n Saturday January 20th at 6:30pm my husband deposited me in the cruise ship gift shop on a mission to purchase new key card lanyards for our boys. Quickly I reminded him that he had my room key in his pocket and he promised to come right back! I languished around the store trying to kill time until my husband returned. Suddenly I noticed a crew member from Nicaragua with curly hair like mine tied up in a bun. Walking right up to her I asked if her hair knotted like mine in windy weather! Excitedly we struck up a conversation.
The ship had docked in Tortola that day and I had just returned from a grand adventure with my family through the British virgin Isles by boat. It had been a phenomenal experience filled with captivating beauty from stately rock formations surrounded by royal blue and turquoise waters brimming with fish to the Norman caves which my dad, husband and boys jumped off the boat to explore by snorkel. Our adventure had been a fantastic one but I joked that I might need professional help to get the knots out of my hair! Her face seemed to light up as we talked and each time I begin to walk away I noticed that she followed me still wanting to talk.
Looking around the store I noticed my husband still hadn’t returned and I began to realize there was Kingdom purpose in this conversation so I leaned in. As we continued to talk I began see the light of Christ shining through her and I became aware that she was a Christian. The Lord seemed to hide us as she began to share with me recounting what life was like on board. I imagined small double bunk rooms with no windows, white walls and green floors. On Sundays church services were offered but they were nothing like the ones she had experienced back home. Her boyfriend of 1 1/2 years was also on board. He was from Zimbabwe and claimed to be a Christian like her but lately she had an uneasy feeling about him.
Before embarking on this cruise my thoughts returned to a young lady I had met years ago named Joyce and wondered if I would see her again. Joyce was a pastor’s daughter from South Africa and over a period of about 3 years our paths crossed twice on 2 different cruise ships. On both occasions she needed prayer and guidance. The last time I saw her she told me she was pregnant. As I continued to talk to this young woman from Nicaragua the Lord whispered to my spirit: “she is your Joyce”.
She began to confide in me and share her heart and her struggles. I was able to impart some wisdom to her teaching her how to make decisions by following the peace of God. Watching God add strength to her spirit with each revelation I noticed she began to stand taller. She explained that when she tries to seek advice from friends on the ship or tries to share her heart they act strange toward her. The Lord helped her reach the understanding that while she is on board she is a leader for Christ and should not seek council from unbelievers. She has her Bible, the Lord and her mother to turn to for advice but otherwise she is the one that others come to for help because she walks with God. The Lord elevated this young woman to a place of leadership representing Him and while we conversed He was adding the understanding and strength for her to remain there.
Miraculously the Lord continued to hide us until His work was accomplished. Thousands of people on the ship and yet no one came into the gift shop! I prayed with her right in the middle of the cruise ship gift shop and watched as her joy began to bubble up from a deep place until her face was filled with glory.
An hour had passed and no one came over to the part of the store where we had been talking. Later that night, after going to my parents room to call my husband he explained that he had walked all over the store and could not find me anywhere, He was convinced I was not there!
The Lord had graciously orchestrated this divine interruption of time because He heard the heart’s cry of one of His beloved daughters and could not ignore it. He kept us hidden until she got her breakthrough. When I left the store her joy was overflowing and spreading to those around her. It was beautiful. Before the end of the cruise I found her again, her face still glowed with the joy of the Lord. I gave her a deep hug filled with the love of a proud sister in Christ. She put her hand over her heart and said “I’ve kept it”. I knew God had done a permanent work in this precious child.
”The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.“
Proverbs 11:25 NLT
Everywhere you go, you shine like a beacon, a beacon for the Lord, his love, and his goodness radiate through you!