I realized it was late when I saw my shadow glide across the wall in front of me because of the head lights from the cars passing behind me. I intended to leave an hour earlier, but Robert said, "Okay, one more question." I had brought my friend Wolfgang with me, a fellow missionary who has lived here for over ten years. Wolfgang loves the Lord and has a real heart for the poor. I had shared the gospel with Robert and Ate Sylvia before, but I wasn't sure how much they understood due to my limited Tagalog. Wolfgang would be able to answer their questions and make sure that they understand the (gospel) the good news that Jesus Christ forgives the sins of those who trust in Him. I could tell that their hearts were softened and ready for the gospel, but Robert and Sylvia first had many questions. First, Robert wanted to know where Cain and Able got their wives from. Second, he wanted to know how Jonah could have survived in the belly of the great fish. These were great questions. It was encouraging to me that not only has Robert really been reading the Tagalog Bible I had given him, but that he actually understood what he was reading and was wrestling through it. Sylvia's questions included wanting to know what the bible said about worshiping Mary, saints, and various statues, and what is meant by being "born again". After satisfying their questions, Wolfgang shared the gospel with them again. We started with Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in John Chapter 3. I was pleased to hear that they did understand what I had shared with them in previous conversations and that they were really tracking with what Wolfgang was sharing with them.
Wolfgang invited them to ask Jesus to save them from the penalty of their sins and to live in their hearts. He told them to only pray if they really, really want to follow Jesus. Praise, the Lord, they both wanted to! At first, I wasnt sure about Robert. As Wolfgang prayed, Ate Sylvia repeated after him, but Robert remained silent. As we were saying our goodbyes Robert said that he prayed in his heart.
The challenge now is finding a church within walking distance because the round trip cost of about 50¢ is a substantial expense for them. I'm praying that they will see that the sacrifice is worth it. I'm also hoping that the church itself would be able to send some of their members to my friends at the bridge to do bible studies. 
For now, we picked up Robert last Sunday and took him to the closest EFC church with us, about 15 minutes way. I was proud of him because his joy in knowing God was greater than his fear of what others might think about him and his wheel chair. Pray that Robert’s faith in God will grow and that a local church will show him and my other friends at the bridge love by regularly visiting them and teaching them the word of God.
For now, we picked up Robert last Sunday and took him to the closest EFC church with us, about 15 minutes way. I was proud of him because his joy in knowing God was greater than his fear of what others might think about him and his wheel chair. Pray that Robert’s faith in God will grow and that a local church will show him and my other friends at the bridge love by regularly visiting them and teaching them the word of God.
1 comment:
How wonderful to hear about Robert and Sylvia's accepting Christ as their saviour. Praise the Lord for his goodness. It must be wonderful to see how God has used the fruit of your labor to produce a new child in his kingdom. Thank you for being obident to him.
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