He Moves in Mysterious Ways

Rewind one year ago. I was recently
accepted to the World Race and furiously selling its merits to all
the people I loved. Convincing them that not only was it a good idea
for me to go, but that they should support me so I could. I would
talk about:

• The amazing opportunity to visit
  11 countries in 11 months.

• The way I would get to see many
  different missions, cultures, and ministries in hopes that I will
  have better discernment about my calling.

• How I would work with children to
  show them God’s love.

• How we could do construction,
  painting, feeding programs and other hands on/ end result
  ministries.

• How I would become a family with
  my team.

• The people who we would meet and
  bless.

• How we would partner with locals
  to help plant churches and further current ministries

• AND SO MUCH MORE

So I shared all about the World Race,
selling everyone including myself on all these amazing things I would
get to do (and have experienced in incredible ways in just 4 short
months). There was one thing I left out though. There was one word I
was careful to leave out as much as possible; not because I don’t
believe in it, but because it scares me. Evangelism.

Here in Africa, that is what we do. We
go to a neighborhood and knock on doors to evangelize to the
community. We go to tell them about God’s love and pray for them. We
preach in churches, some groups spent much of last month doing
open-air evangelism events on street corners and markets in Kenya and
we are expected to bring the Gospel wherever we go. Shoot.

Of course I want to spread the Gospel.
I want as many people as possible to learn about the saving grace of
Jesus Christ. I want every person I meet to join the family of
Christ, to know their loving Father in Heaven. But I don’t want to
force it on someone. I don’t want someone to say a prayer to the air
to please the wazungu (white people) in their home. I don’t want
people to make real commitments when I am unsure if there is any
follow-up. I don’t want to make new brothers and sisters just to
leave them in the pit they prayed to get out of.

I’m still struggling with this idea. I
have faith that God will provide for every person we meet. I also
have been incredibly impressed with our contacts and the follow-up
plans they have. I will continue to pray for the new Christians who
have just allowed Him into their hearts and for more to join that
number. I just have to remind myself of this every morning we have
“door-to-door” as our ministry.

This morning I was sitting in church
when someone came up to our group and said they needed people to
teach Sunday School. I promptly got up because I always take an
opportunity to be with the kids. I walked into a room of at least 100
kids and 2 adults all looking expectantly at me, with the greeting,
“I will be your translator.” 25 minutes later after sharing the
children’s version of my “River of Life” message I was praying
with 23 young Ugandans who wanted the River of Life Christ promises.
We sang the song and rejoiced together as 23 more children have a
River of Life flowing out of them. They will be discipled in a church
that I believe in. God provided the perfect opportunity to remind me
that He creates the place for those to enter into His presence. I
did not expect to “pray the prayer” with those kids this morning,
but I’m so glad I did. If there was no evangelism there would be no
Christians. It is called the Great Commission for a reason.