I call him the Mud Preacher. We walk through filthy alleyways, passing trash, waste, forgotten clothes .We walk together every afternoon in the rain, in the sun, in the humidity. We walk through grass, past cornfields, past banana trees and ALWAYS in mud.
His real name is Pastor Jojo. He pastors a small local church in the villages of Malaybalay City. Every singe day is spent in ministry. He starts house visits at 7am, and continues this routine until late in the afternoon. He doesn’t just visit the sick in the hospital, or the members of his church. He targets the poorest of poor, the forgotten, and the broken. His purpose is simple. He just wants to share the love of Christ. He says things like, “It is now time to lead them to Christ” or, “We should now share with them the love of our God.” He methods are simple. We were walking one afternoon when my friend Liz asked him what he did when he was tired. Did he still go to house visits every day?
“No I stay home and rest,” he said.
And when he is feeling weak in the spirit?
“I pray.”
In a community where the average houses are the size of our walk in closets, one can’t help but gain some perspective. Working alongside of him this month, I can absolutely say that he changed the way I view ministry. We might visit 4 or 5 houses…we might only visit one. The number doesn’t matter. It is the people that matter! This month, I was able to see three people come to Christ. I was able to actually feel, FEEL the Holy Spirit in the room with me during the visits. I found so much joy in naming a 5-day-old baby, through teaching children the story of Jonah. I found joy praying for sick people, hearing old Attes sing hymns in their language. I found so much joy walking through mud, through jungles, through rain.
I call him the Mud preacher for many reasons. Yes he walks through mud, and I must add, without any mud on his shoes because apparently, there is a way to walk on mud. But more than the obvious, God uses him to lift HIS people our of the mud, our of the clay, and set their feet on solid ground. God uses his Mud Preacher to show the love of the Father. I can safely bet that even as I write this blog, Jojo is walking through the mud somewhere, past the fields of crops, past the villages, Bible in his hand, a soft and sweet smile on his face.
