Upon returning to our city we met with John. We had planned to disciple him some and ask him about being baptized. We felt like these were the proper next steps as he had seemed to show genuine belief and had been reading through the book of John on his own as well.
We discussed some questions he had about things he had been reading in John, and then we begin to transition to the story of the Ethiopian eunuch. After I told the story and explained what it meant to be baptized, I asked him what he thought about it. He said it sounded interesting. We then asked if he was interested in being baptized. This is where we received a shock. He said, "Oh, no no, I cannot be a Follower.. I just want to learn more about Jesus Christ because I believe his teachings will make me a better person!" I was dumbfounded. We had been so sure that he had understood everything clearly, and we had repeated over and over that nothing could make one good enough for Paradise. Something just hadn't clicked.
The next day we met with a girl named "Morning". Our female team members had shared with her a couple weeks ago, and she had appeared to make a confession of faith. By the end of that meeting, however, we had discovered that she was in the same boat as John. She simply wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ because it interested her, and she found it to be a "good story."
Needless to say, this week our spirits have been dampened. Last week we were under the strong impression that 3 of our local friends had come into the Family. Now we know that two actually didn't, and we are meeting with L, the third one, in a couple of days. It is our fervent hope and prayer that he is a true Brother. Please be in prayer for John and Morning, that Father will continue to work on their hearts and help us to not get discouraged. Also please pray for our upcoming meeting with L, and that we will truly be able to help him grow!
Also please be praying as several members on our team aren't feeling great. We are feeling emotionally exhausted, which makes it incredibly difficult to share with local friends. Cross-cultural conversations take energy! Please pray that the Spirit will give us strength as described in Isaiah 40:31.
-Hide & Seek Team