Jesus Hugged Me
As Joann drove us down to Virginia Beach, and not knowing what to expect at a revival, we spoke mostly about the business plan of my buying a motel. Joann teaches on Thursday nights at a Bible school in Virginia Beach called New Life Christian Church. I didn’t even know what to expect from the Bible study, since I had never been, but I trust Joann as much as I do my friend Ann. She told me, “Few students will be in class because most of them will be over at the Founders Inn for the Toronto Meeting Revival.” As we pulled up, a man that I have spoken with named James approached us to let me know he had several bags of clothing he has been collecting for WHI. So, we went into the classroom, after I received a tour of their new school, and began to set up chairs. Not many chairs, knowing few were coming. Most of the class was on the opening of Heaven, Daniel and Jeremiah. At some point, Joann asked me to give my testimony of when Jesus visited me in a vision 2 years ago and thus the beginning of the ministry for the homeless. Shortly after my testimony, a young adult (about 17) screamed out,
When we went in to the conference room at the Founders Inn, the place was packed. No seats were available, so Joann and I sat on the floor as she commented, “If at any time you get nervous or scared, let me know and we will leave.” I sat in prayer for God’s will and the motel for most of the evening, not totally in the conference room. A few minutes later, I became very thirsty and left in search of the water on the other side of the conference room. I left out of one door, walked through the lobby and in the far door toward the water table. As I was drinking, a man caught my eye. At this point I was standing in the doorway; not inside the conference room, yet not fully in the lobby.
I became transfixed on this one gentleman. He was wearing a grey, slightly worn suit with a grey trench coat and a nice fedora hat to match. He had a salt and pepper beard with matching hair to the nape of his neck and pushed behind his ears. He looked to be Middle Eastern and about 60-70 years old. Something seemed so familiar about this man. For about an hour I kept transfixed on him. My heart was full of passion, but not a lustful passion. Many people during this time came up to ask “Are you OK? Do you need prayer?” “No,” I responded “I am fine.” It seemed as if he was with a lady and young girl, who were in line for prayer, yet the ‘catchers’ didn’t seem to notice the man. I didn’t notice him talking to anyone or in the prayer line. He slightly looked over to glance briefly at me, or so I thought he was looking at me. Then out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Joann going out to look for me. I met her halfway in the lobby and told her “I needed some water.” She introduced me to a friend of hers, who also has a heart for the at-risk and homeless. We talked briefly, even though to be honest, I wasn’t paying much attention to her, because I noticed the man walk past me into the lobby. Once again he was with the young girl and lady. I was again so transfixed on him and told Joann’s friend, “I am sorry but I am so drawn to this man, I can’t keep from looking at him.” “What man? Why don’t you go talk to him?” she responded. I said, “The man who just walked by in the trench coat. Didn’t you see him?” Either she wasn’t paying attention as I had been, or she didn’t see him go past. “Are you OK, do you need prayer?” “No, the only way I would be going up is if they said somebody in here needs a lot of money and then many people would probably go up.”
I walked over to the man, with a business card in hand, ready to speak. But all that came out was, “I am so sorry. I have been staring at you since you went into the conference room and I’m not trying to be rude (all this as I am stumbling on my words because I didn’t know what to say) but I want to give you my business card.” And he leaned over and gave me a hug. Not just your everyday hug, friend to friend, but more like a father who hasn’t seen his child in a long time. I felt so comfortable in his arms, that I wish it didn’t end so soon. Then he looked into my eyes and said, “God Bless you my child,” with an Arabic accent. Tears began to fill my eyes and I wanted more water. As I was going for some water, I was informed money was mentioned: “Somebody in here needs a large sum of money,” yet nobody went up. I headed toward the water table inside, but turned to see him reading my card. He looked at me, tipped his hat and put it in his pocket. I rushed to get my water and in less than a few seconds I looked and he was gone. The lady and girl were still around, but for an hour afterwards he was nowhere to be seen.
As we drove back, Joann said, “You seem so at peace.” I replied, “I am. I am high on God.” We talked briefly about the man, but not much because I wanted to pray about him. When I came home to tell Geoff and a Christian friend of ours, they both said, “That was Jesus. You had an incredible blessing!” That is exactly what I felt as well. I didn’t want to come out and say to them, “I saw Jesus and He hugged me and gave me His blessing!” But that is how I felt. What seemed so familiar to me about him? The fact that this man looked just like the one in my dream two years ago, except that one was dressed in rags and sitting on my bed. He said to me at one point in the first vision, “We brought you here for a reason. You have a purpose here in Williamsburg!” Even then, I felt so at peace and so calm, considering the fact a stranger was in my house, sitting on my bed in the middle of the night and the doors were locked. And if it wasn’t Jesus this time, too, then this man is so filled with the love of Jesus that it is AMAZING!
As Joann drove us down to Virginia Beach, and not knowing what to expect at a revival, we spoke mostly about the business plan of my buying a motel. Joann teaches on Thursday nights at a Bible school in Virginia Beach called New Life Christian Church. I didn’t even know what to expect from the Bible study, since I had never been, but I trust Joann as much as I do my friend Ann. She told me, “Few students will be in class because most of them will be over at the Founders Inn for the Toronto Meeting Revival.” As we pulled up, a man that I have spoken with named James approached us to let me know he had several bags of clothing he has been collecting for WHI. So, we went into the classroom, after I received a tour of their new school, and began to set up chairs. Not many chairs, knowing few were coming. Most of the class was on the opening of Heaven, Daniel and Jeremiah. At some point, Joann asked me to give my testimony of when Jesus visited me in a vision 2 years ago and thus the beginning of the ministry for the homeless. Shortly after my testimony, a young adult (about 17) screamed out,
“I am coming, I am coming, I am coming. The young need to start learning and the old need to start teaching. I am coming, I am coming, I am coming. I am not far away…”The rest I could not remember. Joann had tears in her eyes because earlier that day she had prayed “God please come back. There is so much wrong in this world and we need a revival of Christians.” That was the first she had shared that with anyone, including me. Blessedly enough, my friend Ann and I had had a very similar discussion before I left for the beach area about the corruption of the people and how there needs to be a revival of Christians. Class ended early so we could go over to the Founders Inn. On the way over, Joann shared with me about the young lady and how she typically sits in the very back and never says a word. She has always been a meek-voiced person, so Joann felt this was a message from God.
When we went in to the conference room at the Founders Inn, the place was packed. No seats were available, so Joann and I sat on the floor as she commented, “If at any time you get nervous or scared, let me know and we will leave.” I sat in prayer for God’s will and the motel for most of the evening, not totally in the conference room. A few minutes later, I became very thirsty and left in search of the water on the other side of the conference room. I left out of one door, walked through the lobby and in the far door toward the water table. As I was drinking, a man caught my eye. At this point I was standing in the doorway; not inside the conference room, yet not fully in the lobby.
I became transfixed on this one gentleman. He was wearing a grey, slightly worn suit with a grey trench coat and a nice fedora hat to match. He had a salt and pepper beard with matching hair to the nape of his neck and pushed behind his ears. He looked to be Middle Eastern and about 60-70 years old. Something seemed so familiar about this man. For about an hour I kept transfixed on him. My heart was full of passion, but not a lustful passion. Many people during this time came up to ask “Are you OK? Do you need prayer?” “No,” I responded “I am fine.” It seemed as if he was with a lady and young girl, who were in line for prayer, yet the ‘catchers’ didn’t seem to notice the man. I didn’t notice him talking to anyone or in the prayer line. He slightly looked over to glance briefly at me, or so I thought he was looking at me. Then out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Joann going out to look for me. I met her halfway in the lobby and told her “I needed some water.” She introduced me to a friend of hers, who also has a heart for the at-risk and homeless. We talked briefly, even though to be honest, I wasn’t paying much attention to her, because I noticed the man walk past me into the lobby. Once again he was with the young girl and lady. I was again so transfixed on him and told Joann’s friend, “I am sorry but I am so drawn to this man, I can’t keep from looking at him.” “What man? Why don’t you go talk to him?” she responded. I said, “The man who just walked by in the trench coat. Didn’t you see him?” Either she wasn’t paying attention as I had been, or she didn’t see him go past. “Are you OK, do you need prayer?” “No, the only way I would be going up is if they said somebody in here needs a lot of money and then many people would probably go up.”
I walked over to the man, with a business card in hand, ready to speak. But all that came out was, “I am so sorry. I have been staring at you since you went into the conference room and I’m not trying to be rude (all this as I am stumbling on my words because I didn’t know what to say) but I want to give you my business card.” And he leaned over and gave me a hug. Not just your everyday hug, friend to friend, but more like a father who hasn’t seen his child in a long time. I felt so comfortable in his arms, that I wish it didn’t end so soon. Then he looked into my eyes and said, “God Bless you my child,” with an Arabic accent. Tears began to fill my eyes and I wanted more water. As I was going for some water, I was informed money was mentioned: “Somebody in here needs a large sum of money,” yet nobody went up. I headed toward the water table inside, but turned to see him reading my card. He looked at me, tipped his hat and put it in his pocket. I rushed to get my water and in less than a few seconds I looked and he was gone. The lady and girl were still around, but for an hour afterwards he was nowhere to be seen.
As we drove back, Joann said, “You seem so at peace.” I replied, “I am. I am high on God.” We talked briefly about the man, but not much because I wanted to pray about him. When I came home to tell Geoff and a Christian friend of ours, they both said, “That was Jesus. You had an incredible blessing!” That is exactly what I felt as well. I didn’t want to come out and say to them, “I saw Jesus and He hugged me and gave me His blessing!” But that is how I felt. What seemed so familiar to me about him? The fact that this man looked just like the one in my dream two years ago, except that one was dressed in rags and sitting on my bed. He said to me at one point in the first vision, “We brought you here for a reason. You have a purpose here in Williamsburg!” Even then, I felt so at peace and so calm, considering the fact a stranger was in my house, sitting on my bed in the middle of the night and the doors were locked. And if it wasn’t Jesus this time, too, then this man is so filled with the love of Jesus that it is AMAZING!
posted by Patti @ 9:48 PM
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