Welcome to the next daily installment of this true story, which you can find posted here each afternoon until it comes to an end.
Chapter 103: Talking To Neal Through The Sierras
California has two mountain ranges going up it. One of them is the Sierras. Before we could get to San Francisco, we would have to negotiate that terrain, and we did — traveling near where the Donner Party met their fate. Legend says that had they been situated just a little ways in almost any direction, it would have been a very different winter for them. The place where they decided to winter was the absolute worst place they could have chosen for human habitation, especially given the resources at their disposal.
As we neared that spot on our trip, a man named Neal came through the observation car and found no seat for him to take. They were all full, expect for a few that had person on a love seat that would not likely be intruded upon by a stranger. To be invited into such a situation is different. I scooted over some and offered him the seat next to me on the loveseat I was in. For the next hour or so, Neal and I spoke and shared our pasts with each other. I will not take this time to pretend that every moment, every conversation on a train is a big dramatic moment. We simply spent time together, and I believe I obeyed the will of God diligently during the conversation.
Chapter 104: The Home Stretch
A few hours later, this train trip was almost over. I was talking to Dave in the observation lounge and enjoying the scenery through the industrial area around San Francisco. I really quite like the beauty of man using witty inventions to tame nature. And so much of American culture at present frowns upon knowing such things. Because of “terrorism” you aren’t allowed to see behind the scenes of industry the way the public once was. And because of “the environment” you aren’t supposed to have appreciation for industry.
Hardly could a prosperous and creative culture of people be more discouraged than to have God pulled from their public lives and private lives in what has virtually been an all-out war on Christ, coupled with the hiding away and discouraging of that creative spirit that God puts into man. While many would call that industrial area on the last stretch of the ride ugly, I see such beauty in it. It is just a small slice of the human inventiveness that makes so much of the ease of my daily life possible — including the ease of travel on that train during this first Amtrak mission trip of mine.
An Amtrak employee walked past me twice that day without a belt. I was sure he did not have a belt. God told me to give him mine. I asked if God was sure. He was sure. I asked again. He was sure. I hurried after the man. I said “Hey what size waist do you wear?” As I took off my black belt, given to me a few days earlier. He said, “I think 34.” Okay. See if this fits. His waist was probably closer to 44. It did not fit. He said thank you and took it back off. I put it back on and went back to my adventure roaming through the industrial parks of the east bay on the California Zephyr observation car.
But it would not last for very long. We got kicked out of the observation lounge. As we neared the last stop, the observation lounge was announced closed. Dave grabbed his things. I grabbed my things. I gave him a hug goodbye. There was a jacket left in there.
God told me much earlier to be sure to pray for LaShay before she left the train. It looked like I was going to forget. I forgot until what happened next. He told me to make sure I walked that lost coat through the train, that lost coat that someone left behind in the observation car. The last person on the last car was Lashay and a woman she was traveling with.
With God’s permission, I said to Lashay, “God says I have to pray for you before I get out of here.” Lashay asked for good travels. God said to ask more — that wasn’t enough.
“What else?” I said?
“That I get closer to Him.”
God said, “Keep asking. That’s not enough.”
“And what else can I pray for you for?”
“For forgiveness and peace.”
And, with that God said, “That is enough.”
And so we began our prayer. Lashay reached over and grabbed her traveling partner’s hand. About that talk of forgiveness, somehow the word’s “…God you dealt with that already…” came out of my mouth, and so did a lot more. God will fill our mouths if we just take the step and obediently open them, faithfully not knowing what comes next. (Luke 21:14-15)
The daughter, cousin, friend, or whoever it was complained that Lashay’s hands got sweaty during the prayer. I think that the prayer meant a lot to Lashay.
Just as the California Zephyr leaves from Emeryville on its way to Chicago, on its way back from Chicago, it ends in Emeryville on the other side of the San Francisco Bay, on the Oakland and Berkeley side, or what people call “The East Bay.” That morning God told me I would not take a car alone across the bay. I asked who I should bring. He didn’t tell me. I named a person. He said no. I asked if it would be one person. He said no. I asked if two people. He said yes. I asked if it would be three people. He said no.
Later in the day, as we were one stop away from Emeryville, He told me it was time to go find someone to come to San Francisco, but not until then. It was about 12 minutes away from the end when He cleared me to check. I asked a few people if they were going to San Francisco. Then there was a couple who I had invited to join me in prayer earlier that morning. Before I even asked them, just moments before, I said “them God?” And he said yes. They told me they were going to San Francisco but didn’t need the ride. I told them they could think it over and let me know. God told me not to ask anyone else. It was clear that is exactly who I had been told in prayer that morning to bring free of charge in my Lyft with me across the bay.
I took my time getting out of the train. I had to pray for John the train attendant in training. I had to hunt for him a little. He said He wanted prayers for his daughter. God said to ask for more. I asked and he said also his new career.
After I prayed for him, we parted company and he went on his way. And so quickly after that I was startled by the sudden appearance of someone very close to me and very loud over the sound of the train. I do not usually startle.
The man of the husband and wife pair came up to me and said “Are we doing that Uber.” He almost surprised me. This was the first time he had spoken to me. She had done all the talking before. I wasn’t even sure if he spoke English. He spoke very good English in fact. I grabbed an Lyft and we hopped in. Of all the places in San Francisco it could have been, their hotel was perhaps two blocks from my destination. We spoke about tourist stuff for a little bit. Also about work. On the way, God told me I would be praying healing over his arm. When we got out at his hotel, we did exactly that. I prayed over his arm which had been badly injured some three years ago and had recently required surgery that his doctor said would take him five months to recover from.
“In the name of Jesus, I command this shoulder to be well, in the name of Jesus, every tendon, every muscle, every bone, that it be in the right place, that every part of this arm, every part of this body be well. In the name of Jesus.” I asked God if I was done. He said that I was. In retrospect, I would have added that pain go and that his arm be well now. God knows how to work with imperfect servants. Hopefully, my imperfection did not stand in His way. Hopefully, I was obedient enough in what I was called to do, for the purpose of it to be met.
I do not know what God wants in such a moment: maybe he wants Daniel to see healing, maybe it is for his wife to witness, or the Lyft driver, or just a show of faith on my part, or a lesson for me, or maybe it was an example for the two of them that San Francisco is not Godless, or maybe it was something else entirely. I don’t know why God wanted what God wanted. That is above my pay-grade. Sometimes God tells me clearly what He wanted and why. That can be very encouraging to me. But I do not expect Him to explain Himself to me every time. Sometimes afterward He will reveal details to me if I ask. But often, to tell you the truth, He has me too busy to sit around and ask questions about every single interaction that took place. That would be a luxurious amount of insight.
And truthfully, I don’t need that. I think God just intends to give me enough insight to be encouraged to continue yielding to Him and doing His work, no matter the situation.
I know I was trying to pray over what He wanted and to obey what He was saying and to do it as fully as I knew how to. I think that is my job.
Again, I am sure that I was imperfect. And I know God knows how to make the bad into good. I do not think any part of what I did was intended for bad. If God can make the bad into good, I know he can also make the well-intentioned imperfect into good.
Even the 24-minute Lyft ride, God was able to use as an opportunity for me to do His will. For the next few minutes, the Lyft driver and I had a few minutes together. I let God do His thing. Whatever He told me to do, is what I was to do. In imperfect Spanish, I spoke to the driver back and forth, and then a prayer soon followed after I got out of the car and got my bags out of the car.
And with that, my first mission trip on the Amtrak came to an end. I was now back home. I walked in my door, put down my bags and dropped to my knees thanking God, before I got back up and wrote down this story.
Thank you so much God. In the name of Jesus, I pray that the sharing of this story may bless and encourage, just as this story blessed and encouraged me by being able to live through it. Amen.
-Allan Stevo
This is a selection from my forthcoming book, “The Amtrak Vignettes.” A neat story began with the writing of “The Amtrak Vignettes” in October 2023. Every day until that story comes to an end, I intend to share a part of it here. It is a part of my faith journey as a Christian, a faith journey that has been deepened since the Ides of March 2020. Some of it gets pretty wild and nothing that a “reasonable” person would find himself in the midst of. Few will be scared off by it. Instead, many will grow deeper in their faith. I know that, because I know my readers well, and I know that few come here expecting me to give a milquetoast version of anything. Come here to be challenged. Stay here to have your life changed. That, I believe, is what will come of this work. You can support that work by signing up below.
This has been an inspiration to me.