brown eyes in Wal-Mart

We're home again. Great trip. Powerful ministry in the evenings and we had fun hanging out during the days. We even had a little adventure through the weekend. I'll try to share a condensed version.

I bought THIS BOOK a couple weeks ago after hearing the basic concept from the meetings with Joaqin Evans last month. After reading it, we've committed that we're going to begin to develop a lifestyle of looking for 'treasure', those people that God has divinely set up for us to minister to- outside the church.

The night before the true 'adventure', we were at Applebee's late after the service and had good conversation with our waiter, who was a Christian and planning on {with his wife} going to China next year for ministry. He was wearing a hip silver bracelet that said "Pray for China" that he ended up giving to me.

Soooo, on Friday we decide we're going to do a 'treasure hunt'. We have no time restraints. I want to do some shopping. I'm sure there will be plenty of other people shopping too and God loves all of them so maybe He would like to touch someone today through Mitch and I. {oh, and I'm wearing the bracelet}

Sitting at a local coffeehouse, we make a short, random list of things that we feel like God is showing us. A few things on the list are:
Wal-Mart {which we know exists but haven't seen yet},
camel,
neck brace,
Aisle 9,
brown eyes,
sinuses,
spatulas

We found Wal-Mart and started off browsing around aisle 9 for anything clues to who God was wanting to touch today. After verging on being creepy people-watchers, we decided to walk around a bit and look elsewhere. We walked around the store, half shopping, half watching and really ended up with nothing. We walked through checkout 9, to know avail. We weren't really discouraged because this way of life really doesn't pressurize ya, you either find something or you don't. We talked about leaving but Mitch really felt we weren't done.

We discussed the 'camel' he saw, and he said it was like Camel cigarettes. So, we located the cigarettes - checkout 19 (see the 9 in there? :}) I thumbed through a magazine while we scanned the little crowd around the checkout. A family walked up, ready to checkout - the dad (young) was walking with a walker. Not on our list, but a definite opportunity to pray for someone.

I get in line behind the family with my magazine and ponder how to start up conversation. I notice he is wearing 2 of the same bracelet given to me last night by our Applebee's waiter. Excellent way to break the silence!

We found out that 'dad' had a basic surgery that the doctors botched and he was paralyzed for who knows how long - possibly a year. We were able to pray for healing for this man and blessing over his entire family. While I chatted with 'mom', Mitch got a word of knowledge about a ministry future for 'dad', words 'dad' had heard before but he said he guessed he was running from it. A cool, God moment right there at Wal-Mart!

We continued on our day, looking for clues at Target and at the mall but didn't come up with any more 'treasure' for us that day. But we know that morning, at Wal-Mart, a little family was totally blessed, knowing that God knows where they are and wants to fully be in their lives while they go through it. And maybe there was even healing for this man - we just didn't see it right there in Wal-Mart.

Oh, the whole family except 'mom' had brown eyes, right there in checkout 19, in front of the camel cigarettes at Wal-Mart. :)