I Almost Didn’t Go

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7).

While reading an email update from the “Good News on the Move” team, who were traveling across the US spreading the gospel, the title caught my eye. It said, “Urgent Appeal.” They were asking for people to help with an outreach that would take place at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This would be the last stop on their amazing ten-month journey.

The part that convinced me to go read, “Yes, it will inconvenience you and, yes, it will cost you, but would you offer God something that cost you nothing?” Surely being unemployed, and a caregiver to a severely handicapped child were good enough reasons not to go, but…I filled out the registration form and sent it in. My wife told me, “Everything will be fine. We’ll worry about the rest when you get back.”

I tried to talk myself out of going right up until the day I finally left. In fact, I kept telling myself as I was driving there that I could turn around at any time, that I hadn’t gone too far, there would be lots of helpers there.

Well, after driving eight hours to reach Chicago, I finally decided I was going to Sioux Falls and any doubts were put behind me. Later, when I told my wife Charlene about the fears I was having, she told me she had been praying for me. I figured someone was, because I finally had a sense of peace.

The morning after arriving, we helped stuff Seed Sower packages for distribution and I thought I had found a good job for the remainder of my stay. The outreach teams were going to circulate approximately 20,000 of these packages. Stuffing Seed Sower packages was something I could do, and—if I were really fortunate—I thought it might take up all my time there. I was sure there were a lot of people who would be distributing them.

Day two changes everything

After a lunch provided in a city park, we were all given maps, assigned a partner and sent off to go door to door, handing out the Seed Sower packages we just stuffed the day before! It wasn’t quite what I had planned but there we were, handing out invitations for children to come to the park nearby and enjoy some games and Bible stories. It happened that fast—and that easily.

We would also invite people to attend a special series being held downtown at the Old Courthouse called, “Christianity on Trial.” We asked them to bring their questions on religion and any topics popularized by the media like the DaVinci Code and we would try to set the record straight about God, Christianity, and the Bible.

At the first home we approached, a young mother came to the door and graciously accepted our invitation to have her kids come to the park. She promised they would attend and said she was looking forward to it. That really helped calm us as we went off to do the rest of the neighborhood.

Not everyone was that friendly, but we had good interest from the people we were meeting. One lady invited us to sit on her porch and have a cold drink. We took her up on her offer just as the mail lady was going by. She somehow got into the conversation and accepted our invitation and package as well!

Fear hangs around

The fear that tried to keep me from coming to Sioux Falls was at me every morning before we would set out to go door to door. We gathered together every morning to log the contacts and special requests from the day before. These were made available to people who were praying all over the world for these souls, and for us too.

At one meeting I stood up and read out the contacts we had made for followup and mentioned for prayer that my partner and I had some fear about going door to door. Several other team members going to the doors came up to us afterward and said they were glad that we mentioned we were afraid because they were, too. After that it seemed to get a whole lot easier.

On the night of the first meeting for Christianity on Trial at the Old Court House, I stood on a street corner holding a sign that advertised the meetings inside. People in cars would slow down and look puzzled as they read the words. Some yelled stuff; others who got stopped at the light would ask, “What’s it all about?”

I would quickly tell them before the light changed and would invite them in. One evening, as I was holding up my sign, a fellow walked up to me and asked, “What are you doing?”

I told him, and we talked for a few minutes. I said to him, “The meeting is about to begin; do you want to come in with me?” He told me he didn’t have much time, maybe only 10 minutes. He said that if he came in, he’d have to leave soon, so he’d have to sit at the back. I told him his conditions were just fine. We came into the meeting and he never left. He stayed for an hour and 15 minutes! Every once in awhile he’d lean over and comment on the speaker’s message. He said at one point, “I’ve got to remember that!” I’m sure with God’s help he’ll recall everything God wanted him to hear that night. His name is John; he has contacted me three times since that night—once by email, twice by phone. I hope I get to meet him again some day. He understood salvation but wasn’t clear on repentance.

Divine appointments

During a supper break one evening, I noticed Heather from my home assembly and asked her if she had seen the falls yet. She hadn’t so we went to see them. As we pulled up beside the falls, she asked if we could get closer to take some pictures. We walked out to a bridge that spanned the river and asked a couple who were passing by if they would take our picture. We struck up a conversation with them and Heather quietly moved aside with the lady while I engaged the gentleman. After a few minutes, I quoted some scripture verses that seemed appropriate to our conversation but he became very uncomfortable. He said they really had to be going and then they left.

Heather told me the woman was a Christian but he was not. She said they were from Australia and were on a vacation of a lifetime through North America. They had been traveling for nearly four months and were headed for Mt. Rushmore when they decided to stop in Sioux Falls. The lady felt it must have been God’s plan that they were directed there. She had been longing for a spiritual conversation with another believer and praised God for putting Heather in her path.

Before they could get to the parking lot, we caught up to them so Heather could get their contact information. I took that opportunity to ask the man about a Bible course I heard he was taking through the Salvation Army. This made the lady very happy but made him nervous. The poor chap was surrounded and under real conviction, and I could tell he wanted to leave. Seeds had been sown and it was now up to the Holy Spirit to work in him. We’re looking forward to hearing of Graham’s conversion one of these days and I encourage you to pray for him.

One morning, as we approached a small area of mobile trailers I took a deep breath, and said a short prayer: “God, could you make this really easy for us…maybe they’d even ask us the questions?” At the first trailer no one was home. As I looked at the next home, I could see people were there and the door was open. Before I got to the top of the stairs a woman with three children greeted me. Opening the door, she said: “How can I help you?” I offered her our package and my partner gave the kids some neat heart-shaped pins with a tract explaining the colors of the rhinestones on them. The woman then explained to me that she was an ex-Lutheran and that her husband was Baptist and that they were looking for a “church” and not a religion. I told them that I had come to the right house! She asked me if I knew of a church that held more than one meeting per week because she was looking for a place like that. She introduced me to her husband and gave me all their info to be contacted for further followup. As we were leaving, she pulled me aside and said, “We’re not rich folk and we don’t have much so no one better judge us for the clothes we have.” I assured her that God judges the heart not the outward appearance and that she would be welcomed.

What a joy walking away from that house. God showed us how He cares for every single one of us, those who know the message, and those looking to hear the message. We had something people wanted to hear, something they needed to hear. We were growing a little stronger each day as He led the way.

“I have a Shepherd, One I love so well;
How He has blessed us tongue can never tell;
On the cross He suffered, shed His blood and died,
That I might ever in His love confide!”

There were many stories we could share. Not all were victories. There was the dog who broke his chain and came right over the fence to greet us, the folks who didn’t want what we had to offer—and some didn’t put it that politely. But as I drove the 1200 miles back home, the tears rolled down my face more than once as I thought what I had almost turned down when God extended an invitation to come to Sioux Falls for a few days to speak to some people about the love that He has for them and that their broken dreams, their broken hearts matter to Him.