During our second day of ministry Doug, Jason, and I were given the task to walk through a small village in Romania to hand out New Testament Bibles. Going into our ministry I was excited but I had no clue what would happen by the end of our day. However, my heart deeply yearned to see Jesus move in the hearts of the people we would meet.
Passing out the Bibles started out normally enough, we went to each house and stuck the precious blue book in any section of the gate that would hold it securely. As this was going on my desire to see the Holy Spirit move grew at a peculiar rate, so much so that I found myself in tears as I was praying over the families that resided in the fenced off yards that I was passing.
After 99 copies of God’s Word had found themselves in the hands and metal posts of new owners the group of us reached the edge of the village with just one Bible left. As we started walking back towards the car my steps carried anticipation, I could feel that The Lord did not want us to go back without putting the last Bible in the hands of someone who desperately needed it, and God did not disappoint us.
We saw an elderly man walking with his flock of geese so we stopped to give him a Bible and to talk to him about Jesus. As our conversation deepened I felt an increase in pressure in my heart, he said he believed in God but it was evident that Jesus was not his Lord. He told us of how he had be deeply hurt by someone and of how he still holds bitterness and hatred in his heart towards that man. He said that he believed that God would never forgive the man that hurt him, in fact, he said that God would put his wrath on that man. At this point another man joined us and added his ideas and experiences to the conversation.
When we were talking to these men I became overcome with how my spirit ached for them to know the Jesus Christ that offers us so much freedom and forgiveness. Internally I was begging God to make himself real to the men, I pleaded that His love would be so tangible that it would be absolutely impossible to ignore and that the gift of salvation would be accepted. After a few more minutes Doug, Jason, and I stepped to the side to pray and our translators took over the conversation with these men. As we were praying our translators and the Romanian men were also praying, but this wasn’t just any prayer THEY WERE ASKING JESUS TO COME INTO THEIR HEART AND TO BE THEIR LORD!!!! WOW WOW WOW PRAISE THE LAMB!
Even though it’s days later my mind is still in awe of The Lord. I feel so humbled knowing that God does not have to use me to tell of his goodness, but because of his gracious love he allows us to partner with him. Our Father is more than capable of writing in the clouds or making donkeys speak or even burning a bush to show that he is God, but he loves to use very average people like you and me. Please join me in praying for the two men who are new to following Christ. Pray that their faith in sincere, that they resist the devil and his attacks, they will be grown by the Holy Spirit, and that they will have a community of other believers to encourage them.
Thank you for keeping up with me, loving me, and praying for me. I am honored to be able to tell you of how God is working around the world.
all the love,
Emily
“Or what woman, having ten silver coins,if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:8-10
