Every evening in India, our team travels to a different village to pray with the people and put on a program for them. The spirituality of the villages varies;: some have a strong church and body of believers, others are mostly Hindu, but most have been reached with the Gospel even if they have chosen not to accept it.
One memorable night earlier this month, our translator informed us that the village we were going to was very old fashioned, culturally speaking. This showed itself in their style of dress, type of housing, and way of acting. Even though we had only been in India for a short time, we immediately picked up on these differences upon entering the village. And while we walked around from house to house, no one asked us to pray for them. Instead we just smiled and waved, held children’s hands, and stopped to take pictures with them. By the time the program was set to start, a large crowd had gathered.
It was dark and the village had no electricity. We took turns spotlighting each other with headlamps as we moved through skits, songs, testimonies, and preaching. The children were clapping along, laughing, and thoroughly enjoying themselves. At one point in the program Sam stood up to share her testimony. Before she launched into her story, she asked a simple question. “Do you know who Jesus is?” Our translator repeated the question to them. The smiles never left the children’s faces, but they all shook their heads “no.”
It was like all the air had been knocked out of me. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes. Libby and I silently reached for each other’s hands in the darkness.
I knew this moment would come on the Race; the one where you are introduced to the people that have never known the name of Jesus. That doesn’t mean I was prepared though. You can be told something a million times, but sometimes it takes coming face-to-face with it to truly believe.
And right as my heart was on the point of breaking, the Father stepped in. You see, it was His plan all along to give Sam the privilege of bringing the Truth and the Light to these people. The children eagerly listened as Sam explained about God’s Son Jesus and His great love for them. They were delighted to hear His story. As we left the village that night, many of us were in awe of the opportunity God had presented.
The sad reality when we entered the village was that they did not know who Jesus is. The incredible truth when we left the village is that they had been introduced to Him.
I realized that night that I can either dwell in sadness over those who have not heard, or I can get up and go tell them myself. I choose to keep spreading His Truth throughout the nations.
