When I graduated from college the job market in Kansas City was...soft. I applied for a lot of different jobs in the area and the only place I heard back from was Caribou Coffee. It was March and I had graduated in January, so i took the job. I typically went in to work between 5-6 in the morning. This shift had a regular group of employees who worked it and we all got to know each other pretty well. A couple of the girls who worked this shift with me had attended a Christian college just outside Chicago and there were a lot of stories that were exchanged about different experiences we had either had personally, or knew about from someone else...this is one of those stories:
A missionary in Central Asia was just getting through his last phase of culture shock. He was becoming accustomed to his new neighbors, the new food, the new smells, and most of all the new people that had become a part of his everyday life. Part of his new life included daily trips to the market to get his food for the day. His route to the market would take him past the same house everyday and as time went on-and-on he began to feel the Lord pushing him to talk to the gentleman who live at the house. He put it off for awhile, but in time the push became too overwhelming and he decided he would step out in faith.
As he approached the house he was feeling extremely nervous. He didn’t know exactly what he was going to say or how he was going to approach the man so he decided to pray for words. As he knocked on the door he still didn’t know what was going to come out. Suddenly, the door opened and there stood the man right in front of him. He opened his mouth and the only thing that came out initially was air, until he finally found his voice, “I walk past your house everyday and I have felt God telling me to share who Jesus is with you.” The man stood there and finally said back to him, “You need to get off my property.” and slammed the door. The missionary turned and walked away. Determined not to give up, he thought he would try again the next day. The next morning he once again walked up and knocked on the door. “I really want to share with you what Jesus has done in my life and what He could do for you.” This time the man was not so hospitable, “I told you yesterday that you need to get off my property, if you come back tomorrow I will kill you.” The missionary turned and and fled the property. He spent that night praying, asking God to give him strength to try one more time.
As morning broke the next day the missionary knew what he had to do. He got up and walked to the front door of the man’s house. With a huge lump in his throat and mustering every bit of courage he had he knocked...and knocked again. This time, though, the door crept open and instead of a grown man’s face, he was met by the face of a little girl. Staring at each other momentarily the missionary decided this was his one opportunity to share the Gospel with this household. “I have felt God pushing me to share about Jesus Christ with you. Jesus was the Son of God and came to earth and died for our sins. He loves you and wants to have a relationship with you...” at this moment the door flung open and there stood the man, this girl’s father, from the previous two days. “I told you I would kill you if you came back!” he yelled. As he went to grab the missionary the little girl shouted, “No daddy, he’s telling the truth!” The man stopped in his tracks, looked at the little girl, and fell to his knees weeping. He hugged his little and then looked at the missionary, who was in a bit of shock, and said, “My daughter had never said a word in her life until this moment. I want to know more about this Jesus.” That day the man, his daughter, and the rest of his family gave their lives over to Christ and were baptized.
This story brought tears to my eyes when I heard it for the first time. How many opportunities do we have each day to share the love of Christ with those around us? It doesn’t necessarily have to be as blunt and straightforward as this missionary was, but be perceptive tomorrow. How many times do you drive or walk by the same homeless man or woman begging for change? How often do you buy coffee or a soda from the same person each day and ask how they are doing? Trust me, people certainly do know us by our love, or lack their of. Be brave, be bold, and share that love with others!
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