I first met Esther in the chaos of the Masai Market in Nakuru, Kenya. She was the first street vendor to bring me inside her shop for safety when a deranged woman, high on glue, became violent outside of the market. Together we began to pray for the woman on the street. That one act of kindness from Esther was the beginning of our unlikely friendship. Esther is on fire for Jesus. Esther is a light to her community of street vendors. There is nothing luke-warm about her relationship with Jesus or her work ethic. The first day that I met her, I was given the priviledge to pray with Esther for her shop's sales, for her family, for peace in the election coming up in Kenya next year, and for strength for her to be a good witness and reliable servant of Jesus. My team and I were in Nakuru for one month. I was able to visit with Esther multiple times, and each time was a blessing. Her passion for the Lord and her complete faith and reliance on Him was incredibly encouraging. There was so much to be learned from this hard working, Jesus loving, Kenyan grandmother. Through our encounter, I was given the gift of seeing good fruit come from powerful prayers. I also grasped the importance of being intentional in every conversation. After our final prayer together, we said a tearful goodbye. I am blessed to know that I will meet Esther again when we both meet our Heavenly Father.
I met Ebony on an extremely hot, very sunny afternoon in Nakuru. When he first approached me, I was able to detect a faint scent of alcohol on his breath. I noticed that Ebony didn't want to make eye contact with me, he just wanted me to buy something from his shop. When he realized that I was not interested in buying anything, I assumed that he would be on his way to the next target or "Mzungu." But I quickly realized that God had put him in my path on purpose…and he wasn't going away. We started talking about why I was in Kenya, which led to a short conversation about Jesus. I asked him if he believed and he said that religion just wasn't for him. A few minutes later he walked away and I went to find refuge under a large shade tree outside the market with my teammates. I thought that I had done the "christian thing." I offered him a chance at salvation, that was all that I needed to do right? Wrong. About 20 minutes later, during a conversation with another street vendor, Ebony came around the corner. He sat down on the curb and just listened to our conversation about Jesus. For someone who didn't said he wasn't interested, he sure liked to listen. So after a few minutes, I felt the Holy Spirit tugging at me to go sit next to him on the curb. So reluctantly…I did. Ebony started asking me lots of biblical questions. He wanted to know all about Adam and Eve. He wanted to know if he had to believe in Jesus to be saved. He wanted to know about Judgement Day. I answered all of his questions, with some definite guidance from the Holy Spirit. Then I very clearly understood that God was telling me that I needed to give Ebony my bible. I was not excited about this request from the Lord, but I was obedient. So I told him that he could have it. He was thankful, so thankful in fact that he promised to come to church the next Sunday to bring it back to me. I told him that if he did come to church, that I would have a new bible that I would give to him. Me, being the cynical person that I am, didn't really think that Ebony would show up. But I bought a bible anyways and brought it with me to church, just in case. But again….I was wrong. God was right. He is always right. Sunday morning came around and to my surprise, who was sitting toward the back of the church with my bright pink bible in tow? Ebony. Of course. After service I gave him his new bible, and he gave mine back to me. I asked him if he had any other questions. By the grace of God, Ebony replied that all of the questions that he had were being continually answered through the Bible. He said that he would ask a question, and immediately he would find the answer. I asked him if he was ready to trust in Jesus and give Him his life. Ebony said that he had decided that being a Christian is what he wanted, he just wasn't sure if he was quite ready yet. I told him that I was so happy that his questions were being answered by the Lord, and that I would continue to pray for him. God used this situation to open my eyes to how He is working and pursuing the hearts of His children all of the time. I just felt so blessed to be able to be a part of the Lord's plan to show Ebony His love. I was also made aware of how it is crucial to be obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. If we are not obedient, we miss our opportunity to be used as God's hands and feet. I am continuing to pray for Ebony and I have faith that he will soon give his life to Jesus.
It was on our final stop during a morning of door to door evangelism in Morogoro, Tanzania that I met Eunice. My team and I first spoke with her son who was outside in their family garden with his beautiful 3 month old baby girl. Eunice then appeared from inside of the house, and she brought with her wooden stools for all of us to sit on under a tree in her garden. I was handed her granddaughter and through our translator I was made to understand that Eunice wanted me to take the baby with me back to America. After a few laughs, some explanation of what I was doing in Tanzania, and a lot of baby drool dripping all over my skirt, I was invited to share the gospel with Eunice. I found out quickly that this family that the Lord had brought my team to on that morning…was a muslim family. They identified themselves as part of the Islamic faith. I was worried at first because of the stereo type or preconceived notions that I had about muslims. But the more that I talked to Eunice about Jesus, the more interested she became. When the Holy Spirit gave me the boldness to speak His truth, she did not become angry or violent. She was not closed off. Eunice just wanted to know more about Jesus' love. She wanted to know why He would die on the cross for her. I expressed to her the freedom that Christ alone could offer to her. I asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Eunice said yes. Oh and her laugh, really more of a giggle, that began immediately after she became a believer….completely changed my definition of the word joy. Incredible. That day I was able to count Eunice as a sister in the Kingdom. A few days later, I was able to visit with her again and give Eunice her first bible. I have never seen a woman be more grateful for a gift. I felt truly blessed to be able to bless this beautiful daughter of the almighty King. I can't wait to hear her joyous laughter again one day under a shade tree in Heaven.
There are people everywhere that need to encounter the love of Jesus. Esther, Ebony, and Eunice are just 3 of God's beloved children that needed some encouragement. They just needed someone to stop and to take the time to talk with them, to value them, to laugh with them, just as Christ himself would have done.
Who are the people in your life that need you to be Jesus to them today?
I challenge you to pray, to open your eyes to the people around you, and to be obedient when the Lord speaks.
If you listen to the Holy Spirit's prompting, He will most certainly lead you to your Esther, Ebony, or Eunice.
