When I woke up today, I realized almost immediately that this would be a day of spiritual warfare. I didn’t feel well and chose not to eat breakfast, and had to force myself to get in the van because once you’re in the van there’s no turning back. But then on the way to our mission points, a conflict arose about who was going where and which translators would be helping whom. We pulled off the side of the road to discuss the matter. After about 10 minutes of debate, I was back in the van headed for my mission point. Then a few minutes later the van was pulled over at a police checkpoint and only after “paying for a ticket” (read bribe here), we were allowed to proceed.
The most memorable person we spoke with was an 81 year old woman named Terez, a refugee from the Congo during the war in Burundi. She confessed that she had murdered many people through poisoning them and asked if it were possible for God to forgive her. She said that she was tormented by nightmares concerning one specific incident. She lived next door to an evangelist’s family and decided to kill the evangelist and his children, so she set out some poison in some food, only to have her own husband and children eat it by mistake. They all died. She had murdered her own family and now she is alone in her old age. Could God really forgive her for murdering her own family? Would she be able to go to heaven?
After a long discussion, she prayed to receive God’s grace and complete forgiveness! A pastor from the new church will be assigned to visit with her some more and help her work through her guilt and sorrow for her sins.
In all today, I was able to witness to over 200 people with more than 140 of them praying the prayer. But I have a confession to make: At the afternoon meeting I became frustrated and irritated at the van driver because he had gone AWOL with some of our supplies. That meant I was left to my own creative resources, so I told and acted out the story of David and Goliath. Even these basic Bible stories are unknown in this area, so it was a thrill to see the eyes of those listening when Goliath fell to the ground with a BAM as he was hit between the eyes with a stone from David’s sling.
When Manuel finally arrives with the van, my first words to him were not so nice. “Where have you been? You were suppose to be parked here all day!” Then he pulled out some report forms and told us that he had been sharing the gospel up the street and that 6 people had prayed with him. I felt about 6” tall as I realized that this man who had just accepted Christ into his heart four days earlier was now living out his faith. Amazing!
The drive back to the hotel was one of reflection as I tried to recall some of the faces in the crowds, the eyes that I looked into, and the dirty hands that I shook. Then I glance out the window of the van to see so many people walking along the road. How many of these hundreds of people would put their trust in Jesus Christ if given the opportunity?
There’s more work to be done…
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