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I could have cried in the bus shelter today, why? Well its a long story, but about twenty years ago there was a young lad called Ivan, used to come to Sunday school, an illigitimate child, didn't have much of an upbringing, his grandma used to see to him a lot, problem child and all the rest. Often in trouble, sometimes he would come round to church if I was doing some jobs, we would talk have a laugh, sometimes I would shout at him for acting stupid. One Saturday I was up at the church and Ivan came down, but this particular time he started talking about spiritual things, "Was Jesus all that the Bible said said about Him," that sort of questioning.

I had to go into town to do some shopping, and Ivan came with me, still asking questions about the Bible. I realised that I couldn't answer all those questions by myself, but Irealised that he was ready to make a commitment to the Lord by asking Christ into his life to be his Lord and saviour, so I put it to him that we would go back to church, and we would pray together the sinners prayer of repentance and acceptance of Jesus, which Ivan did in sincerity of heart.

Now I might have been to blame for some of this, as the church I was going to wouldn't allow new converts to take bread and wine until the elders were sure that a new believer was going on with the Lord, bu in my overenthusiastic state, I brought Ivan to church on Sunday morning, and gave him bread and wine as it was being passed round. After the meeting Joe asked me what was going on, so I told him the whole story, and he asked Ivan to see him after the evening gospel service. They must have been an hour and a half talking, and when Ivan came over to his grandma's he was beaming, yes he could take bread and wine, and Joe was convinced of his commitment to Christ.

The following Sunday was the complete downfall of the lads faith, Another elder said absolutely no to Ivan being in full fellowship, that he was too young to understand what he was doing. Can you imagine the shock and pain of someone loosing their newlywed husband or wife on their honeymoon, suddenly Ivan was left without the new found faith he'd so gladly accepted the previous week.

Well I'll tell you, it must have been like taking the most precious thing someone has and kicking it out over the stands and right out of the stadium, I think Ivan must have been broken hearted to the point that he didn't want God any more. But lets say this, God wanted Ivan, and didn't give up on his part. I don't know Ivan's life story, I knew he'd been married, had a daughter, the last time I saw him that marriage was failing, But and here' the but.

This afternoon I saw Ivan, I was sat in the bus shelter down Blackburn, not feeling too chirpy, or much like talking to anybody, when I saw Ivan at the other end of the bus shelter. I saw him but didn't take it in that it was him, anyway I sat down, and Ivan was walking down the bus shelter, but when he came up to where I sat something was different in his looks, he looked healthier, had a clear complexion, he looked fresher, and still I didn't cotton on, anyway we got talking, he asked me how I was getting on in my Christian life. Then said, "I'm going to church now. "I asked him where, he said,"Abundant Life Christian Fellowship," then came the wow factor, "Ivan's got in with some real Christian fellowship." Don't ask me how he's come into real Christian fellowship, but from what he said and how he looked, the Lord must have had his hand upon him all these hurting years.

That was for me, God was showing me the fruits of the seed I planted all those years back, it came at a time when I needed some uplifting, you know I felt like shouting Halleluja right there in the bus shelter, I realised what the freshness was in Ivan's face it was the brightness of Christs presence indwelling in him, somethings changed and now he's going on for the Lord. You know I got on that bus and felt weepy, at what had happened today, Halleluja!

May our God greatly bless that young man!  May his relationlship with the Lord become stronger and stronger and full of glory!  Amen.

This just shows us how much God loves us, he will leave the sheep to find the one lost sheep and bring him back to the fold.....
     Never give up on a person, Jesus never gave up on alot of us amen!

               LarryBoy

We are all instruments in helping others see what God wants them to see.