Thursday we arrived in Minneapolis, MN after our exciting couple of weeks in South Dakota.  Needing a quick restock on the groceries, we were exstatic to find a Trader Joe's Grocery while on the highway south of St. Paul.  Once inside, we met two women, Carol Rage and her friend Pat who was visiting from Florida. 

What started as a conversation about butternut squash soup quickly turned to Jesus and the joy of serving him.  I (Chad) spoke with Pat as Amy and Carol conversed, and our little divine fellowship moment lasted the better part of 15 minutes in the soup aisle!  After we had exchanged contact information and talked about connecting with Pat and her husband sometime down in Orlando, the two ladies thanked us for encouraging them and headed for the checkout.

About 30 minutes later, Amy's phone rang.  It was someone from White's Funeral Home in Burnsville, MN about 10 minutes south of where we were.  It turns out that our two new friends had been very busy since they left us!  They had immediately driven to Carol's church, Faith Covenant Church, and asked the staff there if we could park there for the week.  It turns out the church was hosting a HUGE urban camping event called MUUUCE -  the "Most Unbelievable Ultimate Urban Camping Experience" for approximately 750 JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS!!!  Instead of saying no, they called the funeral home across the street and gave our information to them, which is why Amy got the call.  In the meantime, we got connected to help and voluteer for the MUUUCE event, so this morning we were able to help them serve breakfast to the 750 sleepover attendees.  Emily and Dillon did an excellent job at putting smiles on the faces of sleep deprived teens, to say the least, as they handed out apple juice, orange juice, and milks.

Shortly after breakfast, we took a ride to one of Burnsville's many parks.  While the kids were playing in the water, we got to spend a bit of time (30-40 mins?) talking with and encouraging a person who was there at the park monitoring the facility.  It continues to amaze me how God is opening divine appointments with opportunities to encourage people along the way.  We went for groceries on Thursday and ended the day today completely taken care of for a parking spot, with the opportunity to encourage yet another few individuals in their struggles and in their walk with the Lord.

Thanks to everyone who makes this possible.  I wish there was a way to tell you how much it impacts people when someone with no time agenda can just sit and listen to whats going on in their life, and then respond with biblical encouragement.  Thank you for granting us that opportunity!