A Life in Mission

It’s hard to believe that it was just hours ago…  Just hours ago I had 7 people in my house! Missionaries from another part of the country, they came to town to sort out residency. They are working in Maasai land building a Bible training school.

It was so nice to have all of them in my house! I gave them free reign to the kitchen, and just told them to make themselves at home… It was so different from the last month of living by myself. It’s so nice to have other people in the house, especially ones from my home country, and it’s encouraging to share experiences and simply to enjoy the fellowship. Hearing how God is working in other parts of the country is always encouraging, and sharing burdens is always a blessing. Perhaps this is why God often puts similar people and families together in His work.

But it’s not always this way. I know from experience. Fellowship with likeminded people from my culture is something I don’t take for granted. It’s something I try to enjoy every second of. Because I know later I will wish I had enjoyed it more. When trials come, it’s friendships like these that help to strengthen one’s steps and fortify their position. It’s experiences like these that I can’t take for granted. They are treasures not to be dispensed with.

But there’s another Friend, who also can’t be dispensed with. He is all present, He is with us everywhere we go, He is a friend that we can always talk to no matter where we go or what we do… Do you know Him?

Something inside me instantly recoils at the thought of going and passing out tracts, books or literature. And yet, I do it despite my inner feelings. And God blesses. Actually once I start, I quite enjoy giving things out, and getting people to take them. And in addition to that, is the joy of knowing that a few more people have truth in their hands.

Today was a similar experience, but different. The students were going out to give out literature to the people in the community nearby… At first that recoil came, but I knew I should go.

“How can I become a  child of God?” This African man seemed a little groggy… I had given him a tract in his language about health, but he kept asking me the same thing, “What do I need to do to be a child of God?” Little by little his story came out. He was struggling with drinking, even drinking in the morning before work. He had been a Christian, going to a church not far away. But he had backsliden, and now he was just struggling. He wanted to change, but he didn’t know how. How could he change when he was constantly drinking?

“Spend time reading the Bible everyday, and pray to God and ask Him to give you the strength, and choose not to. The choice is yours. God can’t force you to stop drinking. You have to choose, and then He will give you the power.” I said it several times, rephrasing it to make sure he understood. After praying with him, he went back to work. I pray that he won’t be the same.

If I wouldn’t have gone out, he might still be working his mechanic job, unchanged, and struggling, not knowing how to overcome. If you have an opportunity to witness to someone can you really pass it by and leave them struggling alone without knowledge of the truth? I’m afraid I pass up far too many opportunities…  I’m so glad I didn’t pass up this one.