I am in Austin for the Zac Poonen Conference and the Lord would have me tell you of the great things that He is doing. Today I went to find the two locations where the meetings are to be held. After that I planned on going to eat at a restaurant that I haven't eaten at for a long while. The first location I drove to without any problem The second location was another matter. There are many forks in the road here in Austin and everything is moving so fast that there is no time to locate, or read, the names of the streets.
When I realized that I had taken a "wrong" turn, I pulled into the parking lot of a small strip mall to turn around. There in front of me was a fish restaurant - and as I stared at the sign, I realized that the Lord wanted me to eat there. As I stood in line, confused about what to order, I let a group of three people go in front of me. After I sat down I realized that these same three people were sitting next to me. When I went back to the counter to get my silverware (which I had forgotten) one of the men from the group was there getting fish sauce and asked me if I was from Austin. I said "no, I am from Iowa" - and he just smiled and said he was trying to find out how many floors the new building in Austin was going to have. As we approached the table he asked me how I had heard about the restaurant since it is a popular hole in the wall that only people from Austin know about.* I told him that the Lord had led me to it - that I was lost and had pulled into the parking lot to turn around. He looked a little taken back and said "praise God."
I overheard him telling the lady that I was from Iowa and she said "well, she can't help that" - I just smiled inside. Later, after everyone was finished eating, they asked me why I was in Austin so I told them that I was there to attend a conference. They mentioned a conference that was going on, but that was not it. When they offered to help me find my way, I handed the man my brochure with the address and the map. As he opened it his eyes lit up and he said that he used to be a part of a gospel group but had fallen away. He looked the brochure over really well before he handed it back.
Maybe he will be at the meetings. :-)
EDIT: * This was the deciding moment. I could feel the tension. It was as if everything around me suddenly stopped - as if waiting to see if I would bring His name forth - or deny Him.
