Friends, God is faithful!! On Thursday Manuela and I got together for another Bible chat session, and the Spirit completely worked in our time. We started reading and discussing different books together at the end of April, roughly meeting once every 1-2 weeks. Each time we've met I've been so encouraged and amazed by how the Lord was speaking to her, even when she didn't see it herself. It was awesome to see how she had underlined, starred,or question marked passages that stood out to her, and Manuela would always ask pretty difficult, developed questions reflecting a grasp of Scripture that surprised me for a seeker. Over the weeks our conversations and her vulnerability would grow deeper, so the amount of prayer for her by others increased to ask God to continue to reveal Himself to her and give her the courage to take the leap and turn everything over to Jesus.
Well, in His infinite goodness, God responded to our prayers. While we were in our most common spot, a picnic blanket in San Paolo park, Manuela told me she wanted to accept God's grace to follow Jesus with her life, and asked me to pray with her. The bits I understood in Italian were so beautiful, and to see a glimpse of how God transcends cultures to be a relevant and personal Father for all peoples was incredible. Manuela is now a child of God, our sweet new sister in Christ!!!
"In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nie others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!"
-Luke 15:7
