My last day in Basov, Romania, I went for a short walk and to my surprise I encountered Jesus in the most unexpected way. I was by myself and had an hour to kill before we had our next meeting. I took off in the direction of an open-air 
produce market I had discovered our first day here in Brasov. I wove myself through some side streets mentally retracing my steps and hoping I’d eventually find the market. I kept meeting people carrying large plastic bags overflowing with carrots, onions, greens, lettuce, fruits and tons of fresh flowers so I knew I was going the right direction. Within a few more minutes I found the market. It was packed, I guess because it’s Sunday. Hundreds of people were casually mingling through the market. I came upon this huge stand of freshly baked bread in huge loaves the size of watermelons. For no apparent reason at all, I decided I needed one of these loaves of bread. Not at all certain what I would do with it, I paid the lady 3 Lei, about $1. My bread in tote, I continued meandering through the market. I came upon a nice gentleman selling fresh cherries who insisted I sample some. He filled my hand with delicious cherries 
and I stood there for a few minutes enjoying them, affirming him at how tasty they were. I turned the corner to find another bread table full of all kinds of interesting croissants and pastry like creations. Again, I found myself purchasing some more bread, not sure why. I pointed to some mini croissant things and gave the lady 2 Lei, about 60 cents. With that she filled a small sack with about 10 croissants. I was pleased with this purchase and continued on my way…weaving through the crowds of Sunday shoppers.
After awhile I’d had my feel of the market and decided to head back towards our meeting place. I left the market area, dodging a few cars in the parking lot. At the edge of the parking area, this old woman caught my eye. She was sitting on the ground wearing a large coat and a long skirt. She had a scarf over her head and it was pulled down almost covering the dark glasses she had on. One hand was covered with a wool glove and held a beat up plastic cup that held a few coins. The other hand 
was on her lap, swollen and covered in sores and scabs. It didn’t appear that she had much use of this left hand. She sat hunched over staring at the ground. It was obvious she didn’t have any teeth as she sat there chewing her gums.
What happened over the next half hour I still can’t fully explain to myself, but somehow I encountered God in such a real and powerful way. Immediately upon seeing this woman, I became aware of all this bread I was carrying, and I heard God say, “go sit with her and share this meal with her.” Before my mind could even argue or come up with an excuse not to, I was squatting down to join her on the warm concrete. Her head, still glued to the ground, shifted over to acknowledge my presence. I took a few of the croissants out of the bag and placed them in her hand. She nodded as if to say thank you, then she waited. I pulled out one for myself and when she saw me partaking, she quickly followed suit. So there we were…sitting on the ground eating some really tasty croissants. Again, I heard God assure me “just sit with her.” So I sat. Lots of people were passing by, each one giving us a strange look.
My heart broke for this woman. Who is she? What’s her name? What’s her story? I began praying for her, then speaking truth over her. You are the beloved. You are loved by God. He cherishes your heart. I knew she couldn’t understand a word I spoke, but I felt like I was just supposed to affirm who God says she is. I don’t know how this works, but perhaps her heart could understand despite the language barrier. I continued to pray…that God would be her provider..that He would heal her body…that He would send people to love her and cherish her heart like He does. A few times she would turn towards me, with her head down, and say in a hushed tone “no English.” I affirmed that it was ok and just continued to sit with this sweet woman.
Within 10 minutes or so a little girl around the age of 9 approached us and said something in Romanian. I didn’t understand her words, but I knew she was asking for either food or money. Her clothes were torn and dirty. Her sandals were barely held together. I motioned for her to have a seat as I handed her the remainder of the croissants in the bag. She joined us for a few minutes while she ate them, then she was on her way.
As I continued to pray and speak words of life over this lady, she kept saying, “no English.” So I decided to just sit with her and silently pray for her to ease any angst she had about not being about to communicate with me. Then God said something crazy. He said “worship Me by singing as you sit here with her.” What?! I thought, surely not. But random worship songs would just come to mind and I began to sing them in hushed tones as we sat there together. As you may know, this is so not-characteristic of me! Don’t get me wrong, I love to worship. But I don’t do solos…and plus, I’m sitting on the street in Romania with some random stranger that I can’t communicate with. But for some reason none of that mattered in that moment. I was just sitting there worshipping the Lord in the presence of this sweet little old lady. At one point she reached over with her swollen injured hand and placed it on my forearm. I looked over to see her rocking back and forth, chewing her gums and now smiling for the first time.
Soon it was time for me to go. I opened the bag with the watermelon sized bread in it and placed it on her lap. I put my hand on her shoulder and told her that there’s a real God who cares for her and loves her so much. Her eyes and mine finally met. Her eyes filled with tears and she began to weep. Her frail body shook as she cried. People passing by were giving us some strange looks by this time. I sat back down next to her and just rubbed her back as I prayed that God would watch over her, provide for her, and comfort her. I left her with the few remaining bills in my pocket and tears in my eyes. As I walked away I couldn’t fight it any longer and tears streamed down my face. It was the most incredible feeling. I felt like I’d just spent a half hour with Jesus as I sat with this old lady. She has no clue how much she blessed me. She allowed me to stop, sit down, and hear God’s heartbeat for a moment. It wasn’t about some feeling of satisfaction because I gave away some bread and a few bucks. It was the gift of time that was spent just sitting together. I believe this is a glimpse of the Kingdom. In our hearts, in a way I can’t begin to understand, there was an exchange that occurred – I believe we each saw Jesus in each other. I thank God for allowing me to spend time with him and this little old lady. He’s full of surprises, and He’s just waiting for me to take more time to sit and enjoy Him.
Kayla,
This is beautiful! You are such a blessing to all of us. Thanks for always sharing what’s going on in your life. Love you dearly!
Aunt Connie
Wow…that was awesome. Thank you so much for sharing and for randomly buying bread. Just this past week my team and I looked about caring for the “least of these” and are trying to figure out what it looks like on a practical level. Thanks for being a real life example of what it means to love the least. I ask that, while you may never know her name, that she will know His name!
Keep letting Him live through you, it’s a wonder to behold.
Travis
You are such an encouragement – that we would all be so quick to listen, hear and obey. Yes, Lord!
How awesome to spend some time with Jesus… in exactly the same way that he would have spent time with this lady. Thanks for listening to Him and having the courage to do something that you wouldn’t normally do 😉
Sister…. wow. Amazing story… I’m so encouraged by your obedience to do things that are absolutely outside your comfort zone!!! Reminds me to step out more often… There’s good stuff outside our bubbles! 🙂
That is a wonderful story. Romania seems so similiar to the countries that we visited this spring- the open markets, bread, the pictures of the square. I know you have had a marvelous experience.
My eyes filled with tears as I was reading your story and how you saw Jesus in each other. You are such an encourager Kayla.
Kayla,
You made me cry!!! God loves you soooo much and is thrilled at your obedience. YOU were Jesus that day to that lady… you listened and obeyed the voice of God!!! I can’t even imagine how proud HE is of YOU!!! I am honored that He allows me to get to hang out with someone like you!! You are THE BEST and I love you madly.
Big ol Hug <3
Mama C
I sure do love this story. So glad you got that special glimpse of the father’s heart and that you shared it with this special woman. : )
this is a fantastic way to look at what God asks, not much but listening and being there for people.
As a Romanian i want to thank yo for being obedient to God and listening.
Dawg! You sang out loud by yourself! And there wasn’t a shower anywhere near you!! I know the feeling when you are struggling inside of yourself going, “WHAT? Really, LORD?? That’s not you, what purpose would that serve? That must be me. Now, REALLY, what would YOU like me to do to love this person?” … And then you get the same answer. I’m proud of you for being so quick in obediance. I’m not suprised, just proud. Love you! Mean it!
Kayla,
I am encouraged by your obedience and your heart for others. Thanks for loving Christ enough that you His love overflows from you to other people. I can’t wait to hear all your other stories! Lets catch up when you get back. I love you Kayla!
I love it.
This is such an amazing testimony of how I have seen the peace and gentleness of Jesus surfacing in your life in such a powerful, yet unassuming way.
Thank you Jesus for this gift of time. Lord, I know you pursue us like this daily and we are too busy with our own agendas to take notice. Thank you for meeting this woman on the street. Thank you for touching her heart. Thank you Holy Spirit for ministering the love and grace of God without the need for our words. I pray that we take this as a reminder that God does not need our words or our wisdom, He only asks for our obedience. Please continue to bless this woman with words of grace spoken directly from the heart of God. Continue also to speak these words or grace to Kaylas heart, and fill her more and more with your gentle and loving spirit. In Jesus’ name.
What an incredible example of obedience. For some reason, this story brought to mind the beginning of Beauty and the Beastwhere the old woman comes to the castle and begs for a place to stay for the night. She is turned away, but little does “the Beast” know that she is a witch in disguise. It just made me wonder how often we pass Jesus “in disguise” because He doesn’t look like what we would expect Him to. Beautiful and tangible story of Christ’s love, Kayla!
My Darlin’ Kayla, My tears are falling, my heart is singing. Thanks for sharing. I love you!
I am so touched by this amazing story your aunt Linda shared with me. This is what it is all about. God is alive and walking in our midst if we will “seek him while He may be found”.
Kayla,hi it’s Crystal-(your cousin Joe’s wife)Linda e-mailed this to us,and im so glad she did!Reading this story was a blessing for my heart,what you are doing is amazing!!Please keep us in your prayers,and i will pray for you as you travel,and reach people for God daily!Thank you for sharing.
I LOVE THIS AND ME AND MY MOM’S EYES WERE FULLED WITH TEARS OF JOY AND I CANT WAIT TO MET YOU
What an awesome testimony to share. God will use us as you have shared, we just have to be open to His direction and not to question His plans. You are an inspiration and a blessing to everyone you come in contact with. Keep sharing the love of Christ. God Bless you and your ministry.
Pam & I were very blessed to spend even a little time with you in Puerto Rico. Spending this morning looking for information about our trip, I came upon your blog. No wonder this post received 19 (20 now) comments. This is what AIM is about,… this is what I Cor 13 is about,… this is what Jesus is about, in His name.
The Lord Continue to bless you,
Rest well, for He has much more for you,
Mike & Pam