Torch, Summer 1983

better just to talk to her at the regular C. B.F . meetings . There was a parking place, but I'm sure I was the only woman on the whole campus in a dress that day. No one spoke to me , and I hurried along , wishing that I were back on our own campus. As I turned the corner to her dorm , I saw two possible entrances . The main one was encumbered by a dozen or so couples through which I would have to pass. The other was a single side door which I prayed would be unlocked . It was. I crept up the two flights of stairs without meeting anyone. So far , so good. Then I stepped into the hallway. The scene hit me like the shockwave of an earthquake. Jamie lived in a girls' dorm, but the liberal visiting privileges meant there were fellows everywhere, in and out of the rooms, sitting in the halls with their long legs extended into the walkway, and some just leaning against the walls, chatting with their girl friends. Loud music poured from the rooms and the cigarette smoke was thick. I could still go back home , call her, and tell her that I couldn't find her room . I heard my Lord's words: "Lo, I am with you always." Maybe this was the ends of the earth! I remember well that long walk , carrying my two Bibles and my two copies of MILK, stepping over feet , scrutinizing the room numbers . Of course , the room was at the far end of the hall. Lord, Please let her be there . She was. I fairly leaped into the room and gave her a big hug . She had come up with a Bible and two friends - female. Again, the Lord just took over. They were delighted with the study guides and eagerly sought answers to the questions in the three Bibles . I helped them find Scriptures and explained a few words, but the Lord taught them. I watched in wonder as they pored over the passages. They sat side by side on the narrow bed, heads bent over their Bibles like little children . One or another would squeal, "I've got it!" when she found the sought-after verse . They read haltingly at first , but then with more confidence as the meanings of the passages became clear to them. They devoured the first two lessons. I left the Bibles and promised to bring more copies of the lesson guide next time . As I retraced my steps that afternoon, I smiled and spoke greetings to the inhabitants of the hallway. The loud music was drowned out by the songs of praise welling up in my heart . Jamie and I met together each week for the rest of the school year. Sometimes there were other girls present. The Lord gave us a very special fellowship, and sometimes she shared with me some of her background. Her family, though not saved, was close-knit and lived in the inner city . Life there was fraught with dangers and she had had to face situations that I could not even imagine . How foolish my fears had been . We thanked God for His protection of her family through the years. One afternoon the two of us were studying the lesson and accompanying Scriptures on witnessing. Jamie, as usual, had lots of questions, and her eyes were shining as she nodded her comprehension . The little room was filled with the Lord ' s presence as we shared His Word and our love for Him for what He had done for us . She clasped my hand and I realized how much I loved her as a sister in Christ . Suddenly the door flew open and a young man stalked sulkily into the room . Without a glance at us , he flung himself down on the bed , face to the wall. The joy we had just been sharing was shattered . I was stunned. Jamie looked at me in agonized embarrassment. I knew from her expression that this must be her boyfriend. She hadn't told me much about him , only that they were going together. She attempted to introduce me to him . He grunted without changing his position. "Mrs. Baldwin and me ... I....you know , Bob , I told you about her. . .. " Her voice faltered . Awkward silence followed . I was determined not to leave . Then I felt a calmness that could have come only from the Lord . I touched her hand and spoke carefully . "Jamie, you know we ' ve just been talking about sharing the Lord with others. Do you suppose Bo.b would like to know about Him , too?" Her eyes widened as she grasped what I was suggesting. What happened next was purely of the Lord and I was a privileged spectator. It was as though I were witnessing something that had been rehearsed, yes, planned , since the beginning of eternity. I was hardly aware of the moment Bob sat up and began to follow intently what she was telling him . I watched her read the verses, gesture with her hands, point to her own heart and to his . They had forgotten I was there . "Lord," I thought, "this is how it ' s supposed to work , isn't it , this discipling business . One shares with another and then that one shares with another. " Tears flowed as I leaned back against the wall and just watched those two precious young people talking about Christ. Bob didn't make a profession that afternoon . He said he ' d think about it, but I knew he already belonged to the Lord. Jamie told me later that he'd accepted Christ that night. * * * **** Jamie didn't go back to the university the next year. She took a job in a bank in the city where she lived . I feel certain she ' s going on with the Lord , and we shall, as she used to say, "be together in heaven some day ." The Lord taught us both a great deal during those weeks . He brought Jamie to the point of becoming a vibrant, witnessing Christian . What He showed me was that when one is willing to be used , fear melts away . Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed;for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea , I will uphold thee with the right hand ofmy righteousness. Isaiah 41: 10 It is true that obedience and willingness to share one's Lord brings great joy . • 9