Witnessing stories from the bus station

About two weeks ago, my sister and I arrived home from a 3 week trip to help with some young ladies’ conferences, and our starting location was Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We rode a Greyhound bus up there and back, and while waiting in the bus stations, the Lord gave us some neat opportunities to witness to others who were waiting in the stations as well.

After being dropped off at the station in Cedar Rapids (we were headed home), my sister was talking on her phone and I was sitting on my suitcase, enjoying the lovely sunny weather, and praying for someone to come along that I could share the Gospel with.

I hadn’t been sitting there five minutes, when a lady in her early twenties walked up and asked where we were headed. It so happened that she was going to the same place we were, so we chatted for a while. Then, I grabbed my purse and started digging around, trying to find an IQ test to do with her. She must have thought that I didn’t want to talk anymore, so she walked away. 

I was rather frustrated with myself for letting such a perfect opportunity escape (and for not being more organized so I could find the IQ test quickly!).  I decided to go inside and find her. But presently, she came walking back out! I wasn’t going to let her escape this time! [grin]

So, I did the IQ test with her, and we began to talk about spiritual things, and I found out she had grown up Lutheran, but hadn’t been attending church while in college. We had a wonderful discussion, and I encouraged her to find a good church so that she could grow closer to the Lord by being with other Christians.

Then, our bus pulled up, and just before we got on, I ran over to a taxi-driver man who was sitting in his taxi, and said, “Hi there, here’s something for you! It’s a million-dollar bill! There’s a million-dollar question on the back. I hope you’ll read it. Have a nice day!”  He thanked me, and then I ran over to two other guys who were just standing and chatting with one another, and I told them the same thing I’d told the other man. They were very friendly, and assured me that I had “made their day” :), and that they would read what was on the back. I went and got on the bus, and watched them a bit through the window. The taxi-driver walked over to the two other men with his million-dollar bill, and they all stood around, looking at them together! :) [I secretly wished I could have heard what they were saying! :)]

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Fast forward a few hours, and we were sitting in a bus station in Des Moines, waiting for our bus to leave. I tried to do an IQ test with a man sitting in front of us, but he didn’t speak English very fluently, so it was not a very effective converstation. Oh well. :)

A few minutes later, our bus pulled up, so I went to stand in line to get on. In front of me were two guys. I asked the first one where he was headed, and what he planned to do there, etc. and I told him where we were going. I asked them if they wanted to do an IQ test, but they said no, they were too tired. Then, my sister walked up and began talking with us, and she gave them each a million dollar bill tract. On the back, it asks the question, “Will you go to Heaven when you die?”

[just a side note, it was at this point that I began to think to myself: "What in the world am I doing? Here I am, in a bus station, talking to two strange men that I have never seen before! This is crazy! Lord, I can't believe I'm doing this, but it's all for You!"]

The first man laughed and said no, he wouldn’t be going to Heaven. We asked him why not, and he said how he had heard that the Bible was full of contradictions. We shared with him how the Bible is the best accredited book in ancient history, as there are more copies of it than the works of other ancient authors, that are accepted as true today.  My sister said, “It’s so important to know if you are going to Heaven or not, because eternity is a long time.” She shared the Gospel with them, and explained how they can know for sure if they will go to Heaven when they die.

The second man, who had been pretty quiet throughout the whole conversation, then reached in his pocket, and pulled out another tract that he picked up somewhere! He told Micah Noel he’d been reading it, and thinking about what it said recently.

[anther side note, here I was thinking: "Wow, Lord, You are so good! Here someone else gave him a tract, and it helped prepare him to hear what You wanted us to tell him! Thank You, Lord!]

We thanked them for their time and encouraged them both to seriously consider the things we had been talking about, because none of us know when our time here on earth will be up, and we will have to face our Creator, whether we’re ready, or whether we’re not.

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So, it was an interesting, fun, and crazy bus trip, and these are just a few stories of the conversations we were able to have with people.

We rejoiced in seeing God answer our prayers for people to share His Gospel (the good news!) with. He was faithful!