Divine Appointment Over Coffee
Jenna, tired from weekend crowds over the 4th, seeks alone time in a coffee house –- but God had other plans.
Photo courtesy of Jenna Sherard
I decided I needed a break from the crowd this morning. I needed a break after the crazy 4th of July holiday in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
One hundred thousand people flock to the city for the nation’s first Independence Day parade of the day, at 12:01 a.m. (We walked in the parade, by the way, decked out in plastic American flag vests and larger-than-life balloons).
I just wanted some peace and quiet on a Tuesday morning. I found refuge in a local coffee shop. The door clanked when I walked in and a friendly woman greeted me with, “Sorry, we’re closed.”
My face dropped as I saw my latte slipping away.
“What? It’s 9:00 in the morning!” This couldn’t be right. The woman burst out laughing.
“Gotcha!”
She was the local customer who did this each morning to everyone who walked in the door. I totally fell for it.
Her name is Darlene. She works on the main parkway and wanted to know why I was here. I told her about Campus Crusade for Christ and the college students who came from all over to be a part of summer project.
Darlene loves Gatlinburg, but not for the foot-long corn dogs and homemade taffy available on the main street. She’s a follower of Christ who loves the people who live and work here. And as it turns out, there’s a challenge that goes unseen to the normal tourist. Darlene let me in on the bleak reality many of them face.
“They’re fighting for their lives.” Tears came to her eyes. (And to mine because I cry when other people cry -- it never fails).
She explained how drugs are killing her friends and stealing their lives away. I know drugs are bad. That’s the understatement of the day.
But Darlene’s heart had been recently broken by the death of a co-worker. His name was Mike. He died two days ago of an overdose.
Her phone rang. She answered and I glanced over at my pink computer longing to get over to it. I inched away as she finished her conversation. She followed me and closed her phone. “It’s my friend Janie. She’s coming over here and I want you to pray with her when she gets here.”
“Sure. What’s her story?” I asked as I got my coffee, abandoned my chance at solitude and settled into a bench to fully focus on Darlene.
She told me all about Janie. How she knew Christ, but drugs had lured her into bondage. How she’d forfeited the life God intended for her. My heart began to break for Darlene’s friend.
Janie walked up fresh out of bed, looking wearied to the bone. She eagerly drank the cup of coffee Darlene (the customer!) offered her and poured out her heart to me. Her decisions had landed her in a place of weakness and fear. I listened. And then we prayed.
We prayed that God would heal her and deliver her. The same power that Christ used when he rose from the dead is the same power that Janie has inside of her. We asked God to save her life. Tears slipped down her face.
She claimed the truth of her identity in Christ. It was amazing to see God moving right in front of me. And to think I just came here for coffee and a little “me time.”
God is alive in Gatlinburg. The city is desperate for their Savior. Our summer mission is to give people living water. Jesus Christ who will quench their thirst.
I ask for prayer for Darlene and Janie. The parade I marched in (like the big geek I am) is celebrating the city that has many facets. God knows them all and is going to every corner to give his truth. I was just blessed to get to go to one corner with Him this morning.
Read about other summer projects.
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