Love-sightings — Madeline K Barry Fine Art

Oh boy, I am excited to write this blog. So last time I wrote, I was in an incredibly broken, hard place. I was frustrated because I couldn't find God. I couldn't see Him, I couldn't see His people, I couldn't see His love, I couldn't see any good. I felt stuck, dismal, angry, and empty.

Well, friends... Isn't that just where He likes to meet us.

Hold on though, it didn't get good immediately. This past week and a half, I felt like I was riding some kind of sick roller coaster. I would soar upwards because of a decent conversation, get super excited, feeling like everything was getting better, only to crash back down again the next day because of something hurtful that was said to me, another broken spirit clawing at my feet for spare change, another day that I didn't accomplish enough at work, another night alone in my apartment.

I had a few more meltdowns before I finally drug myself to the only place in the city where I could sing a few worship songs, and get some prayer at 10 pm. That place was David's Tent. If you haven't heard about it, PLEASE look it up ( www.davidstentdc.org ). They are a group of people dedicated to worshipping 24/7 since 2012. Yeah. Its unreal. I had been once before and met a sweet girl named Anneliese. She is 19, felt the Lord call her to D.C. to be on staff with David's Tent, and has no idea what she's doing next. Undoubtedly, she was a huge encouragement to my heart the first time I met her, but I had forgotten to get her number. That is, until she had a hand on my shoulder praying for me once again, as I kneeled broken on the floor of the tent. We ended up having a great conversation about brokenness and she gave me a book called A Tale Of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness. It has been rocking my world. As I went home that night, I felt beyond encouraged. I had found some love... some Jesus.

I slept in the next morning (saturYAY!!!) and feeling emboldened decided to go to brunch by myself. Side note about my brunch- it was INCREDIBLE. French toast, smothered in a blackberry topping, hot coffee, a good book all underneath a beautiful oak tree on a patio. And to top it off, the place was called Romeo & Juliet's Garden Cafe. If you're ever in D.C., give it a go. I finished my brunch and begrudgingly decided I would meet my boss for a Nats baseball game since she had an extra free ticket. I hate baseball, but I felt like I was somehow offending someone if I cried over not having friends only to turn down an opportunity to hang out with someone. ELEVEN INNINGS later I was still sitting in the blazing sun watching people whiff repeatedly. Finally, I thanked my boss and drug myself to the Metro to head back to my apartment.

What happened next is probably the best series of events that has happened to me in a long time. So, I'm sitting on the metro people watching, as one does, when I see these two guys using sign language to have one of the most exciting conversations ever I had ever seen (it's cool to see conversation rather than hear it). I realized a few minutes in, that only one of them had a hearing disability, and the other one had simply learned sign language to communicate with him. Maybe it's cause I'm in a feeble state emotionally these days, but that just blew me away. Pure love. I saw Jesus again.

After wiping an embarrassing tear or two off of my cheek, I looked to my right to see a father and a son having another sweet moment. The boy had his head resting on his dad's shoulder, they were both exhausted after the game. But the affection I saw between the father and son struck me, and instantly reminded me of what I must look like when I sit with Jesus. My head resting on his shoulder, sometimes neither of us speaking, just enjoying one another's company. Again- love...

I got off the train feeling overwhelmingly joyful. On my walk home, I passed a sweet old lady sitting by herself. I stopped to talk to her, at first thinking she was crying, only to find out she was just enjoying the afternoon in the shade, a bit sniffly from her allergies. She was from Panama, and she was quite the talker. We chatted for about 10 minutes, about all sorts of things, sweet conversation, really. I finally broke away to head home after about 10 minutes, grinning like an absolute goof. More love, this time from a complete stranger.

When I got home, I remembered there was live music going on at my absolute favorite coffee shop in the city, just to top the day off. I changed clothes, ate, and headed back down the street I had just walked home on. As I sauntered through the crosswalk, I noticed a girl that I had walked past an hour and a half earlier. The only reason I had really noticed her was because she was on the phone and talking with a good bit of distress in her voice. As I passed her again, I noticed her sitting on a bench alone, crying almost as hard as I was the night before. I nervously sat down next to her, and asked if she was okay. She began spilling out more than I ever though possible. She told me how she had just moved here from China, all alone, for an internship, and her parents didn't support her at all. She had been talking on the phone with her Mom, who was doing everything she could to cut down her daughter's decision in hopes of her deciding to go home. She told me how upset and confused she was- doing what she thought she needed to, and yet hurting the people she loved most. After she finished and began to calm down, I started to tell her that I was here all alone as well. We connected in our sadness in that moment and I felt my heart break all over again, this time for her. Before I knew what I was saying, I told her that the only reason I had made it through this last month was because of Jesus- that HE had been my best friend in a more personal way than I ever thought possible. She replied, with huge eyes, saying she didn't have a religion, but she wanted to know more about Jesus. I told her I would love to tell her more, thinking this would be a process over the next few weeks. She looked at me dead in the face, "Okay, tell me." So right there on a bench on 2nd street NW I got to explain the entire Gospel to my brand new friend. It was a moment I will absolutely never forget. I got to pray over this precious woman, and as I finished she breathed a deep sigh and told me she felt much better. "Yeah. That's how Jesus is. He's just peace." I replied.

At the end of all this, I realized I didn't know her name, and I definitely hadn't told her mine. She told me her name, Chenyu, then asked where I was going. I invited her to go hear the live music with me at the coffee shop my church owned. That led me to tell her about church, and therefore invite her, again before I even realized what was happening.

Y'all.

SHE CAME TO CHURCH WITH ME YESTERDAY.

She loved it. She was in awe of the music, lights, the Bible... all of it. At brunch afterward, she asked me so many questions... Who was that guy Nehemiah they kept talking about? What did he do? Wait- I can read about that? There are more stories? She had read parts of the Bible, but most of it was brand new to her. Ah, the freshness of the Gospel. Yes... more love.

We ended up spending the rest of the afternoon together, wandering through museums, having hilarious conversations about cultural differences, the role of women in the world, education, food, even more about Jesus. Being with Chenyu, even just for a few hours, changed me. It challenged me. It made me appreciate this Good News I get to base my life on. I had forgotten just how amazing the story of Jesus is, just how much peace can flood into a moment simply at the sound of His name. It made me want to notice people. It made me want to take out my headphones as I walk down the street, and instead listen to the car honks, the bird songs, the potential sobs of people around me. It made me want to stop hanging out with people like myself, and instead challenge myself to have an awkward and amusing conversation, because it just might end up in a new friendship. Being with my new friend has made me bolder, more content, and more excited about being with my Best Friend than I ever have been.

When we cry out to Jesus, He will answer. It will look nothing like we expect, but He always meets us when we need Him. This time, it was through lots of things. Sign language, little kids, a Panamanian woman, and a new friend.

There is love in this city, I just had to be broken enough to ask for new eyes to see it.

Endless Love,

Brunch courtesy of Adam & Eve Garden Cafe