enough about the little details of my life means a lot to me.
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