06-11-2002, 01:20 PM
Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 09:37:34 -0500 <br><br><br>----- Original Message ----- The e-mail below was written by Lindsey <br>Yeskoo, the wife of Paul Yeskoo, a Christian Foreign Service Officer <br>serving in Shanghai, and details her experience of meeting the <br>President when he was in China a month or two ago. It underlines <br>why we need to be faithful in praying for the President in particular <br>and all our national leaders. <br><br>Dear Family! <br><br>It is a dull, polluted Monday morning here in Shanghai and we await <br>news of President Bush's safe arrival back in Washington D.C. He <br>just left here less than twelve hours ago. Everyone is breathing a <br>sigh of relief that no terrorist incidents occurred here over the past <br>days. Security was tight, as you will have seen on TV. On Friday <br>afternoon,a crowd of 600 consulate/embassy staff + families were <br>invited to a reception in the Atrium of the Shanghai/Portman <br>complex, at 3:15pm, to meet both GW and Colin Powell. We waited <br>a LONG time (due to all the security we had to go through), but our <br>anticipation outweighed our tired bodies and sore feet. [We had left <br>the house just after 10:30am in order to do all this!]. <br><br>Finally, Bush was announced, and it was SO INCREDIBLE to see <br>him walk in with Powell and take the podium before us, especially <br>with all the recent events. Quite emotional for us all, actually. <br><br>He gave a tremendous, candid yet heartening speech, and then <br>was escorted down to the floor to meet the crowds. Everyone was <br>of course behind a tight rope, and there were Secret Service men <br>and security everywhere. There was no way he could meet all, but <br>he sure did a great job of shaking hands with as many as possible. <br>Colin owell followed immediately behind him; he did not seem so <br>engaging, surprisingly. <br><br>Maybe the Secretary was (understandably) tired and distracted <br>after his previous trips to Pakistan and India. Anyway, the three <br>kids and I were in the very front row, and had an extraordinary <br>experience with President Bush. Bush came along and shook <br>Chris's hand first, noticing that he was all dressed up, and <br>said, "You're looking sharp today, boy!" Chris was SO PROUD and <br>SO PLEASED at the recognition (if only GW had known what a <br>struggle I'd had to get him to wear a jacket and a tie!). Then he <br>shook my hand and I told him how much we value his strong <br>leadership at this time, that we are 100% behind him. He went on <br>and took the girls' hands and talked to them. <br><br><br>Then I leaned over and mentioned that we pray for him every day. <br>He stopped dead in his tracks (a definite security NO-NO... > the SS <br>men got REALLY antsy). He searched my eyes as if to see how <br>much I really meant what I was saying. Then he gave me the most <br>amazing and unexpected personal response, Paul said for a good <br>20-30 seconds. <br><br>He told me what the effect has been on him, waking up every day of <br>the crisis and knowing within himself that he is being faithfully <br>prayed for. He almost pleaded with me not to give up, but to persist <br>with it, for this is only the beginning. Then he looked me even more <br>squarely in my eyes, and gave me a very personal and specific <br>series of instructions about the very things he most needs prayer <br>for, on behalf of himself and of the nation. <br><br>He urged me that the threat against America is very great, and that <br>one of our focuses in prayer to God needs to be "the shielding of <br>America"... and wisdom for him as he leads the country through this <br>time. I don't know why, but as I looked straight back at him directly <br>into his face, he let me see for those brief moments a tiny part of <br>the agony he himself is going through, and the weariness. He <br>finished the conversation by putting his hand on my right shoulder, <br>almost as if it were the close of a commissioning, but affectionate <br>too in a brotherly sort of way. People were pressing in at this point <br>and almost knocking the four of us right into Bush. Many of them <br>were the Chinese staff who work for Paul, who would not have <br>understood ANY of that conversation; but others caught snippets <br>and came afterwards to ask me WHAT we had been talking about. <br>The President moved on. <br><br>Needless to say, the whole experience was unforgettable. I cannot <br>begin to tell you how deeply it has affected me. Certainly, I do not <br>think I have ever prayed for a leader or government or nation (or <br>world!) so extensively as I have done since then. It was really quite <br>an unusual and unexpected and powerful encounter." <br><br>What a blessing to have a professing Christian as President. Please <br>take a moment after you read this to pray for him. He truly does <br>have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Pray that God will <br>sustain him and give him wisdom and discernment in his decisions. <br>Pray for his protection and that of his family. After you have <br>prayed, send this to everyone on your e-mail list. Our President <br>needs Christians around the world to be praying for him. <br><br>As this makes the e-mail rounds, eventually there could literally be <br>people praying for him 24/7 . This was good, very good.<br><br>"Seek Ye first the Kingdom of God"<br><br><br><br>Famous last words: "Ah Bears are too big and fat to run fast"