Before the World Race, I would not say I was a missionary. I might say I’m going on a mission trip or going to do mission work, but not that I am a missionary. For some reason, I thought there was some sort of level of godliness I had to reach before I got to missionary status. I had been on many mission trips and shared the Gospel many times, but I never saw anyone get saved as a result of something I said or did. I thought since I had not prayed with anyone to receive Christ I was not quite ready to be called a missionary.
At launch, the Lord reminded me of the parable of the sower. Some of the seeds fall on rocky soil, some get choked by weeds or get scorched by the sun, and only a few fall on good soil. For many years I read that story from the perspective of a seed. I wanted to be a good seed with growth and strong roots. That’s a great perspective, but this time, I read it from the perspective of the guy who was sowing the seed. I realized that I am like the sower. He probably threw out hundreds of seeds in order to get a good harvest. Prior to the Race, I had thrown out many seeds, but I just had not been there for the harvest.
I realized every encounter an individual has with Jesus is important. They may not get saved right then and there, but they are one step closer. I may never see them come to know Christ, and that is okay. I just need to keep telling people the good news of the Gospel. I prayed that I would become content with sowing because that is just as important for furthering the Kingdom. However, that does not change my desire to see people get saved; it just helped me realize that I am still making a difference.
Month 3 came and I still had not seen anyone come to Christ. The ministries for the months before did not really create opportunities for evangelism. We were mostly just serving them, which was still Kingdom work, just different than I expected. It was just a normal day in El Salvador, and I was teaching English for the La Casita children’s program. The plan for the day was to give out bracelets with different color beads that correspond to the story of salvation for the English lesson. I taught the lesson to a group of rowdy 10 and 11 year olds. I honestly did not think they were listening. At the end of the lesson, I asked who had accepted Christ. Most of the kids raised their hands, but one boy said he was not sure. I explained that he could be sure if he accepted Christ then. So he prayed for salvation that day. The next class came and we did the same lesson. I gave the invitation again, and no one responded. I continued teaching the rest of the lesson. A few minutes later, the class was doing the worksheet and the teacher pulled me aside saying another boy wanted to receive Christ. We prayed together and he got saved. Not just one, but two salvations in one day! I was so excited that I was being used to bring people to Christ AND be there to see it.
This month, we are in Uganda. Our ministry is mostly preaching and evangelism. It has been a great month so far. The first week I preached at a women’s ministry, two ladies prayed to receive Christ. I trust that we will continue to see souls won for Jesus in the coming weeks and months.
I am a missionary. I was a missionary before I prayed with people to receive Christ, and I am just as much of a missionary now that I have. The Lord is using my team and I to make a difference for the Kingdom. Only eternity will tell the difference we might have made. We will continue serving and sharing the love of Christ with everyone we meet. It is nothing I said or did that caused those people to accept salvation, but the Lord can use anyone that says yes to Him.
The Lord placed me on the World Race for a reason, and I know He will provide. I am still in need of funding to continue the Race. The end of January is our final financial deadline, and I lack $2000 to be fully funded. I am beyond grateful for every donation that has been given so far. I would not be here without all of your support. Thank you so much for your financial partnership and for your prayers. Please prayerfully consider donating to help me stay on the Race. Your donation is tax deductible and it is an investment in Kingdom work.
