It’s not very often that I just start right in with presenting the Gospel to a random stranger, but it’s not everyday that I get to go to the mall with Tara. We were on our way to the airport today and stopped at a food court so everyone could run in a grab lunch. We had a 45 minute stop, so I figured the best idea was to just run in and get the job done. Tara doesn’t always operate on that same schedule. We went into the mall and went straight to the candy aisle. Not exactly my ideal meal, but we had some time to kill. Before we even made it down the first aisle, Edward introduced himself and the conversation began.
I love to be the one that carries the conversation, but it was nice to watch Tara operate a little differently. She was wearing a jersey some of the guys from her squad made that have Jesus USA across the front and the name and number on the back are scripture references. Edward made a comment about her jersey and that’s all she needed. He told us how most missionaries come into the Philippines in a very proper manner and are hard to talk with. He told us how they have a great message to preach, but they never get the chance to know who they really are. Edward loved the idea behind the jerseys and said they must be a great outreach tool.
Our conversations continued and we found out that Edward longs to travel one day, but is in school and also working (most Filipinos don’t have the time or energy to work in college, so this is rare). Tara and I were just talking about how when we become Christians, God replaces out heart with His and so our innermost desires are often the things God wants for us. We asked if he was a Christian, and he said yes. We asked if it was truly his heart’s desire to travel, and he said yes. Then Tara told him that while we don’t always get what we want, God is a good dad and sometimes we just need to ask and be persistent (she and I have been a huge example of that this month). We asked if he wanted to pray for that and he got excited.
As we prayed over our brother in the middle of the candy aisle at this random mall, I couldn’t help but think about how easy this is. There’s not some formula to ministry, and often international ministry is no different than local ministry. We just need to be bold enough to talk about the things that have changed our lives. Then we just get to celebrate and pray over people and not even have to buy anything from the candy aisle. Even candy can’t top that….
