getting prepared to go to the mission field is no easy task. the mission field itself isn't an easy task, so it is so important to be prepared...as much as possible anyways. i have been stretched and pulled like taffy during the past two months. it has had its hard days and its good days, not to mention the exciting days of ministry where i can't wait to get to Madagascar!
during this time, a trip to NYC is built in. the goal of the trip is to try out evangelism tools we have learned with (hopefully) our target people group. we all had to find a way to get there and back home and a place to stay. we took the train...the 7 hour train ride was something I was looking forward to!
we were able to do some really fun things! sharing the Gospel is living life and telling people on the way! we met some really neat people while "watching" the Rockefeller Tree Lighting in the rain. by watching, i really mean standing on the road behind the tree, not seeing anything, but we did hear all the wonderful performances! we met people, while we were all smooshed together, from all over! you never know who needs to hear about the love of Jesus, you just have to be obedient to sharing.
one night, we were asked to get out in the city and "rub elbow" with New Yorkers. while going back to Rockefeller, we met a security guard. he was from Romania and was absolutely hysterical! he had us all in stitches. while standing there he shared of his unhappiness in his marriage and we were able to speak truth into that. he didn't turn away or laugh at us for sharing what we knew would fix his problem. he listened, rather intently actually. who knows how the Lord used that! my prayer is that he went home and worked on his marriage!
our days were filled with walking the streets in Harlem sharing the love and hope of Jesus. granted, those days were mostly wet and cold, but we trudged on! in all of our walking (about 9+ miles a day), we were able to meet some of the sweetest people. people that helped us and wanted to know more about us. i almost felt like i wasn't even in America anymore! we were surrounded by people from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal. there are approximately 100,000 Africans in NYC. if you've been to Africa, you know that being around Africans makes you feel at home. there is something about the entire continent of Africa that puts you at ease.
we shared the entire Gospel with 3 people during our time there! one conversation in particular brought tears to the man's eyes. you could visibly see the Lord working in his heart. during our conversation with him, he spoke of wanting to make his heart clean, but worried about his family telling him he's crazy. that is such a reality for so many people. the cost is so great for him. so great, in fact, he could be disowned from his family.
the Bible tells us that "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18). oh, that the Word would become the power of God in that man's life. that he would see God's power and let it change his life no matter the cost.
so many of us have grown up with the knowledge of Jesus, that we forget how important it is to remember how great His power is. we need to remember that the Gospel is worth the cost, no matter what. many of us will go on, living life, in our comfortable places, possibly never sharing the Gospel with even our neighbor. ask God to grow in you a passion to see His power at work changing lives. don't sit idly by.
people are perishing thinking the cross is folly. if you don't tell them about its power, who will?
during this time, a trip to NYC is built in. the goal of the trip is to try out evangelism tools we have learned with (hopefully) our target people group. we all had to find a way to get there and back home and a place to stay. we took the train...the 7 hour train ride was something I was looking forward to!
one night, we were asked to get out in the city and "rub elbow" with New Yorkers. while going back to Rockefeller, we met a security guard. he was from Romania and was absolutely hysterical! he had us all in stitches. while standing there he shared of his unhappiness in his marriage and we were able to speak truth into that. he didn't turn away or laugh at us for sharing what we knew would fix his problem. he listened, rather intently actually. who knows how the Lord used that! my prayer is that he went home and worked on his marriage!
we shared the entire Gospel with 3 people during our time there! one conversation in particular brought tears to the man's eyes. you could visibly see the Lord working in his heart. during our conversation with him, he spoke of wanting to make his heart clean, but worried about his family telling him he's crazy. that is such a reality for so many people. the cost is so great for him. so great, in fact, he could be disowned from his family.
the Bible tells us that "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18). oh, that the Word would become the power of God in that man's life. that he would see God's power and let it change his life no matter the cost.
so many of us have grown up with the knowledge of Jesus, that we forget how important it is to remember how great His power is. we need to remember that the Gospel is worth the cost, no matter what. many of us will go on, living life, in our comfortable places, possibly never sharing the Gospel with even our neighbor. ask God to grow in you a passion to see His power at work changing lives. don't sit idly by.
people are perishing thinking the cross is folly. if you don't tell them about its power, who will?
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