The market Tea Lady continues

LM has been sharing with this tea seller in a market in Taiwan for about seven months. See the first part of this story.

One day the tea lady leaned in close and quietly said, “Can you teach me to pray?”

My heart raced! Yes, I can teach you to pray! I looked at her and said, “You know how when I pray with you, I sound like a small child?” (My Chinese language is limited.)

Her eyes twinkled. “Yes!” she said.

“Well, that’s because God is my Father and I’m His child. I just talk with him. I don’t need to tell him my name, date of birth or address. He knows me.” (Taiwanese people begin prayers this way so that the god knows who they are).

“When we pray,” I said, “it is good to praise God for things and thank him for things.” Now the Tea Lady will often grab my hand and just start praying with her eyes open. People rush by. They have no idea that we are ‘doing church’ right there in the corner of the busy market.

20 January 2015

After sitting, drinking tea and chatting with the Tea Lady and her customer for maybe an hour, I began to think that a story would not happen today. I prayed, but the customer just kept on chatting and there didn’t seem to be an opening for me to offer much, so I just tried to listen. In the end I said, “I need to run and buy some vegetables before the stalls close.” When I came back, the customer was gone, I sat down and she turned and she asked for today’s story – the birth of Jesus.

“Which part did you like?” I asked but she had trouble answering. Up until this point, I have found it such hard work sharing the story and it took me such a long time, that I couldn’t bear to make her listen a second time! But I thought, if someone was telling me a story that I had never heard before, would I be able to answer the questions based on one hearing?

I offered, “Would you like me to share it a second time? Each time you hear the story, it will sink deeper into your heart and you will understand it better.”

After a second hearing and some discussion, she said, “I liked that as soon as the shepherds heard about the baby, they immediately wanted to find out more and then once they had seen Jesus, they told lots of people the good things that they had seen.” Yes, good news is to be passed on. She said, “I need to share this story with my sister. I have such peace when I hear these stories. My sister is also carrying burdens. She needs this peace. I need to tell her the story of Jesus’s birth.”

“Hearing all the stories so far, has helped you understand this story, right?” I said. “Do you think it would be better if you told your sister the stories from the beginning?” “Oh yes!” she said.

24 January 2015

Today I re-told the Creation story twice with the Tea Lady so that she could learn it to share with her sister. She grabbed my hand and prayed, “God help me to share this story with my sister and others who are also carrying burdens.”

3 February 2015

“I can’t do it,” she said. “I can’t tell my sister the story. She has a higher job than mine. I’m too embarrassed.”

10 February 2015

“I’ve been praying about it and I have decided. I have to tell my sister these stories!” The Tea Lady cried and told me she loved me. I did the same. We prayed together. “God help me to tell my sister. Also, please prepare my sister’s heart to hear these stories and that she will want to listen.”

At the end she said, “You are getting more and more beautiful!” What?! What did she mean? “When you first came to visit me,” she said, “you were shy and unsure but now you are happy and confident and beautiful.” I choked up and somehow managed to say, “It’s Jesus working in me, helping me to share his message with you. It is Jesus who gives me courage to and makes me happy. This is why I have come to Taiwan.”

What a privilege it is to to be one of God’s story tellers!