So as you might already know, min1stry has been more challenging this month because Vietnam is a closed country. We are not allowed to evangelize. So I had to do something a bit more challenging: I had to act out my faith instead of just talking about it.
Let me tell you a story: one of my favorite experiences in Vietnam.
One day I went to a coffee shop to do my devotion. I was planning on spending the day alone just reflecting on my Father and our relationship. I looked up from The Book and saw a girl sitting at a table. I felt the HS nudge me to talk to her, but I had no idea what to say. Later, I went to the bathroom and she came in as I was washing my hands. I told her I liked her outfit, and then we started talking. We will call her Allison. She is from Switzerland and touring Da Nang for this week. Allison was super bubbly and friendly. She wanted my info so we could hang out at a later time so I gave her my FB.
We ended up setting up a time to meet the next day at the same coffee shop. Going into the cafe I had a lot of expectations about our conversation. I started thinking about how I was going to tell her about J3sus and how much He loved her. I was going over how to pray to accept J3sus into your heart as your Lord and Savior. I was convinced that me talking about G0d was going to change her life. I was nervous but pumped.
I walked into the cafe, guns a blazing, ready to tell someone about J3sus. I saw her and sat down next to her. We started chatting, and right before I was about to blurt the “this is J3sus and He’s awesome” speech I had an overwhelming feeling to stop. Then I heard the Spirit say “just be with her, that is enough”. I was taken aback, “doesn’t J3sus want us to proclaim His name?” I was confused but decided to follow the voice and just be.
Allison and I talked about a lot of great things, about her life, her family and even a bit about my life. Allison was a very cool girl and we had a lot in common. I even learned that her mother was a Chr1stian. I asked if she was and she said she believed in a G0d but didn’t know the Bib1e well enough to be a Chr1stian. I told her that Chr1stianity is about knowing and loving J3sus and accepting Him as your Savior. She heard this but then changed the subject, but I was ok with it. I knew I was just supposed to hang out with her.
The next day, she invited me and my team to go get a tattoo with her. Since we had nothing going on that morning I thought “Sure! Never saw someone get a tattoo before!” My team and I ate breakfast with her at the same cafe, then went over to the tattoo parlor. We all hung out with her and watched her endure the pain of a full sleeve tattoo. Meanwhile, I decided to get my own tattoo! I got a cross on my wrist, an idea that Allison thought was great because she knew that my faith was important to me.
The next day, Allison had to leave to go back to Switzerland. I honestly have no idea if my team or I had any impact on her at all. But it was so much fun to just hang out with her and get to know her. I still pr0y for her. I pr0y that the time that we spent with her maybe “planted a seed”, a phrase I learned on the Race. Sometimes we don’t get to see the whole process of someone becoming a Christian. Sometimes we just have to plant seeds. The way we do this is through our actions and our words. Through the way we act and treat others, people will see that we are different. Once they find out that the difference is Jesus and their interest is sparked, POW!, a seed is planted.
This experience also helped me realize how important it is to do life with people. Sure we can just talk to random people on the road and tell them about the Father, but I think there is much more of an impact when we live day to day life with them. Through spending time with people and setting an example of love and grace, people will notice that something is different. I personally think that actions speak louder than words. I can talk about how great G0d is all day, but until they see the evidence of a loving G0d in my life, they will not understand. We as Chr1stians have to set the example, which can be challenging at times. But if we know deep down that we have a loving Savior in our lives, how can we not pour that love out to other people?
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
??John? ?13:34-35? ?NIV?
