God Did Immeasurably More

Every Olympics God has given me the honor of leading at least one person to Christ. Although I have had many opportunities to share, until today no one I spoke with prayed to accept Christ. I had in some ways settled in my mind that the ministry God had for me this Olympics was one of encouragement, counsel and prayer for those I had encountered. I should not have been surprised when God just showed up and acted like God.

We left our place of lodging late morning after our team meeting. Our team had barely walked 5 minutes when we were stopped by a couple of college students. We chatted for a few minutes then Mickey began to share with one girl and I shared with the other. I was only a few minutes into sharing when I saw her tearing up. I could feel God working on her heart. Long story short, this sweet young lady prayed to receive Christ right there on sidewalk only minutes from our hostel. God is so good.

Guess what? I am not through yet. We continued to walk toward "live city" to minister in that venue. We stopped for lunch at a Greek fast food establishment. I finished eating and walked outside. There was an older woman walking by. After reading the writing on my parka and she stopped to ask me, "Just what is a sports chaplain?" Of course, that is a loaded question and an easy bridge to share the gospel. I began to share with her. As we stood there talking, I felt God working on this woman also. She too, prayed to receive Christ. This was barely 30 minutes after the first amazing salvation experience.

Am I through yet? No way. We finally entered the venue and began to mix and mingle with the people. While there God opened the door for me to share with a Ukrainian security guard, Boris. For those of you that know me, you know I have a deep passion for the people of Ukraine. Boris has only lived in Canada for 2 years. He is Orthodox, but I am pretty sure does not have a personal relationship with God. He listened carefully and promised me that he would this seriously more about this big decision. Please pray for Boris.

Right before we left the venue, we were approached by several older teens. The four girls in the group started talking with me. God gave me the opportunity to share the gospel with them but also to talk to them about making healthy choices in their life. One young lady in particular seemed to take special interest in the conversation. I pulled her aside and we talked privately. She is 18 and could tell she had been drinking. We talked about how poor choices can lead to bad circumstances. I prayed with her and as we parted she hugged my neck 3 times and said, "I want you to know that our conversation today has changed my life." God knows her face. God knows her name. Please pray for this precious girl that God will press on her heart the desire to make healthy choices.

As I sit her tonight and think back on the day, I am finding it hard to wind down. We are trying to back and settle down because we have to leave for the airport at 4am! I am not sure how much sleep I will get, but that is OK.

Thank you God for today. Thank you for the last 10 days in Vancouver.