For All Those Who Were Wondering

Yes, Jason actually prayed in our office to receive Christ last Tuesday – sorry if that wasn’t clear. And yes, he came to church this past Sunday. He intends to come back, and he really needs your prayers at this time of transition: as someone without a high school education and without a job, he is still dependent on his parents for his living, even though he is in his 30s. Combine these realities with the fact that Africans are much less individualistic than Americans, and much more dependent on their extended families and communities for decisions and finances – easy for us to philosophize about and discuss, but hard for us to truly grasp and understand – and you’ll see that he is facing decisions common to many new believers around the world, but foreign to us.

Jason has been to our office twice this week: the first time we gave him a Bible, and the second time he came with a list of questions based on his reading thus far, from “Why does Jesus say we should love our enemies? How is that possible?” to “Why are Muslims’ prayers silent, while the people in church prayed aloud?” (as they do in Africa). Mr. Joe gave him lesson one of a discipleship course that the two will complete together on Saturdays, so pray for them as they launch into that tomorrow.

It’s exciting to see Jason’s eagerness in his new-found faith, as he voluntarily exclaims “I love Christ” or asks whether he can pray aloud in his native tongue. Let’s pray that his heart will be soil which will bring forth fruit a hundred-fold from the Word he has heard and accepted!