Every week-day morning this month, we have followed two or three of our Kenyan friends into various neighborhoods. We've shared the gospel and prayed with people. It has been good, but it has also been a struggle. I am torn about the effectiveness of white-people doing door-to-door evangelism in Kenya. I am in no position to judge the heart attitude of the people we speak with, but I struggle to know whether my interlocutors truly want to accept what I have to say or they just want to appear obliging and friendly because I am white. I've been learning to trust that the Lord will work it out for good, I merely need to be obedient and speak His words. Regardless, it has not been easy. In fact, it is often quite awkward.
This week, just when I thought that door-to-door evangelism could not get any worse, our translator gets malaria and has to stay home. Thus, the nine muzungu girls trail along behind Simon, our passionate Swahili-speaking friend. We plod along patiently until Simon decides that this is the house we should stop at. We hover around in a group as Simon chats with the two women sorting beans in the front yard of the little hut. We obligingly follow Simon into the house after we hear one of the women say, "Karibu." ("Welcome" in English).
We follow our traditional pattern of filing in the room and finding seats for everyone. We then sit quietly as Simon introduces who we are and what we are doing. At least, I think that's what he is saying. I'm never quite sure. The room falls into an awkward silence after Simon communicates that he wants one of us to share something about the verse he just read – John 3:16.
Pam finally steps up and says a few sentences. The women, who by this time we've learned speak some English, nod as they listen to what Pam has to say. Usually, this is where our conversations end and we pray for the family. However, this group breaks tradition. The women turn to Pam and ask, "So, Jesus. He is the Son of God? So there is one God or more than one God?" An excellent question. Pam looks over at me and says, "Shannon?"
I take over the conversation at this point. I love talking about theology and Biblical truths, but I hesitated. Somehow I would need to explain the doctrine of the Trinity to two women who do not speak a whole lot of English. I said a quick prayer asking for wisdom and the right words. My initial instinct drew me to Genesis 1:1, but introducing a third language (Hebrew grammar) didn't seem like the best option. We pushed forward through a few other Scriptures on the Trinity and we talked about the roles of each person in the Trinity. The whole time, I emphasized the fact that there is only one God. The women began translating some of what I said to their neighbor, another participant who didn't speak any English. My limited knowledge of Swahili helped me understand that they were saying over and over, "Moja…moja." (Which means one!) At least some of what I said made sense, because after a few more questions, including a reference to Melchizedek in Hebrews, they seemed satisfied.
That wasn't the only question they had though. Our whole team stepped up to answer questions about loving people who were not Christians, dealing with neighbors who practiced witchcraft, setting a good examples to those people you meet, loving your enemies, and more. I can honestly say it was the most fruitful and enjoyable door-to-door evangelism experience I have ever had. I knew that these women truly wanted to grow. I am thankful that God was able to use me to answer some difficult questions.
