Before I leave on a trip, I always pray for divine appointments…

On one of the return flights from Africa, I was seated beside a young boy.  His father was sitting next to him, with the rest of the family nearby.  As a typical young boy, he fidgeted in his seat a lot, trying to occupy himself.  When the meal came, as a typical young boy, he didn’t like it.  I could see him eyeing up my dinner bun, so I asked his father if he could have it.  He gleefully stuffed it in his mouth as he smiled at me.

A short time later, he wanted to sit beside his mother.  This forced his ten-year-old sister to have to switch places. 

I asked her what she was playing on her Ipad and she proceeded to show me the “house” she was building on Minecraft.  She proudly showed me all the rooms that she had intricately woven together and all the “things you had to watch out for.” 

Time passed as she continued to chat about what she was going to add to her project.  I asked her where she had been and she talked about some family they had visited. 

“And where did you go?  Were you visiting family too?”  She asked.

“No, I was in Africa working with some people from orphanages.”

“Oh…  Are you a Christian?”

“Yes I am,” I said as I smiled at her.

“I am with Islam,” she responded as she shut off her Ipad.

A few moments passed.

“I can’t wait to see who wins.”

My spirit lurched.  I wasn’t prepared for those words from a ten-year-old as my mind frantically searched for the right response.  I wanted to tell her that it has already been decided; the battle has already been won, but I could feel something telling me to just be quiet…and to silently pray for her.

 I’ve learned many times that if a person doesn’t know you, until you build a relationship, the chances of them listening to what you have to say are remote.

Then something interesting happened.  She had the chance to return to her original seat, but she looked up at me and smiled and said, “I want to stay here.”

I have been praying for the foundation of her house ever since…