I was prompted to serve at a church satellite campus in 2014 by the Holy Spirit. The main campus was located in Knoxville, and I had attended that location following my move from Indiana in November 2012. The home church had several established satellite campuses, and this campus was the smallest. I had talked to the campus pastor and his wife, and we were in agreement about God’s leading. I had met his wife on the prayer team in 2013 at the main campus.

Soon after I began attending and serving at this location, the Lord impressed upon me that the church needed to pray during the week and not just on Sunday. I shared what I had received from the Lord with the campus pastor who was in agreement. Only one woman in the congregation joined me in prayer faithfully every Thursday evening, and we called this our Power Hour of Prayer. These nights were the highlight of my week and I rejoiced in the opportunity to come and pray in agreement with my friend, Brenda. We filled the empty sanctuary and rooms with prayers and praise in unity for the church and the community.

I arrived early on Thursday, May 14, 2015, to prepare mentally and spiritually. My prayer partner was out of town so I was alone that evening. I prayed through the sanctuary, the kids’ rooms, the hallways, the kitchen, every space. As I walked across the foyer to the children’s area, I saw a man sitting in the yard across the asphalt parking lot. I stopped for a few seconds in observation. No definite pull but I knew I was seeing this man for a reason. I then continued into the hallway. I came back into the foyer and walked to the front door. The man remained sitting on the small concrete steps at the back of the house with several cats lounging nearby.

In the months I had been attending this campus, I had never seen anyone around the house. This was a small old wood frame home, with overgrown shrubs obscuring most of the front, and many mature trees in the yard blocking the sunlight. It appeared empty or abandoned, except for a single light bulb that shown through a small window, presumably a bathroom, on the side of the house that was visible across the parking lot. I pushed open the door and walked outside.

He noticed me when I had walked about halfway across the parking lot, and he stood up. He was missing most of his bottom teeth and his clothes were somewhat dirty. A rolled bandana was tied around his head. He was thin and appeared undernourished. I spotted what looked like blood on his left hand as I said, “Hello, my name is Iris”, and offered my hand in greeting. He promptly and firmly grasped my hand and said his name was Don but everyone called him by his nickname. I could see an open beer can with rolling papers and loose tobacco on the steps. All of the bushes were overgrown in need of pruning as well as many tree limbs in the back yard, and a lawnmower was parked in the tall grass. An open bag of kitty litter was leaning against the back of the house. The back door was standing open and the cats moved freely in and out. Don asked if I would sit with him on the steps and talk. The porch steps were not large enough for both of us to sit comfortably and I remained standing in the yard while he sat on the steps. I felt this was best even if the steps had been accommodating.

He started the conversation by telling me that all the cats belonged to him; I counted 10. He was amazed they had stayed at ease when I approached because, he explained, “they don’t like strangers”. He seemed very impressed that the cats had accepted me. He showed me where one of the cats had just scratched him. I urged him to wash it with soap and water, but he just smeared his hand across his t-shirt and said he would be okay. I was praying silently and sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit. I was curious to see how this encounter would progress even as I was in the midst of the situation.

He proceeded to roll a cigarette and asked if I did any writing, specifically any poems. Surprised by the question, I answered that I was an author but did not write poetry. He wanted to know what I wrote and I explained that I had written a book about what God had done for me. I shared a short version of my testimony and the amazing love God had brought into my life. I told him how I discovered God in the pain of losing my husband. He had not expected my response or passion as I spoke. Something flickered across his face and there was moisture in his eyes. He spoke of the bible and doctrine and asked that our church believed. I could hear religion in his words and I waded a bit with him as he shared his thoughts. I then brought the conversation back to personal relationship with Jesus. He wanted to “go deep” in theology and I explained that I was not a bible scholar; I could not debate doctrine or quote a lot of scripture, and that my relationship with Jesus was based on what He had done for me. I asked him if he had ever prayed the sinner’s prayer and he shook his head. I spoke a simple prayer out loud. Again, the moisture in his eyes. I told him, “Jesus is here, at this moment. He is always in the present. The past is gone and He already knows the future. He is interested in the present and what you are you going to do with it.” We talked about heaven.

Don shared that he was a welder. He explained how you need something that will bond two different metals so they will hold. He talked indirectly about relationships in general terms. I told him that I did not find love and that God had brought love to me. I had tried for years and never found it in my search. He was shocked that my husband was now in heaven after our short marriage. I explained that I had received more love in that time frame than in my entire previous life. I told him that Christ is the bonding agent in life. My husband had once made the comment, “It takes three to make a marriage—man, woman, God”. He was silent with moist eyes as I spoke.

At this point a tiny caterpillar was hanging down from a web close to my head. He got up and removed it. He asked me if I believed in miracles and I answered with a resounding “Yes”! He extended his hand toward me and I grasped it firmly in mine. I smiled at him and said those who need healing need to believe as well. I said it was by faith. He said, “No. Not by faith but by truth”. He talked about broken relationships. He was 47 and had never been married. He said there were marriageable women at church but they did not like him. I told him that I could not find love when I was searching for it. God brought it into my life. The loss of my husband was when I truly discovered God. I now know that He loves me and no one can take that away from me.

By now it was close to 8 p.m. and I had to leave the church. He wanted to share two poems he had written before I left. He recited these from memory–something very kind in his spirit. I asked him if I could pray for him in return. I placed my hand on his back and prayed a simple prayer for God to minister to Don for all the deep things in his heart, to reveal His love for him, and to bless him. Don hugged me and it was a very emotional moment. I could feel the brokenness in him. I told him to come see us on Sunday and walked back towards the church. I instinctively knew he was going to follow me in a few minutes, so when I reached the building I quickly gathered my things and walked outside, locking the door behind me.

Don was crossing the parking lot. He came over to my vehicle and asked for my hand. I extended my hand and he clasped it and knelt down on one knee. He closed his eyes and prayed out loud asking for mercy and forgiveness for the idiotic things we do. He said, “We don’t mean to do the things we do but we do them anyway over and over.” He asked for mercy again. Precious. When he finished praying, he stood up and hugged me from the side and kissed the side of my head on my hair. I told him to take care of himself, and he walked back towards his house that was almost completely hidden by overgrown trees and bushes. I started praying for God to set him free and to give him life far and above what he had ever known.

During our conversation there were a couple of very brief moments when I sensed that he could drift into unwanted territory, but God kept me aware so that I headed those off without any awkwardness. Jesus was the focus of my attention to Don. He had wanted prayer for a wife, but I prayed for him to know the love of the Savior. I prayed over him during the long drive back to Knoxville.

Note from my Journal:  “As soon as I arrived home, I began writing the details of my encounter with Don. I woke up twice in the night to add details. I do not understand at this point why it is so important that I record these specifics, but I know to obey His prompting. I had no premonition yesterday that anything special would happen last night. It happened the moment I decided to open the door and cross the parking lot to speak to the man sitting on the concrete steps with his cats.”

I saw Don one Thursday night a few weeks later when a prayer friend accompanied me to the church campus. We saw Don outside and walked over to speak to him. We visited a few minutes and prayed for him before returning to the church.

On Thursday, October 15, I drove to the church for prayer as usual that evening. I was shocked when I drove into the parking lot. Every large tree had been cut down in Don’s front yard and back yard that was located next to the house. The overgrown bush obliterating most of the side of the house had been cut down to the ground. All the limbs and brush had been removed. The grass was mowed and the yard was cleaned up. The house was exposed. A surge moved through my spirit as I sat in my car looking at the property. No sign of Don or any cats. There was a light on in the window that previously was hidden by the bush. I did not know what had happened with him but I praised God for working in Don’s heart and mind. I continued serving every Sunday morning and Thursday evening until May 2016, but I did not see him again. The house and yard remained in order and I marveled at the change every time I drove to this church.

Colossians 4:5, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”

Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”