The days started in Zambia at promptly 7:40 am, with a 30-minute walk to ministry, where we started our days at Maramba Old People’s Home. At the home, I, along with the rest of Team Jubilee and Team Valor, did various tasks such as mopping, sweeping, raking, gardening, and many other things. After we completed those tasks, we had the beautiful opportunity to sit with the forty residents individually, talking with them, reading to them, singing with them, and simply being with them. While I’m sure we weren’t supposed to have favorites, we all quickly were drawn to different people, mine being Sophia, (but we’ll talk more about her later).
In the afternoons at promptly 3:30, we would leave for an enormous, yet quite scenic, field, where we would do futbol (soccer for all you American peeps) ministry with the local children. The walk, again, would take approximately 30 minutes, and along the way, the kiddos would come out of their homes, grab our hands, and walk with us to the field, typically singing songs along the way. At the field, we would begin with the typical warm-ups and drills, before breaking out into a full on game of futbol. Often times, there were many girls who did not wish to participate in the futbol activities, and so would sit on the sides, watching it all happen. On those days, I would typically sit with them, talking, laughing, playing games, and rooting for whichever team we wanted to win.
On one particular day, I was sitting with some of the girls, when more, some of whom I have never seen, walk onto the field and over to where we are sitting. After I introduced myself, and asked what their names were, we all sat on the ground, and began to play a game. During the game, I knew that I needed to talk about Jesus in a more direct way than we typically did with the kids, but I didn’t know how to bring it up. As I sat watching the girls play, I asked God to give me a way in to talk about Him with these girls in a way that they would understand. Almost as soon as I asked Him those things, one of the girls, named Precious, paused the game, looked up at me, and asked, “Do you go to church?” My heart was immediately grateful for this door, and I responded, “Yes, do you?” Precious preceded to tell me that she, along with her friends, did go to church. I then asked her if she knew about Jesus, and she said not really. I was not surprised by this answer, as there is a culture of Christianity in Zambia, with little relationships actually being had with Christ. I told Precious that Jesus was really cool, and I loved knowing about Him. She then looked straight into my eyes, and said, “Tell me about your Jesus.” Such simple words to some, yet such powerful words to me.
This girl that I had just met, had just began to pray for, had just requested of me to share the most important thing in the world to her, and so I did. I started with Creation, and how God created the world, including her. I told her about how sin entered the world because of man’s choice of disobedience. I told her what sin is, and why God can’t be around it. I told her how God loved the world so much that He didn’t just leave them in their sin, but sent His very own Son to the world. I told her how about how Christmas is so important because it’s the time that Christians celebrate Jesus being born as a baby. I told her how Jesus did not stay a baby, but grew up, and began travelling and teaching about how He was God, and how much He loved the people. I told her how Jesus performed miracles, making the lame walk, the blind see, the sick healed, and the dead alive. I told her how people began to hate Jesus because He was teaching love, instead of hate, forgive instead of becoming bitter, trust instead of deceit, and revival instead of death. I told her how those people who hated Him eventually arrested Him, beat Him, and killed Him through crucifying Him. I told her about how Jesus stayed in the grave for three days, but on the third day, He rose from the dead. I told her how Jesus rising from the dead, meant that sin and death were forever conquered by Him. I told her about how He ascended into Heaven, reigning as King. I told her how Jesus endured all of those things because He loved us, because He loved her. I told her how Jesus wanted a relationship with her. I told her how He died so that she wouldn’t have to. I told her how all you have to do is ask, and Jesus will come into your life, forgiving all of our sin, and making us into a new creation. I told her how Jesus had done that in my life, and I was never the same. I told her about the difficulties of trusting Jesus. I told her how much more worth it is to trust Him anyways. And then I asked her if she wanted to have that Jesus living inside of her too. While Precious did not make a decision in the time that I spent with here last month, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that one day she will. I pray that everyday she thinks about that conversation that we had, and comes a little closer to accepting the free gift of Jesus.
Isn’t it cool, no, isn’t it mind blowing, how all we have to do is ask, and Jesus so readily gives us opportunities to share Him? How many times do we sit and wait for someone to ask us about Him, or for someone else to ask others, and yet Jesus is simply waiting for us to ask. He is looking at me; He’s looking at you, and patiently waiting for us to invite Him into spaces with others so that He can be made known.
I pray that I never forget the look on Precious’ face, and the question that came out of her mouth seconds later, because to do that would be to lose sight of the divine opportunities that God freely gives us, if we only ask Him to. It wasn’t only with Precious that the Lord gave me divine opportunities last month. Remember Sophia? Everyday, I got the beautiful blessing of sitting with her, reading through the Bible (Esther, to be exact), singing worship songs, and praying over her. Sometimes divine appointments look like sharing the full story of Jesus with a 13 year old girl who point blank asks you to, and other times divine appointments look like sitting with an 80 year old woman, reminding her of the value that she has in Jesus. I pray that everyday, I take every opportunity that Jesus has for me, because I know that in those times, that’s where one truly experiences the fullness of Christ.
John 3:16-17
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”
