We had campus ministry last week. Leaving at 6:30 A.M., we would travel for an hour and a half to reach our destiniation. When we would get there, we would have bible study, break off in groups of 2, and go with a translator to tell young adults at the university of the love of Jesus.
That is the heart of evangelism. Telling people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, share your testimony, and how He wants relationship with them. We would do this for about 4-5 hours. A lot of pouring out, a lot of walking, but God sent us across the world to tell people about Jesus.
One morning, one of our translators asked us for a couple of us to go evangelize to a Muslim. Instantly I felt God telling me to go. That this was a task He designated for me. So I raised my hand, and my teammate Ryan said he would go also.
The moment I put my hand down, I thought, “Oh no…God, what did I just get myself into?” I felt a little scared. Being in a third world country, and being in a place of vulnerability.
But I felt the Holy Spirit already speaking to me, and reminding me of how He speaks through us, and how all of this, the World Race, loving strangers and teammates, everything is for His glory.
So Ryan, myself, and our Translator, Holy, (pronounced Hooly) left to go. It was a very long walk, but we were prayer walking, asking God to prepare the way. As we were walking, Ryan told me how the Holy Spirit told him earlier that day, how He was going to bring one of his Muslim children home. And there we were, on our way to share Jesus with a specific Muslim man.
Before we arrived, Ryan put it into perspective how the Lord loved this man so much, that He would call us across the world to come, and share about the love of Jesus with this man.
So I began to pray that the Holy Spirit would love through us, and place love in our hearts, that this wouldn’t just be about the, “experience” of it all, but about loving this specific man, that God created for His glory. On our way there we met a friend of Holy’s, who came to meet us, and lead us to our destination. He would also be one of our translators.
We walked for about an hour, finally arriving to an area, where there was a courtyard, and surrounding the courtyard were doors that lead to rooms about 10 feet in length and width. No doors, mostly curtains to cover up the doorway. We started walking down dust/dirt steps. Children, with big smiles, some missing teeth, all with dirty feet, clothes that were dirty, to big, or to small, they were staring and pointing. It is not common to see Americans in Madagascar, and people often assume your are French over American.
A man who was a Muslim, was waiting for us, wanting to ask questions about Jesus. When we arrived, we were invited by him into his home. We took our shoes off at the door, and walked into a very small room, big enough for one picnic table cover, a bucket and mop, brown, mud walls, with dirt floor and dishes piled in a corner. I was not sure if I should sit on the table cloth, so I kind of sat off to the side. But he was very kind, and asked me to sit on the cloth, so I wouldn’t get dirty. He was very kind, and hospitable.
He spoke French, so we had our two translators, to translate English, French, and Malagasi.
I asked if I could pray before we started, so he said yes. And I prayed. Inviting the presence of the Lord.
When I finished praying, there was a bit of an awkward silence. Then we invited him to ask any questions he wanted.
Honestly, he asked some of the hardest questions anyone has ever asked me. He asked about how God is three in one. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity. I have never thought about how you can explain the Trinity, because I was raised knowing this was how God is. But we were able to explain it, in a way he understood. Holy explained the Trinity as the sun, that the sun is one, but has three purposes. Energy, heat, and light. And that is how the Trinity is, three in one.
Then he started explaining how God is Allah, and also how God is the God of all the religions. And there is no difference between being Muslim, and being a Christian.
I look at Ryan and asked if I could take this one.
He nods his head, and for the first time I can remember, I felt righteous zeal, through the Holy Sprit, take over my vocal chords.
I have felt the Lords presence in me before, and He has spoken through me before…but this was different. There was no defensiveness, only His voice through me.
I looked him dead in the eye, and said, ” Jesus, is the difference.” And told him how Jesus is what made the difference between our walk with God the Father, and Allah who he claimed was the same God as ours.
The whole time, I’m praying for God to place love in our hearts for this man. That this would be about love, and not just a “story” to tell. I felt His presence fill me with love and grace. And I know He did the same thing for Ryan.
We talked to him about Jesus, and how Jesus is the only way to God. I told him how him asking these questions, and even being willing to talk to us, and hear what we had to say, that meant was he hungry for something more…that Jesus was pursuing his heart.
It was amazing how the Holy Spirit flowed through me and Ryan. He was what unified us, to both share what was on our hearts, share testimonies, and what He was showing us. He really spoke through Ryan and I, His presence was so strong, but more importantly, His love for this man was so strong and so evident, that we knew God had a special plan for that day. We felt so honored that God would send us specifically to tell this man about the love of Jesus.
And I felt the Lord prompting me to ask the man if he wanted a Bible. I did NOT want to ask this question, only because if he said yes, he wanted a Bible, and he could read English, I knew I would give him my Bible. Hahaha, I know so selfish, but eventually I did ask him about the Bible, and thankfully he did want a Bible, but could only read French. So we were able to get him a French Bible!
We prayed for him at the end. There was so much peace and light in the room. Let me tell you, I am so grateful for the opportunity God gave Ryan and I to tell this man about the love of Jesus.
When He is the one to organize a divine appointment, He ministers and speaks through us.
Friends and family, this is why I came one the World Race. So God could minister through me, and His power would work in me, and through me. Thank you for to everyone who has made this oppuruttunity possible for me. I am so beyond blessed and privileged. Thank you all so much.
