Kim’s story

Kim went to Chicago to minister in the inner city, and God’s touch took her ministry all the way to Holland. This is Kim’s story:

We were driving through the ghetto of Chicago at 11 p.m. in the rain. We were all a bit nervous. I silently prayed, “God, use me. I don’t know how to talk to gang members, but use me.”

We are a ministry team of eight college students from William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., in Chicago to shine God’s light among the darkness of the gang-infested streets.

Despite the darkness and the rain we found the youth hostel where we were to stay. In front of it was one giant parking spot just big enough for our van and the equipment trailer. Praise God for small provisions! This front-row parking space began God’s way of showing me His constancy—especially through these next challenging days.

The first person I met at the hostel was not a gang member—he wasn’t even American. His name is Rick, and he is from Holland.

The next day was the Fourth of July, and the Christian couple who owned the hostel suggested we host a barbecue in order to get acquainted with the other hostelers. There were some “Irish Ruckus-ers,” as we called them, a couple of Chinese ladies, a girl from Spain and Rick from Holland whom I met the night before when we first arrived.

Jamie, another student on the team, and I volunteered to do the dishes during the party. Taking a break from the hullabaloo on the porch, Rick came into the kitchen and said, “What are you doing? These aren’t your dishes! Why are you doing this?”

Jamie and I replied casually, “It needs to be done. No big deal.”

Rick went back outside only to return a few minutes later to ask, “Do you all drink or anything?”

We told him, “No,” and explained why. He left again, coming back in again in only a few minutes. This time Rick asks us, “So, do you cuss and stuff?”

“Nope,” we say, and he goes back out to the party.

After Jamie and I finish the dishes, we go outside to the party. Rick approached me, holding a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He has more questions.

“What is that you missionary people do?” he asked genuinely. I told him that I just wanted to tell people about how cool God is and about how He’s made Himself real to me.

“Can we talk more about this?” Rick asked. Right then bright light surrounded us, the heavens opened and choirs of angels sang the “Hallelujah Chorus.” Well, okay, so I didn’t really see that happen, but it happened in my head.

“Sure, Rick,” I casually replied.

Later, while my teammate, Jason, taught praise songs to one of the Irish guys named Farghil, and Farghil, in return, taught Jason an Irish drinking song, Rick was ready to talk. He poured out his heart to me and told me of the things he had been through, including going to war and still being in the military. I told him about God. I told Rick to do three things in his quest for God: get a Bible, find a church and pray that God will show Himself to you.

Then we parted. The summer ended without any further contact with Rick. I prayed for Rick, asking God to show Himself to him. I even tried contacting him with no luck. I returned to school, knowing I had done what God had given me to do in Rick’s life but wanting to know if Rick found God.

One night at school, just as I left my room, the phone rang.

“Kim?” the voice on the line asked.

“Yes,” I said, not knowing the voice.

“This is your friend from Holland.”

“Rick!! Where have you been? What’s going on? How is your life? Tell me about you.”

Rick’s answer again confirmed God’s faithfulness. “When I got off the plane in Holland,” he said, “my mom and my general were waiting for me. I had to go do something with the army, and I was gone for three months. I couldn’t write you, but I got a Bible. The Bible gives me hope! In fact, it saved my life.

“I was sitting on my bed in the army compound. Gunshots were going off outside, and things were crazy, but I was reading my Bible in the middle of it all. Accidently I dropped my Bible on the ground, and as I bent down to pick it up a bullet flew over my head. It would have hit me if I hadn’t bent over to pick up my Bible.”

I was stunned. “RICK!!“” I all but shouted, “THAT WAS GOD!”

“Yeah, I think so, too,” he answered. Rick said that he had been praying that God would reveal Himself. He is learning about God through his Bible and prayers. I know God will continue to be faithful to teach Rick about Himself. God is so good.

—Kim L.

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