“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” -1 Peter 3:15b, NIV
My husband and I attended a Purpose Driven Church Conference led by Pastor Rick Warren this past week in Lake Forest, California. The conference ran Tuesday through Thursday, and we decided, ahead of time, that we would have fun that Friday (before heading home on Saturday).
After an incredible, life-changing experience with people from around the world, I was ready for reality to soon trickle in. We had several discussions, and made plans to see Downtown Disney, located just outside Disneyland. We opted to save money, buy souvenirs for the children, take it easy, and bypass the park. We were completely at peace and content with our decision (looking back, there is a lesson in that, too).
At the end of our fun Downtown Disney adventure, I made a quick stop at the ladies’ room, while my husband waited for me outside. Upon returning to Beau, I saw he was standing with a fellow Latino couple. He motioned to me, “This is my wife, Giana.” I said hello and met Josh and Iliana. Beau continued, “Josh and Iliana are pastors, and they want to pay for our entrance into Disneyland.”
As fate would have it, Beau was wearing a Think Before You Speak shirt that we sold during a particular series at church. It was the shirt that caught Iliana’s attention. She went up to him and said, “I like your shirt. Do you mind if I take a picture of it?” Beau obliged, shared that he was a pastor, and the connections began.
There have been a handful of times in my life when I’ve had what I describe as “out of body” experiences. This ranks high among them. Did I hear him correctly?! I wondered. “What?” was the only response I could muster, quickly followed by, “Are you serious?”
Josh and Iliana smiled at us warmly. Josh began, “We love pastors and want to bless you all.” The more he spoke, the more unbelievable this new narrative became. We began walking towards the entrance of the park with them. The entire time, I literally kept pinching myself, and Beau and I continually exchanged “Is this really happening?!” glances.
“Are you all angels?” I half-joked. “Angels?” Iliana shot back, “with this
As we continued chatting, it was revealed that this was not the only reason our lives were brought together. They shared that they are currently praying over and looking for land to build their new church (a process we are familiar with because our church recently purchased land). As fate would have it, Josh is also in the process of writing a book, and we talked about our experience with self-publishing.
Before parting ways, we stood in a circle and prayed for one another. A simple thank you did not perfectly capture the amount of gratitude we felt in our hearts. Still, we said it multiple times and hugged their necks before leaving. Josh took out his wallet, removed a $100 bill, handed it to Beau and said, “For water, sunscreen, snacks
We felt like kids in a candy shop, with both parks now ours to explore (it was a two-for-one deal that day)! We had a spectacular time, and counted it as an early 10-year anniversary celebration (August 9th). We will never forget how much Josh and Iliana blessed us that day, and it has inspired us to continually pay things forward. More importantly, it was a good reminder that we serve a God who loves us.
