The two angels (I)

Rummaging around in the basement of my memories, I found a little story that I hope will be an encouragement to you:

Crunch-time at College with Jesus

I was in 10th grade at a college in Bienne (it’s a town) and my class was a bit scary. They’d made up a new sport: mocking my Christian beliefs even the teacher played it to Olympic level)!

The uncontested intra-disciplinary champion was JB, who’d been placed in the seat next to me.

He just loved stealing my Bible, getting up on the benches and intoning verses like a wild seer from olden days - much to the delight of the class, which enjoyed watching me chase him to get my precious book back...

We were due to go on a week-long college trip to Yverdon-les-Bains (another town). This should have been something to look forward to for me, but I didn’t feel that way...

The mysterious address

On the train back (I lived in Sonceboz) (not a town) my favorite seat was definitely the passageway between the two carriages. It was uncomfortable and noisy and therefore I could be on my own and could pray out loud as much as I wanted, (even at the top of my voice, if I fancied it)...

I pleaded with God, saying:

- Oh! Lord, I’m scared of this...being with this class for a whole week, please allow me to meet a Christian in this new town...

There was a letter on my bed. I was blown away; not only was it rare for me to receive any mail (I didn’t have many friends...), but what’s more, the sender’s address was one in Yverdon!

Written by hand, the letter contained lots of Christian encouragements. The letter writer was a very strange young lady who I’d met earlier on the train.

As soon as she sat down beside me, I knew that she knew God, but I was too embarrassed to ask her, confining myself to the customary polite ‘hello’. She then asked if I was a Christian. Then followed an encouraging conversation culminating in our swapping addresses (although I didn’t think there would be any follow-up to our meeting).

A surreal week

On the first evening of the camp, my class mates had the amazing idea of calling up the spirits of the dead (nothing too ambitious) with the help of an old book of spells which they’d dredged up from some haunted house or other...

I got very sick that night...

The next day at break-time I set off to find the address marked on the letter. I hesitantly rang the doorbell. Another young lady, different to the one I met on the train, opened the door. Her face radiated kindness and a little of the glory of Jesus!

I was dumbstruck, my eyes almost popped out of my head; they’d never seen anything like it before. Somewhat awed and a little intimidated, I explained to them about the letter... Once inside, I recognized the lady from the train. There were two or three of them living in the flat and they spent most of their time in prayer.

They explained that sometimes they were given the task of giving a message to specific people.

(For example, during a time of prayer, God gives one of them an address that they’ve never heard of before; they immediately catch the train to this place and walk up to the door. Then they ring the bell, despite their fear. Someone in tears opens up. This person had out of desperation prayed for a sign from God, and there they were, on their doorstep: crazy, don’t you think?).

Being in the same room as prophetesses like those spoken of in the Bible is already pretty perturbing. To boot, there were white doves flying free around the flat. I was no longer sure that I was in the same world as the one on the other side of the door.

(According to the ladies, the doves were a way of getting to understand the Holy Spirit better…)

To be followed