Coffee with Thomas

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Spring 2014

 

Through a series of unexpected events, which is usually the case, I found myself having coffee one morning with a man from the Middle East who was around my age and on holiday in Penang. We had met briefly the previous day and ended up deciding to grab coffee together the next morning before he left. 

 

This is a rarity for me. I’m very leery of meeting one-on-one with men, with the creepy vibes I usually get first off I usually don’t even engage in conversation, but Thomas* was different. He seemed genuine and respectful.

 

I really didn’t know what to expect that morning. I had never had a conversation with anyone from this particular country. All I knew about the place itself was what I heard on the news headlines. I was super curious.

 

From the start Thomas was adamant about the fact that his people group was different than that of the people that currently ran the country. There was a deep sense of pride and I’d even say allegiance in him, and he wanted to make sure he made the distinction clear.

 

As the morning progressed we dove into conversation about politics and religion, the two things that are controversial to talk about, especially over a cup of coffee with someone you’ve just met.

 

He gave me a bit of a history lesson on his country. It was amazing to have a brief, inside look into a place that I had a limited and most likely biased opinion of thanks to the media.

 

I found out he was an English teacher, but he was a bit nervous talking to a native English speaker. I assured him his English was excellent.

 

He also shared with me that he was Muslim because his country required him to be so, even though he said he’d never even been to a mosque. He was intrigued that I had the option to choose my faith.

 

In contrast to what has been predominantly communicated to me about Middle Eastern men, he treated me as an equal. The small gesture of getting up and refilling my coffee spoke volumes to me about the kind of man he was. He won my respect that morning.

 

He was so open, which also allowed me to be open about my life. He shared a bit of who he was and so did I. It was in this context that I was able to share the gospel with him, my faith, and the heartbeat of my life.

 

This is my absolute favorite.

 

Sharing stories. Knowing and being known. Shining light and sharing the Hope that I have because it is the central theme of my life.

 

Sometimes I get caught up in trying to force Jesus into a conversation, when there’s no need.

 

If He is in me and I’m walking in step with the Spirit, when someone asks me about my life how can He not come up?

 

I must confess that sometimes I’m guilty of leaving him out of stories where He is the main character, all because of fear.

 

I’m done with that. Why should I be ashamed of the Love of my life? Why should how others perceive me take dominance over the One that reached down for me?

 

I walked away from my brief meeting that morning in awe of how God moves and honored at the opportunity to share life, if only for a few moments, with someone new and different.

 

Thanks to social media we have stayed slightly connected the past year and half, and it’s been an encouragement to me and hopefully to him as well.

 

The Father is reminding me to be faithful in the everyday things. We never know what opportunities await us if our eyes and hearts are open to His guiding.

 

 Please prayerfully consider being a part of what the Lord is doing in Malaysia and and join in by helping me meet my end of the year financial deadline by clicking HERE.

I have about $2,000 to raise in 3 days!

 

*Specific names and places have been changed in this story.