Divine Appointment in Toronto

"Well, I wanted to share who I had my divine appointment with you. While we were at Booth ( This is one of the ministry sites in Toronto that work with participants who are mentally ill) I got the chance to spend some time with a girl named Rachel. I met her on the first afternoon we were there. I'm not sure why I was drawn to her work station, but there was just something about her. Our conversation varied from topic to topic and about 15 minutes into the conversation I looked down and realized she had prominent scars all over her arms. I didn't notice these at first because I was so intent upon what she was saying, but after I spotted them it struck a chord in me and I knew I was talking with this girl for a reason. As we continued to work side by side she noticed a burn mark on my arm and inquired about it. I explained it to her, and then she said, "Yeah, I have scars, too. I even had to have surgery." I wasn't going to inquire unless she opened the door to talk about them, and when she said that, I thought, "Okay God, give me the words." As gently as possible I asked her what happened.
She said, "Well, I don't want to scare you."
I said something like, "Whether you want to talk is up to you, but I want you to know that I'm here to listen...you don't know me very well, but, not much scares me anymore."
She then proceeded to put down what she was doing and say, "Well, I did them to myself."
That hit me like a ton of bricks in the chest. Not because it scared me (because it didn't) but because I have gone through very similar circumstances in my life. I was totally able to identify with her and I was able to talk with her about it. The only logical explanation for that is God. I completely believe that he placed her in my path specifically. Not only for her sake - but definitely for mine as well. It was an awesome experience, but it also shook me up a bit at the same time.
When I returned from the trip I shared that story with a close friend of mine that I've been having ongoing discussions about self injury with. She got this huge grin and said, "I have something to confess, but don't be mad. The whole time you were on your tip I was praying that God would be poking you and stretching you. That He would completely throw something or someone in your path." My jaw dropped. God is amazing."

-Anonymous trip participant