the boy at the computer

Even though this happened a few weeks ago, the memory is still stuck in my mind -

I had just finished a lecture on a particular Tuesday and was heading to the library lounge to meet up with some Curtin Fellowship members (Wednesday, 12:15pm, 401.253 sorry, couldn't resist a plug!). I arrived a bit earlier and decided to use one of the computers just to surf the net and wait for everyone to arrive. It just so happens that I used a computer next to this asian guy who was scanning what seemed to me, every page in his text book.

So I checked my email, went onto sept30in30.blogspot for a while and live-4-christ/30in30. I saw that the guy kept looking onto my computer screen and it was then when I thought I should give him a tract.

I started having an inward battle whether I should or not, if it would seem weird, if the timing was right, maybe I should hand it to him when he leaves the computer. All these questions kept popping into my head and I could see that he wasn't going to leave his computer any time soon. So I waited and continued to ask myself whether I should or not, whether to be obedient to the Holy Spirit's prompting.

I decided to pray and asked God if it is your will for me to give this guy a tract, maybe we could establish some kind of contact. As soon as I prayed that, the guy accidently made a wild pull at my mouse. He immediately apologised and there it was. Contact was made!

However, the internal fight began again and I desperately tried to get out of it making excuses that it wasn't enough of a connection to give him a tract.

I must have spent about 20 minutes contemplating whether or not I should give him a tract but then I happened to read a verse on one of the devotions on the live-4-christ website:

Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision,
Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
For I am with thee, and no man shall set
on thee to hurt thee: for I have much
people in this city.— Acts 18:9-10

These verses really hit me and I decided there and then to stop being so afraid and that God was with me through it all. So I decided that I should make an effort to talk to the guy. And what better subject than about scanning! Yes, I asked him many questions about how to scan, the benefits of scanning and why he preferred scanning over photocopying. He actually turned out to be a nice guy and happy to answer my questions and give extra information.

As it turned out, after our scanning conversation, a few of the people I had to meet with came for the meeting so I had to log off the computer and leave. However I was able to pass him a tract. He was genuinely suprised but happy to receive it and all I could think about is why I didn't just do it earlier.

God really is patient with us and it just goes to show that when you obey God blessings abound!

~ Ruth