Confession- I am intimidated by sharing the gospel with people.
I know, I know, I’m on a year long missions trip with the primary goal being to spread the gospel.
The fact of the matter is, however, that I’m about 140 days into this trip and have yet to do so.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve preached about the love of Jesus to villages in India, shared God’s love with people in Nepal and Cambodia, and showered blessings from above over orphans in Thailand. But up until this point of my time on the missions field, I haven’t been forced to boldly witness to someone on my own.
Until my ‘off day’ this weekend, that is.
After a morning spent talking to people back home via FaceTime and exploring the city with my friend Jordan, I stopped by a local food place to get my usual gluten/dairy/egg free lunch. Without having to ask what I wanted, the waiter went back to the kitchen to order my plain rice and steamed veggies for take away. As I sat down to wait for him to come back with my food, a man sitting at a table across from me struck up small talk, intrigued as to what a white girl was doing in Chinatown, Malaysia.
I’m embarrassed to say that I gave him very brief answers; we were warned about men here and instructed that it’s best to avoid interaction with them altogether. So when this man (who was around my dad’s age) asked if he could buy me a drink while I waited, I was quick to decline his invitation. Even if it would be culturally acceptable, I was looking forward to an afternoon of relaxation at our hostel.
But something about this man stuck out to me. I could see kindness in his eyes and a hungering for something more. I had a sense of peace when speaking with him and felt that he would be easy to open up to. So when the waiter came with my food, I moved over to this man’s table and continued our conversation.
We ended up talking for two hours about our families, our home countries, our travels, but, most importantly, our religions.
My new friend, Vijay, shared that he is Hindu, “but a special kind of hindu” he specified. Unlike some other men of his religion (his words, not mine), Vijay made it clear that he respects his wife, his daughter, and life in general. He explained the origin of the main gods he prays to, what buddha symbolizes to him, and ever so patiently answered all of my questions about his beliefs.
He goes to a temple to pray but he also prays throughout the day. He starts his morning by thanking his gods for waking him up and spends the day looking for the good that the gods see in each person he meets. As our conversation was coming to a close, Vijay set down his drink and looked me straight in the eyes.
“There’s just something about you that is so different…so special. What you have with Jesus, I respect that. I want that with my gods” he said.
I told him that Jesus wants to have a special relationship with everyone, that all we have to do is ask for Him. I told him about the promises that Jesus makes to us in the bible and everything that that book means to me. Vijay expressed that in that moment he wasn’t ready to commit to just one god, but that he would pray to Jesus about it. I assured him that I would pray for him, too.
I wish that there was a happier ending to my story; that Vijay gave his life to Jesus and went home to tell his wife and daughter about his afternoon. But that’s not what happened. The fact of the matter is that this is often times the way witnessing goes for us on the race. Social media allows me to paint a picture of all of the great times I have on the field. Although I wish I could say that that’s how it is all of the time, I would be lying to both all of you at home and to myself.
My hope in sharing this experience with you is that you wouldn’t grow discouraged in sharing your faith, either. You could be harshly rejected, plant a few seeds, or save an eternal life. Don’t let fear or an ‘imperfect’ situation stop you from witnessing. My talk with Vijay opened my eyes to how God is always with us, even if it’s over drinks with a stranger at a street vendor in a red light district. Live out your faith boldly, friends, you never know who you may reach.
Please join me in praying for Vijay and his family!
