Ever since I arrived in the Philippines, I have been praying for God send me someone I can witness to. Everywhere I turned, I seemed to be blocked by the language barrier. Part of our work here at Gentle Hands is going to a community called Malabon and ministering to the people there through giving food or medicine or sharing the gospel. I met a boy named Michael there, and I saw that my prayer was answered.
I did not seek Michael out, or make an effort to talk to him more than any of the other children I met in Malabon; he just walked up and introduced himself to me. I started walking with him and quickly realized that he knew more English than any other person I had met in Malabon! I knew this was the opportunity I had been praying for! I spent the day getting to know him. I asked him what he knew about Jesus and shared the gospel with him. After our conversation, he went home for a little bit, but he came back as we were getting ready to go. I asked him to think about what I had said to him. I went home and prayed for him, and I made sure to ask everyone back home to pray for him too.
I really wanted to talk to him again to see if he had thought about it like I asked him to or if he had any questions. God made that possible too. The next time we went to Malabon, Michael came running up to me and started playing with me. I asked him if he had thought about what I had told him last time. He said, “Yeah…let’s go play over there.” I was devastated. It crushed me that God had granted me everything I had asked (the opportunity to witness to someone who could understand me and that I would get the chance to see him again), but he wasn’t receptive.
I struggled with God for the rest of the day. I asked him over and over why He gave me the opportunity and everything else just for Michael not to believe it. I know now that those feelings of frustration, anger, and defeat all came from the enemy who just wanted me to feel like it just wasn’t “worth it” to share. But I learned and grew so much from that trial. I know that sharing is totally worth it! Even if I never see a single person come to Christ, they will have at least heard. Even if I share the gospel my whole life and only one person believes, it was totally worth it. I walked away from that experience so encouraged with God’s sovereignty. He is the one who changes hearts; I can only listen and follow.
-Maddie
-Maddie