by Mike Nicolai
Many members of the SCPC team and I were dispatched to a village located approximately 12 miles down dirt roads from where we were staying. Once we arrived, some of the team played with the many kids and taught them songs. The remainder, accompanied by FTS (Fishers Trainers and Senders) team members, went deeper into the village to meet locals and evangelize to them. For me, the word ‘evangelize’ does not promote positive memories. I then remembered Pastor Tod’s sermon where he encouraged people to evangelize by focusing on your actions and leading by example. Not so much by speaking words. I prayed for guidance and focus in demonstrating God’s love to the villagers I was soon to meet.
Aubrey (from FTS) and I came to meet a woman who was sitting near a mud walled, thatch roofed home. With Aubrey’s help translating, we came to learn that this woman had just left the villages ‘Church of Abraham’ and had just started attending another Church in a nearby valley. I asked what it was that she was looking forward to from this new Church. “I want to learn more about Jesus and then spread the gospel to my friends and neighbors”. So I asked what it was she was going to do to help spread the gospel. “I’m going to spread the gospel to my friends and neighbors.” I replied “but what are you going to do?” She said “I don’t understand.” So I asked what her favorite food was. “Nsima with mustard” (maize flour and water - a staple food in Malawi). Do you like to cook? “Yes.” Try this; cook your favorite food, but not for yourself. Take it to your neighbor and offer it to them. Explain what you have recently learned about Jesus at your new church. How you met me and how we talked about demonstrating God’s love to others. Then encourage your neighbor to cook their favorite dish for their neighbor. And so on. Let us pray one day, for you to hear a knock on your door, from a different neighbor holding out their favorite dish.
Mike demonstrated by sharing his peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the woman.
What an awesome "sermon" for all of us, especially me. Listening and serving and sharing about Jesus in your own life is "evangelism". Thanks for serving our brothers and sisters in Malawi. Cant wait to hear more stories.
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