The best thing about being a missionary is the personal
relationships we gain, and the ability we have to spread the many prayers we
encounter far and wide.
So in that respect, here is a big one.
Last Wednesday, some of the girls on my squad and I went
into Dublin and got to work with a ministry there done by an awesome man of
faith named Mickey Walker. He does street corner ministry, where he draws
storyboards, which invite conversation and evangelizes the people he encounters
through this. As a part of this, we stood watching and listening, and then once
he was done drawing, we started conversations with the people around us, not
jumping straight to their salvation, but having real conversations with them,
and actually getting to know them.
On this day, Lia and I met a man named John. He was pointed
out to Lia as one of the biggest drug dealers in Dublin, and we went to talk to
him, who was already conversing with a friend with one of our squad mates. Through the conversation we got to have
with him for quite a while, we found out a lot about him, his faith, and his
struggles.
John was born a Catholic, and claims to know the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible, but admits that he only calls himself a Catholic
because he was raised as one. He has a faith, which pulls from many of the
different faiths he has studied and taken to, a lot of which is taken
particularly from Hinduism. His faith is a manipulation of Biblical standards,
and one through which he has made excuses for his life style.
John is a meth addict and has been for over a decade. When we
met him he had quite a shiner on his left eye, and severely bruised ribs from
being attacked by a teenager, and many years of drug use have deteriorated his
health and teeth. And as stated earlier, he is a well-known drug dealer in
Dublin.
Lastly, John is HIV positive. He refuses to take any medicine for it, claiming that it is
in fact the meth that is saving his life, and is the reason why he wont get the
help he needs, and chooses instead to “wean off of the drug” instead.
Through the length of time Lia and I got to talk to him, we
were able to bluntly and plainly talk about his faith and the way it differed
from ours, shedding light on the lies Satan had spoken over him, and showing
him what true love and grace of God looks like. Most importantly, we were able
to pray over him, which he was incredibly thankful for.
So, I ask you, the ever-ambiguous reader, to pray for John.
Pray for freedom from the bondage which continues to hold him captive, pray for
healing, both physical and spiritual, and most importantly please pray for his
salvation. Join me in keeping him prayerfully in our hearts, with faith that
God can move in his life, even if we never see the fruitions of our prayers. Thank
you, and God bless.
