The organization I worked with while living in Mexico would host short-term missions teams throughout the year. We’d set up a variety of ministry for groups to be involved in and then spend our weeks doing evangelism, food distribution in poor neighborhoods, various church services, construction projects, orphanage visits, etc.
My first summer on staff, I was often used as a translator for our English speaking teams. As they stumbled through our gringo lingo book to invite a family to a service or tell them about Jesus, they looked to me for help. I dreaded the evangelism days the most. I was afraid that the people we encountered would ask me a question about God that I wouldn’t be able to answer, much less translate into Spanish!
One afternoon I had tried really hard to get out of going with a group to hand out Bibles, but much to my chagrin we were short on Spanish speakers and I was needed. I remember praying before we knocked on the first door that God would use me even though I had no idea what to say. As we began talking with the woman at the door, I was reminded that while I didn’t have all the answers I did have a story. And sure it was nothing like Paul’s Damascus road experience, but Jesus had done things in my life and he could use that. The woman at the door came to know Christ that day – a beautiful moment that I’ll never forget!
“…to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.” –Acts 26:18 (NLT)
How has Jesus changed your life? With whom can you share that?
-Gina G.
I recently shared my story if faith with an old friend, and then found out that she began to search for a church near her in Virginia. This past weekend she accepted the Lord and was saved. I've been thanking God ever since that He helped use my story to guide her!
ReplyDelete