Can I Sit Here? // 我可以坐在這裏嗎？

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Josh never knew that sitting next to a stranger at a coffee shop could lead to an amazing God-driven surprise.
Josh沒想到神會透過他在咖啡室內遇上的陌生人為他帶來意想不到的驚喜。

“Can I sit here?  Is this seat taken?”

“Sure,” I said. “Help yourself.”

One of the jarring things you quickly learn in Hong Kong is that when you sit in a coffee shop or restaurant, your table is not your own.  Any space you physically don’t fill, is up for grabs.  So if there’s an extra chair at your table for two… you won’t be dining alone.

Now I’ve gathered that convention here would suggest that just because you’re sharing the same square foot doesn’t mean that talking to each other, let alone looking at each other, is appropriate. Whether at a table, in an elevator, or literally full-body-pressed together on the subway, talking seems frowned upon.  Sharing space and sharing conversation are two totally different things.  One is inevitable, the other seems radical.

But what do we know?  We’re new.  You sit by me, we’re going to get to know each other.  Worst case scenario… I get some breathing room back.

A couple months ago I started praying that God would put people next to me, intentionally. The day I first prayed that prayer, this guy asked if he could sit next to me.  ”Is this seat taken?”

“Help yourself.” I said.

What followed was a long conversation about life and work and priorities.  You know… light morning chit chat.  It was clear my new friend didn’t have a faith or a lot of others to talk to.  Our encounter felt orchestrated.

A couple days ago he emailed me and said he was sending in a year-end donation to help our new endeavor in Hong Kong.  I gathered that giving for him was a new exercise too.

Today the envelope arrived.  There was a little note of thanks and the hope that the conversation will continue, and a check.  A check for twenty-thousand US dollars.

I’m rewriting our fundraising strategy to include a heavy amount of coffee shop meetings with total strangers.

This encouraged me to no end and I hope it encourages you too.  God leads, God provides, and he’s at work in ways we can’t even imagine.  The money in this story is a great gift, but far more exciting is the life behind it and the story that is far from finished of how God is working in his life.

Matthew 6:21 – For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

For more info on Hong Kong Young Life, check out: www.facebook.com/pages/Hong-Kong-Young-Life/505768032794658?ref=hl

「這裡有沒有人？我可以坐在這裡嗎？」

我說：「沒問題，當然可以。」

你很快會發現在香港裏的咖啡店或餐廳，其中一樣奇特的地方就是要「搭枱」。誰人都可以徵用任何你用不到的位置。換言之，如你的二人枱多出一個空位，那麼你就一定不會是自己一人用膳。

我發覺這種習俗是縱使你和其他人共用一小小的面積，也不代表要互相交談或有任何眼神交流。無論在餐廳、升降機內或在人多擠迫的地鐵裡，和陌生人交談都是不受歡迎的行為。共用地方和共同談話是兩碼子的事。前者是無可避免，後者像是極端行為。

但我們知道甚麼？我們是初來香港的。你坐在我旁，我們就會去互相認識。最差的情況嘛⋯⋯就是你離座，那我就可以多一些空間。

數個月前，我開始祈求主去特意安排一些人坐在我身旁。就在我第一次為這祈禱的當天，便有一個男士問可否坐在我旁。「這個位置有人嗎？」

「隨便。」我說。

接下來的是悠長的聊天，我們談及人生、工作和當務考慮的事。一大早就談到那麼「輕鬆」的話題（笑）。很明顯這位新朋友沒有信仰或很多其他談天的對象。我們的相遇感覺像是被預先計劃的。

幾天前，他發電郵給我說想要做一次年底捐獻給我們在香港辦的募捐。我理解奉獻對他來説也是新嘗試。

今天收到了他的信，內有一小小的感謝留言，他説希望我們可以再繼續聊天，還有一張支票。一張兩萬美元的支票。

我重新寫了我們籌款的策略，去包括很多很多次在咖啡店裡去跟陌生人聊天。

這對我是大大的鼓勵，而我希望這亦能鼓勵你們。神帶領，神供給，祂用我們不能想像的方法去做祂的事工。在這件事裡，捐獻的錢是一份很棒的禮物，但更振奮的是這故事背後的人和神為他編寫及陸續揭幕的人生故事。

馬太福音 6:21 – 因為你的財寶在那裡，你的心也在那裡。

想知道更多關於Hong Kong Young Life的資料，請瀏覽: www.facebook.com/pages/Hong-Kong-Young-Life/505768032794658?ref=hl

Image credit: flickr.com/saledan

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