Monday, June 26, 2017

If I leave my faith....

This week we had the privilege of going to L village.  This village is special to me because this was the first village I visited when I was in SEA last summer.  I had the honor of meeting and catching up with many people there, especially D, our host.  D is one my favorite people in SEA, and he is an extremely receptive individual.  When you think of someone who is searching to know the truth of God’s Word in a climate that has absolutely zero believers, that is him.  In fact, the village mosque is right down the street from his house.

We prayed before & during our stay in L village that the Lord would present opportunities to share the Gospel with D.  The first opportunity presented itself on Wednesday when Johann & I went hiking with D to a mountain village. During the hike on Wednesday, the Lord gave us the opportunity we had earnestly been praying for that week.  We talked with D for a long time and over the course of conversation he made the comment he wanted to see in the Bible where Jesus said he was God.  We both eagerly told him we would love to show him.

The next night we were sitting outside eating dinner, and he still had not mentioned going over the Bible.  I had been waiting for him to bring up going over the Bible and discovering the truth about Jesus, but he still had not said anything.  As I finished eating, I began to think about this and how I would bring it up naturally to him.  My thought had barely finished in my mind and I heard D ask if we could show him in the Bible where Jesus said he was God.  I cannot tell you how amazing it was to hear those words from him.  All I could think was to praise The Living God!  He hears our very thoughts and is always in control.

We read the scriptures in English as he read in Bahasa and they specifically answered his questions.  This went on for 5 hours.  He did not make a profession of faith but he is so close to becoming a believer.  My team and I believe that to be a fact.  The last comment D made will give a clear indication of where his heart is at, “If I leave my faith, I will be punished by my religion.  Our heart breaks for D because he lives in a home that is literally next door to all of his family, who are not Christians.  He knows if he follows Jesus he will lose everything he loves.  God is moving in his life and we are praying for Jesus to show D that His love is sweeter than anything we could ever experience on earth.  

Please join us in praying for D.


-Aaron