Last month I shared the story of my ‘chance’ encounter with a young Buddhist priest as a seatmate during a flight from Salt Lake City to Cincinnati in the fall of 2001. A friend had prayed for me as I flew, praying that the Father would sit someone beside me on the plane whom I could share Christ with. The encounter with this young man was sweet, not confrontational, as we both talked of our different ‘faiths’ and how they had impacted our lives. For three months I could not get Wan off of my mind, praying for him frequently. At 27 he had researched many different spiritual perspectives in his search for truth and had finally come to the conclusion that Buddhism was the path to true enlightenment. When we parted that day, I only knew his single name, and that he lived somewhere in a very large state out west. But since November 2001, he has never been very far from my mind.

In March 2002 my son and I were visiting with friends on a ski trip into the mountains of this same western state. During a lunch break one day we visited a trendy "New-Agey" restaurant, the type that is long on veggies and tofu, and short on red meat! My friend left the table and shortly came back with a brochure, which he placed, on the table beside me. The heading said, "Buddhist Meditation Classes" with a schedule for their meeting times, and also a web-site address. "Do you suppose Wan could be in this town?" he asked. I had simply been enjoying the beautiful scenery and my vacation, and, frankly, my self-centered mind had not been going down those kinds of tracks. It had not occurred to me to ‘wonder’ if Wan, perhaps, lived in the very town we were visiting. Thankful for my friend’s perceptivity, I tucked the brochure in my purse, intending to visit that site once back home in Alabama.

Upon my return I checked it out. There were several options: "Meet our Spiritual Guide", "Meet our Resident Teacher", "Schedule of Classes", "Chants, Prayers, and Meditations", etc. As I scrolled through the pages on the site, I opened "Meet our Resident Teacher" and, there before me was the young man who had shared the flight with me in November! It listed his spiritual credentials and told of his influence as a lecturer and teacher of Buddhism…it also gave an email address!

There are no ‘coincidences" in the Kingdom of God. He knows the end from the beginning. What adventures He has in store for us if we will simply acknowledge Him and seek His guidance in our lives daily! I was in awe that I had actually found this young man I’d been praying for so long. I sent him an introductory email, reminding him of our shared flight and our conversation, and telling him the story of how I had ‘found’ him. He immediately wrote me back and said, "I had thought about trying to find YOU by looking through obituaries in Alabama, but realized I didn’t know your deceased husband’s last name."

This was just too much fun! He had been haunted by our conversation, as I had been!

So, a dialogue has begun. I had to assure him that my ‘goal’ is not ‘to convert’ him, but only to establish a friendship and try to learn from each other. After all, ‘conversion’ is the Father’s job. I have heard it said that it is OUR job to ‘share Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leave the results to God." This is my "goal"; the process of ‘converting’ a soul is a " God-Thing", not a result of good public relations, or effective propaganda or sales techniques. I am asking him to explain his world-view to me, as I am sharing mine with him. I don’t know what the final outcome will be. Perhaps I have just gained a new, sweet friend who is very different from me. Or perhaps, one day, this dear young man will need a God who is near and not far away, one who will get down here in the dirt with us and help us in our time of need, a God who is very personal, who listens when we pray, and who ‘acts on behalf of those whose heart is pure toward Him."

At any rate, I praise Him for this ‘chance encounter’, and for the even more remote chance that I would ‘bump into" Wan again. I pray that I will be simply a true friend to him and a small light through whom the Living Christ can shine.