Fig Tree Friends

This past fall I joined a Bible Study Fellowship group here in Baltimore. Together, we’ve been studying the book of John. So far, we’ve read about John the Baptist’s faithful ministry, Jesus calling of the first disciples, Jesus’ first miracle turning water into wine, the woman at the well, the healing of the official’s son, the healing at the pool on the Sabbath, the feeding of five thousand, Jesus walking on water, the woman caught in adultery, the healing of the blind man, and Jesus the good shepherd.

While reading the gospels, I’ve always been struck by the sheer number of miracles Jesus performs and how many of the onlookers seem surprised by Jesus’ ability to perform them and still question His Lordship. I can relate, I often overlook the miracles Jesus continues to perform in hearts today. But like John, I want to tell the stories of Jesus at work in the lives of his people. It’s these stories that help us see that the living Christ is risen and reigning in the world today.

My Fig Tree Friend

I met my Fig Tree Friend when one of my boys sat next to her boy on the bus. They became fast friends and we began to spend time together. I quickly learned that their family had recently lost their four-year-old daughter to Bacterial Meningitis. When we met, they were devastated, grieving, and angry with God. Over the next year, they began to regularly attend our home Bible studies. One day I asked the mom to read through the Gospel of John with me. When we got to John 1, Nathanael says to Jesus “How do you know me?” and Jesus replies “when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

That day I asked my friend if she knew that God saw her in her pain over the past year and during the death of her daughter. I told her our family prayed God would give us people to love and serve and in God’s kindness, he had seen her family and sent us to love and serve her. I told her that I felt this was a “Fig Tree Moment” in her life and called her to follow Christ. A few weeks later, I asked her what she was waiting on and whether or not she was ready to proclaim Jesus as Lord. To my delight, she said “Nothing! I’m ready. What do I need to do?”

My friend’s conversion to faith is nothing short of miraculous. God is still opening blind eyes and reconciling people to Himself today.

Another Fig Tree Friend

When one of the women in our church (a certified American Sign Language Interpreter) moved to Baltimore, she asked the Lord to connect her with the deaf community here. Did you know the deaf community is one of the least reached people groups in the U.S.?! One of the first weeks in her new home she discovered a deaf couple living just a few doors down. The couple accepted her invitation to come to our home group Bible study and our friend has been able to interpret Kyle’s teaching.

While my sign language is limited to the alphabet I learned in sixth grade and the baby signs I picked up for my children, it has been a joy to connect despite the language barrier. The woman, who was very pregnant when she began attending, was very quick to ask me pregnancy related questions and even asked me to be with her for labor and delivery!

One very cold December day, Kyle and I were preparing for our big outreach Christmas caroling event. After all the preparation and anticipation, an ice storm hit. We would have to cancel. We were so disappointed. But in God’s perfect sovereignty, about an hour before the event would have begun, I received the call that my pregnant friend was en route to the hospital via ambulance and I would need to hurry to meet her. Thankfully, my schedule had been freed, I made it in time, and two hours later I was able to watch her sweet baby take her first breath and I got to cut the cord!

I am praying that through friendship, small acts of love, and opportunities to serve, God will miraculously open the spiritual ears of this little family. I also look forward to the opportunity to actually speak the Gospel story into this sweet (hearing!) baby’s life!

God is doing amazing things here, friends. And because Kyle and I said “Yes!” to following God’s call to Baltimore, we are getting to witness them firsthand. Sharing the gospel stories with these friends has been one of the greatest delights of my life. The act of willingly entering in has granted us the opportunity to witness modern day miracles all around us.