The Ultimate Treasure Hunt

I've been reading Kevin Dedmon's book, The Ultimate Treasure Hunt and I can't seem to put it down. It's a phenomenal book and extremely practical when it comes to evangelism. In short, a "treasure hunt" is when a group of people ask the Holy Spirit for specific "words of knowledge" or "clues". These clues that are written down on paper lead them to a divine encounter with a specific person (aka treasure - based on Luke 15 and the lost coin). Sounds crazy but this book is chalked full of stories that build your faith and stir your heart towards evangelism. I want to share one such story, not only because it's one of the most remarkable stories I've ever heard, but because it also keeps in theme with my last couple of posts. It's a bit lengthy but it will be worth your time!  Trust me!

Recently, my (Kevin Dedmon) son Chad took a group of junior high school kids out Treasure Hunting. They had several odd clues that led them to the parking lot of a well-known supermarket. One of the kids had "a woman with a back injury" on his list. As my son scanned across the parking lot, he saw an angel holding a banner that read "encounter" over a Middle Eastern woman who was beside her van.

Chad and the team approached the woman and asked if she wanted prayer. The woman adamantly declined, indicating that she was in a hurry. Instantly, the "back injury" clue came to his mind as the woman was backing out of the parking space, and he yelled out, "You were in a car accident two weeks ago. You have pain in your back and it hurts to sit down." Absolutely shocked, she stopped in the middle of the parking lot and confessed that she had been in a severe car accident two weeks prior, leaving her with a debilitating back injury.

They began to explain to the woman that they were on a Treasure Hunt and that she was the Treasure they were looking for. Chad then explained about the angel that he had just seen over her, and then felt impressed to boldly tell her that Jesus had recently visited her in her dreams. The woman began to cry and explained that she had been a very dedicated Muslim her whole life, but had recently been visited by Jesus four times over the previous ten nights in her dreams. She had not known what to make of the visitations other than that the messages she had received specifically told her to be expecting an "encounter."

Chad and the team gathered around and began to release the presence of Jesus on the Muslim woman. Immediately, all the pain left her back, and she was completely healed. Chad then talked to her about Jesus, and she responded, "I want to know Jesus the way you know Jesus."

So, there in a parking lot, this Muslim woman had an encounter that changed her theology in a moment. The team did not argue with her about the differences between Islam and Christianity. No, they just demonstrated the Kingdom of God in response to some "clues" they had received from the Holy Spirit, and followed a vision that directed them to the place in which God had already prepared a treasured heart to receive Him.