After traveling overseas several times and visiting poverty stricken countries I saw many accepting Jesus as their Savior with such ease and simplicity. I think it was so simple for them because their lives were simple; they had nothing. It wasn’t until after a handful of mission trips that God injected me with the burden to make North America my mission field. However, I didn’t really know where to start. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to be an evangelist of some sort in the USA. Not long after attending Union College, I was introduced to the Literature Evangelism team in the Rocky Mountain Conference. It was at that moment that God made me a United States Literature Evangelist. Throughout the next several weeks I will be sharing the experiences that God has given me this summer specifically, showing that we currently have a living God who still works miracles in our everyday lives.
Nothing gets me more pumped up to do God’s work than reading from Ellen White’s book, Colporteur Ministry. In this book, she talks about bringing the gospel to people’s doorsteps. The main point that the book points to is that many people never hear the Word of God unless it is brought to their doorsteps. I have always clung tight to the message of this book when I am getting discouraged on a hot day filled with door slams.
There was one day in particular that really made it official for me that this is a work to be continued in our generation. I knocked loudly on a lady’s door only to find a woman half awake on the other side. She answered in a groggy voice while squinting her eyes from the bright sun. Reading her body language, I quickly apologized for waking her up. She rubbed her eyes while saying, “It’s okay. Go on, tell me what you’re selling.”
I began showing her the healthy cookbook we were leaving on donations. She looked disinterested but said she wanted to help us out with our school scholarship. While she walked back into her house to write a check, the girl I was working with told me I should show the customer the spiritual books. A few minutes later, the woman came back, handing me payment for the cookbook. Then I finally spoke up, “Ma’am, I wanted to show you one more thing before we leave. You see, we don’t just sell healthy cookbooks, but we have these beautiful devotionals for adults as well.” I continued to canvass the Steps to Christ, The Desire of Ages and The Great Controversy. The woman’s eyes got wide as she asked, “Can I write you another check? I want all three of these books.” I was shocked but uttered to say, “Of course!”
As the woman wrote us another check for the spiritual books she began to tell us her story. As she was opening up to us about her need for Christ she said, “Seriously girls, I have wanted to get into spiritual things so bad. To be honest it has been a struggle to seek for God by myself. I would have never gone out of this house to look for these books, so I really appreciate you coming to my door today.” My ears clung to what she said as she continued to thank us for visiting her.
I firmly believe we have been called to treat our own country as a mission field. We don’t have time to wait for people to come to our churches to find Christ, but instead it is our duty to bring Christ to them. This lady sealed it in my mind that there are many who will never hear about Jesus Christ from a preacher speaking behind a pulpit, but only from those who bring it to their literal doorstep. Who are you going to bring Jesus to today?
