Candace & Miché

Candace and Miché are two freshman girls who prayed to receive Christ today. Let me share their story:

Sitting in the open University Union right outside the cafeteria, Candace and Miché were eating their "chips n sauce" when the Spirit of the Lord led us to meet them. Candace is a sweet and quiet 18 year old girl who grew up in Johannesburg with an older brother and two loving parents. She is a white Afrikaan with blonde hair and blue eyes who loves to shop and spend quality time with friends. Miché is 18 years old as well and grew up in a town right outside of Zimbabwe. With purple streaked hair and a handful of piercings, she is proud to call herself a "down-to-earth punker." She loves to meet people, make new friends, and party "hard core" on the weekends. When we asked the girls what their spiritual backgrounds were, they both replied ''Christians...because my parents are.'' When we asked them to explain what being a Christian meant to them, they stared at us blankly as if it was supposed to mean anything at all. Since being here, we have learned that many students in South Africa will call themselves Christian and yet have no idea who Jesus Christ is. It's not uncommon to hear them say they have faith in the Lord, and yet not understand the gospel. Over the years, Christianity has become a distorted term used to describe parentage rather than a relationship with God. Being a 'Christian' means where you come from, not who you place your faith and hope in. As they reversed the question onto us, we were able to explain the Christian faith and all that it means by sharing the Gospel with them. One of my favorite things about sharing the Gospel with people is seeing their faces light up. Jesus says in Scipture that His sheep will know his voice..and it's evident when you see people understand the gospel for the first time. As we shared the beauty of the God's grace with them, Candace and Miché eagerly followed along. They would ask questions and we would explain, then they would excitedly ask for us to go on. By the end of our conversation, both girls asked us how they could have a personal relationship with God. Their whole lives, they said, they had been living in control. But today, they wanted to hand it over to God. 

It was no accident that these two young girls, completely opposite of each other, would be sitting together today. It was no accident that they happened to have a break this afternoon from all their orientation meetings and classes. It was no accident that we happened to see them and sit to talk with them. It was no accident..because God had been preparing their hearts, their whole lives, for this day. And how AMAZING, that he chose me to be a part of it; that he allowed me to be a part of his pursuit for these two girls; that he gave me the opportunity to show His love to both of them today. 

I praise God today for two new sisters in Christ. And for His faithfulness to send us to those who were ready to hear.