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By: Trevor
I went into a bakery in southern China to buy a banana muffin for breakfast. A local woman overheard me speaking to the attendant. Intrigued, she rushed over and began rattling off sentences. After I got her to slow down, we had a quick chat.
“This bread shop is the best in the county,” she raved. The bags she clutched against her body bulged with muffins she’d bought, proving that her words of praise were authentic.
“You hungry?” I asked, nodding at the bag and flashing a smile to let her know I was joking.
“No, I have three children to feed,” she said, still smiling politely but not quite getting the joke.
“Do you work here?” I asked, praying that the conversation would stay within the range of my vocabulary.
“No, I work outside the city, in the country. My kids and I live here in this building, on the third floor above this shop. I come here almost every day. It’s the best bread shop in the prefecture.” She was beginning to sound like a paid advertisement.
Realizing that the conversation would be difficult to carry much further, I said goodbye and left.
The next day, I went to a nearby rainforest park. On the trail, I saw a woman wearing a round rice-harvester’s hat and colorful clothes. She looked familiar; a lot of people do in China. I did a double-take and finally met her eyes. It looked just like the woman from the store, but I wasn’t sure until she said in Chinese, “Hello, I met you last night.” I stopped and talked for a moment with my new friend before catching up with my group.
What are the odds that she worked at the sprawling rainforest park and walked on the same path at the same time? It’s a small world, and our God controls it.
Connect with the author:
Blog: http://stillstandingforhim.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jtkwilliams
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