by Kimberly Sowell 

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”—Matthew 7:7 (NKJV)

Driving down old country roads, I turned off the radio to talk with God. Lord, You know I haven’t shared Christ with anyone in a while. I am traveling all day today, stuck in this car, but if there’s some way I could be a witness for You, I want to tell someone about Jesus.

I pulled into the outskirts of my final destination, checked into my hotel, and went next door to Shoney’s for supper.

Martina was my waitress, a lovely young lady with an eager smile. When she brought my food and drink, we exchanged small talk and smiles. I told her I was traveling, and she told me about the area. When she picked up my last plate, I asked her a simple question. “Martina, do you ever think about spiritual things?”

A serious look swept over her face. “I have been thinking about spiritual stuff a lot lately. My mother is a Jehovah’s Witness and my daddy is a Muslim. I am going off to college in a few months, and I don’t know what I believe, but I am trying to figure it out.”

Lord, You are so good!

“Martina, could I share with you what I have found to be true in my life?”

I shared my personal testimony, which included the plan of salvation. Martina had a Bible at home, and she had been reading through the Gospels to learn more about Jesus.

“Martina, I know you have to make this decision on your own. I’m glad you have a Bible, and I want to encourage you to keep reading it. Can I also leave a little booklet with my tip that explains how to become a Christian and gives further explanation of what I believe with all my heart, that Jesus is the only way?”

“Oh, yes!” Martina exclaimed. “I would love to have one. Thanks! And I’ll be right back with your check.”

I pulled a tract out of my pocketbook along with some tip money, and I waited for Martina to return. Moments later, another waitress approached my table. “Excuse me, ma’am. You know that booklet thingy you are giving to Martina?”

“Yes, I have it right here.” I held up the tract for the waitress to see.

“Well, she was just telling me about it, and I was wondering, could I have one too?”

“Sure! I’ll be glad to give one to you!”

Wow! Martina had already told someone else what she had heard about Jesus! It was just like the Samaritan woman who left her pot at the well and went immediately into town to tell everyone about Jesus!

The second waitress and I had a brief conversation about the Lord, and she thanked me for the tract, saying it was exactly what she needed.

I could not help but feel the strength of the Lord guiding me, knowing that I had nothing at all to do with these witnessing opportunities; only He could have planted me in this town, in this restaurant, during this work shift, in that section of the restaurant, out of His deep affectionate love for these two lost lambs that He wanted to rescue.

As I rose from the booth to find the register, I greeted the man sitting behind me. “You have a good evening, sir.”

“You do the same. Be careful on your long drive home.”

I couldn’t resist teasing the man, realizing he must have heard me tell Martina I was from out of town. “Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?”

He was a tour bus driver, eating alone as his tour group ate on the other side of the restaurant. He seemed to be a kind but lonely man, and he had overheard my conversation with the two waitresses.

The Holy Spirit gently nudged me one more time. “Well, let me ask you the same question, sir. Do you think much about spiritual things?”

He replied he was very interested in God, but was unsure about whom to trust. He said he had confidence in Billy Graham and watched him anytime he was preaching on television.

As the older gentleman took small bites and stared into his glass, he confessed that he knew he needed Jesus, but he had never prayed to receive salvation. I breathed a silent prayer of thanks that the tract in my pocketbook just happened to be from Billy Graham, and handing him the tract, I pleaded with him to put off receiving salvation no longer.

God, You are amazing! I asked for 1 encounter, but You granted 3! I got the 3-for-1 special at Shoney’s tonight.

Editor’s note: Adapted from A Month of Miracles: 30 Stories of the Unmistakable Presence of God by Kimberly Sowell, Edna Ellison, Joy Brown, Tricia Scribner, Marie Alston, and Cherie Nettles.

Kimberly Sowell is founder and president of Kingdom Heart Ministries, dedicated to inspiring women to make their relationship with Jesus Christ the center of who they are and how they live each moment—growing in Christ and sharing their faith with the world. She and her husband, Kevin, along with their children, make their home in Lancaster, South Carolina. Contact Kimberly at ksowell@comporium.net; www.kimberlysowell.com. 

Scripture marked (NKJV) taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.