story - The Bus Ride 2

By: Krasimir Kaver

  I met Stefan at the bus stop on a cold evening. I could tell he was burdened down with a heavy weight of care. I felt impressed to speak to him and prayed that God would tell me what to say. On the bys ride across the city we talked, oblivious to the cold inside the bus or the snow swirling around outside. Little by little I saw a glimmer of hope in Stefan's eyes.

  We talked about God's love for the sinner and about Jesus Christ, the Savior. I could see hope begin to light his eyes. As we approached my spot, I gave him the address of the church in the town where I lived and told him when services were held. Then we parted.

  Two weeks later on Saturday evening. Stefan came to the church for vespers. He had brought the chess game with him, in hopes of playing a game with me. At the end of the service I greeted him warmly and introduced him to several men in the church whom I had asked to pray for Stefan. He told me that after we had talked that night on the bus he had decided to find the courage to continue living rather than commit suicide. I asked Stefan if he could share with me what had happened in the past two weeks. He agreed, so we went outside into the cold and talked for two hours.

  He told me that he had learned that his wife was having an affair. He had decided to move to a town in Bulgaria as far from his wife as possible. I asked him if I could pray for him before he left, and he agreed. We prayed, then I gave him my telephone number, and we parted. I did not know if I would ever see Stefan again, but I prayed for him every day.

  A few months later my telephone rand. It was Stefan. He sounded so happy, so well, that I hardly recognized it him. He had located the Adventist church in this city, and the members had welcomed him and loved him. He had found a job and was enjoying his work. He was studying the Bible and seemed sincerely eager to learn more about what God had in store for him.

  And he told me of the surprise that had awaited him - he had learned that his great-grandmother had been an Adventist. "I have found myself!" he exclaimed. "I am saved!"

  Later still, I learned that Stefan had been baptized into the Adventist Church. God took a man at the end of his rope on a freezing night and warmed him with His love. He truly is able to save to the uttermost.

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