Battle Log

New Zealand Mission - Whangarei - Day One.

I’m hoping to be able to write daily reports - so they will be shorter than usual.

I made it up to Whangarei without problem on Saturday.  That evening I received a message from Abraham in Auckland: “Are you watching the news?”  It was bad news.  Auckland was going into a 7 day Covid lockdown from 6am on Sunday.  Andy was flying to Auckland at 7am on Sunday! :O  Sadly, this means that the Auckland leg of the NZ Mission had to be cancelled.

What this means is that the first week of the mission will be focused solely on Whangarei.  And the good news was that we were able to get Andy up to join the team in Whangarei early on Monday morning.

Monday started with some training before a group of about ten headed to the Kamo shopping area.  The team scattered.  Tracts were handed out, and conversations were initiated.  It was an encouraging time for me - It was so good seeing God answer our prayer!

Christine and I had a chat with an elderly guy (pictured).  We engaged on how we know God exists, and moved into the law - which brings the knowledge of sin.  We were just about to get to the gospel when, sadly, the guy said he had to go.  He accepted a gospel tract as he left.

We gathered again for a late lunch before heading into the Cameron Street Mall for the afternoon outreach where there were many opportunities to talk with people.  I had lots of conversations, my first too were with guys who seemed to grasp the gospel first time (checking questions confirming), which was very encouraging.

At the end of the outreach, I paired up with Ruby, and I ended up tackling a conversation with a group of about 8 to 10 high school kids.  It was hard work, as I couldn’t hold the attention of all of them, so I focused on three.  The law and the gospel was explained, and various checking questions were employed.  All those kids (and some more that joined them after the conversation started) accepted gospel tracts.

For Andy and I, it’s SO GOOD to be in a new environment, with fresh people to share the gospel with.  And it was SUPER encouraging watching all the Christians getting involved with the great commission!  Please keep praying for the Whangarei outreach continuing tomorrow.
 

---

As I write this, I’m sitting in Christchurch airport.  It’s been a while since I’ve been in an airport I’m glad to say!  And yet, I am looking forward to an evangelism change of scenery.  I’m honoured to be involved in three weeks of mission across NZ.  The first week will be in Auckland & Whangarei at the top of the North Island of NZ.  Please keep the mission in your prayer - as always, I’ll be writing regular reports.  Believe it or not, there are still international flights leaving Christchurch (pictured).

Anyway, this report covers Thursday and Friday.

The forecast for Thursday wasn’t good, and so I ended up spending the whole day online.  So many gospel conversations!  I talked to a Palistinian, and also a guy in Tunisia - I’ve now talked to people all across North Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt.  I thank God for all these gospel opportunities!

On Friday morning I was also online, and then I headed into Cathedral Square.  It was very overcast, and there was some rain in the air.  Sadly, there weren’t many people there.  Other Christians started arriving: Mike, Andy, Marty, Roy, a Christian guy who had listened to Andy preach the week prior.  Only Marty ended up preaching, the rest of us got into one to one conversations with the few that were around.  Yet, in spite of the lack of people, I had some good gospel interactions.

I approached two late teen guys walking past the Cathedral, they were happy to stop and talk about the deepest question of life: what happens after?  They heard the law and the gospel in an easy going conversation and were happy to take tracts as they left.

Next up a guy walked past, and I said “hello” as I offered him a tract.  Suddenly I realised who it was.  It was the guy I had to call the Police about at Eastgate (a long time ago now).  I instantly closed my mouth to avoid provoking him further - he remembered me and instantly the finger pointing and abuse began.  I started walking towards some of the other Christians - safety in numbers - he kept hurling abuse as I walked.  My tactic worked, he decided to keep walking, but not before stopping, pointing, and yelling at me (with horrible language) about not being respectful of other religions (or something like that).  Marty pointed out the irony of his deep disrespect of me.

I went back to my spot and was soon into another conversation.  This time it was with a guy who had an openness to Christianity and yet was confused on what it meant to be a Christian.  So we went through the law and gospel.  His response was a blankness and doubt.  He wanted to talk, so I listened.  Soon he started touching on conspiracy theories, he wasn’t happy at how Christianity had been “corrupted”.  I gently probed, and then slowly his anti-semitism started leaking out! :o I asked him directly if he hated Jews.  He looked at me as though he had been caught in a sin, but he didn’t repent, he doubled down.  The conversation ended soon after, with him rambling.  I felt sad that I wasn’t able to reach him (through his confusion) with the clarity of the truth.

We headed to the hospital to bring the gospel to the issue of abortion.  As I was getting to the hospital, I started feeling nauseous.  I don’t think it was from nerves - I just needed to eat food.  So before joining the outreach, I sat down to eat my sandwiches.  Feeling better I joined the team.  There were seven of us today.  And it was a wonderful outreach!  Fairly peaceful initially, but then I noticed a girl walking back and forth - I could tell she was recording us while she was also talking to someone on her phone.  She left, but soon after a counter protester turned up, and then two others joined her.  The counter protester was the same girl who had created a big scene about a month prior.

Well, thankfully, this time she was much more controlled.  She wanted to talk, and I agreed - as long as the conversation stayed peaceful.  I had a long conversation with the three of them.  It was tiring, as I worked through all their arguments and kept coming back to: “how do we know what is right and wrong?”  Eventually one of her friends asked: “So, how do you know what is right and wrong?”  “Great question!” I exclaimed and moved the conversation to how we know God exists, and why God is the basis for right and wrong.  I never really got to share the gospel, but I was able to touch on it a few times - one of the two key reasons we are there is to bring the hope of forgiveness of sin, and the complete removal of guilt because of Jesus.

They finally tired of talking to me, and so they moved down the line and ended up having a chat with Jess.  After that, they decided to move to another group protesting abortion across the road.  We had a time of peace before they came back again and sat on the wall across from us talking among themselves.

Soon, more of their friends started arriving.  They came over to me to engage in discussion - first with a couple of guys, and then with another couple of guys.  The second set of guys were very open to discuss “how we know what is right and wrong” - the beginnings of a gospel conversation.  Yet another guy approached me and wanted to give me a piece of his mind, but I told him I already have my hands full talking with others, would he mind going down and talking to Andy.  He didn’t want that, he wanted to talk to us all, but the original guy I was talking to wanted to continue the conversation and so the interrupter had no choice but to talk to Andy.

Suddenly, one of the original counter protesters two friends grabbed the signs Marty was holding and ran off!  He found a rubbish bin and started to try to stuff the signs in it.  I was following him, and when he saw me coming, he took off with the signs again.  I smiled, and calmly followed.  He went round a corner, and when I turned it too, I saw him running out of an alleyway.  I retrieved the signs and started heading back.  I saw the original counter protester, and she said she had nothing to do with the taking of the signs, I was pleased to know her conscience was working.  Just then, the two guys I had been talking to came past, I stopped them and offered them tracts: “Life is Precious”, and “Jesus shows us God”.  They were happy to take them.

The outreach wrapped up with prayer - glory to God, we had many opportunities to engage with multiple people about the gospel and abortion!  I was buzzing.  As I left, Andy was still in a conversation with the guy I had passed to him earlier.

Oh Lord, have mercy!
 

---

A hot day in Christchurch on Tuesday.  I started my day of outreach in Riccarton.  Roger couldn’t join me, so I decided not to bring my flip chart and walk the streets instead.  I had many opportunities to engage people with the gospel message.

I had a tract with me that I haven’t used for a while.  It has a question on it: “What will matter to you in 150 years time?”  I decided to make that question the basis of my approach to people.  One lady said: “I want the planet to still be here” - and then she walked off.  People grasp that the planet sustains life, but It fascinates me that people miss the deeper problem of death - a problem that has a solution!

I had to buy myself a cold drink, as the heat was surprisingly energy zapping.  As I was sipping my drink I was handing out the tracts, and I had a guy stop and engage in conversation.  He certainly grasped the deeper problem of death - we even talked about Cryonics for a few moments.  He heard the law and the gospel - but didn’t seem convinced.  He asked some good questions before we parted ways.  He took the tract, and the more in depth one, “After Life”.

I had some good engagements around the bus stops.

I fell into a wonderful conversation with a guy waiting for his bus.  He was a deep thinker, and was convinced there had to be a “higher power” before I had even talked to him.  Sadly his bus came before I could share the gospel with him - but he left with an in depth tract as well.

Another chat was with a young man who wore a cross necklace (he showed it to me).  He said his uncle was a Christian, but he was only half Christian!  I had to probe a bit to understand what he meant.  It turns out he still wasn’t convinced about the claims of Christ.  So going from there, we had a great chat about the gospel.  I could see the penny dropping - it was wonderful to watch.  He seemed deeply grateful for the chat - he shook my hand multiple times before we departed ways.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I was also online.

One of those conversations was with a girl with a mask and a guitar.  I was feeling very lethargic, but I stumbled through the law and the gospel with her (interrupted by her playing me a song).  As I was sharing the gospel, I was suddenly interrupted by another voice that said, “that’s the best explanation I’ve ever heard”.  The girl had a friend on her phone, and she lifted up her phone so I could see her.  She asked if I was a priest!  I proceeded with the conversation by asking checking questions, and suddenly the girl with the guitar started insisting she was a good person.  Her friend on the phone said: “calm down” and then she disconnected.

The last two chats of Wednesday were intellectually stimulating.  The first was a text chat who I suspect was a Muslim, who pretended to be a Christian?  I think he was trying to waste my time, but in the process he ended up asking a truck load of wonderful questions and coming to learn so much about Christ.  The second chat was with an intellectual guy who started arguing against the obvious reality of God.  After a few minutes, I stepped back and asked, “could it be that you’ve been deeply hurt and you’ve wondered why God didn’t stop it?”  He paused and agreed, and the conversation automatically shifted to why God allows evil.  Sadly, he didn’t stick around.  It’s fascinating: I’ve known people to go through immense suffering, and yet it draws them to God - not away.  May God have mercy on this guy.

 

---

On Sunday it was very encouraging to have a team of twelve in Cashel Mall in the afternoon.  At least five churches were represented.  There was a good balance of experienced and newbies too - and it seemed to be a very productive time, from what I could see.

Tracts were going out, walk up conversations were occurring.  Flip charts were busy.

A group of about eight teen guys came down the mall, and Roger boldly engaged them, asking if they were good.  They all pushed one of their friends forward and said: “he is good”.  So Roger, standing in the middle of the foot path, with all these guys around him in a semicircle (blocking the footpath!) shared the law and gospel with all of them (pictured).  It was great to watch.

I had a number of interesting conversations.  A couple of Christians had great gospel answers and were super encouraged that we were out.  One in particular seemed super keen to join us in the future, and received contact details.

I had a great chat with a young couple who were Catholic.  Not surprisingly they said their good deeds would get them to heaven, but by the end of the conversation, they were articulating the gospel.  They didn’t seem too interested, sadly, yet they have heard the gospel.

Later in the afternoon, I was online with a team of at least twelve (as well).  We paired up for training feedback.  I was paired with Allie in the USA.  It was so wonderful watching her engaging a group of people with the gospel.  Her questions were excellent and appropriate for each stage of the conversation - I wrote many of them down so I could remember them for the future.  They all came to solidly grasp the gospel.  As they didn’t disconnect, Allie took them through her whole repertoire of analogies and checking questions until the connection froze.  Glory to God alone, but I’m so encouraged by all these passionate young people being raised up to share the gospel.  Lord protect them, and enable them to bring you glory by reaching many people with the gospel - for years to come!

On Saturday I was online with the team as well.  I had some easy chats - a girl recognised me from Tik Tok and was so excited to be talking to me.  She seemed to be a recent convert to Christianity.  But I also had some hard chats - I talked to a lesbian who it turned out had been raped, had the child, but the father killed the child when just four years old.  It was so tragic to hear, and I felt overwhelmed by the conversation - yet, with God’s help I persisted.  She couldn’t stand the thought that the guy that had done that to her could possibly be forgiven and go to heaven.  Without minimising the seriousness and wickedness of the crimes that had been committed against her - and emphasizing that perfect justice would be administered, I tried to relate to her that her (and my) sins were very serious in the light of the holiness of God, and that the only hope of forgiveness was Jesus.  I think that was one of the hardest chats I’ve ever had.

Again, thank you for praying for the team as we reach out with the gospel.
 

---

On Thursday and Friday, the Christchurch (NZ) team were in Eastgate, outside the hospital, and in the city for outreaches.

The gospel + abortion outreach attracted a team of twelve, including a couple of newbies.  Praise God, it was a peaceful outreach with multiple opportunities to engage people on the issue of abortion and with the gospel.

I’ve had some very difficult encounters so far this year, but during this outreach I had an extremely encouraging encounter.  A young guy and girl approached me.  He had a look on his face that suggested he knew me well, and he knew my name - I drew a blank.  It turns out he had talked to me a number of times before about the gospel: in Riccarton and in the city.  The girl said: “he talks about you all the time”.  It’s very encouraging to know I have a positive impact on people sometimes.  But sadly, he couldn’t remember the gospel - so, including the girl, we started going through it again.  Unfortunately, they were on the way to class and couldn’t stay to finish the chat properly.  But I gave them tracts each, and suggested they check out needGod.net on Tik Tok.  Oh, that they would forget me, and see Christ!  Lord, I leave them in your capable hands.  I hope I have another opportunity to interact with this young man - to be able to sit down and really chat with him.

At Eastgate, I had two very memorable conversations.

I was passing out tracts at one of the bus shelters, when a guy and a lady walked past.  I offered him a tract, he took it and stopped - she kept going.  He wanted to chat, and so we did.  He had grown up in an atheistic environment, but as he became a teenager, he rejected the notion that there is no God - “there must be a higher power”.  And yet, he had headed down the path of astrology, and positive thinking.  We talked simple apologetics for a while - he fought against it, but he said he loved talking about this stuff.  Eventually I was able to move on to the law and the gospel - which is the main thing.  He had to get going, because his friend had left him behind.  It was a great chat.

Later, on the other side of the road, a bus stopped, and an older lady hopped off and walked past.  I offered her a tract - she took it and wanted to know what it was.  We fell into a good chat from there.  She liked to talk, so the conversation went a bit slowly - but that was okay!  Eventually I was able to take her through the law and the gospel.  When she understood that Jesus died on the cross for our sin - her face changed to surprise and joy.  Some of her comments: “that makes so much sense”, “others need to hear about this”, “keep up the good work”.  Very encouraging!  She took a tract like she was receiving treasure.  I hope the seed is not plucked away, and I hope to hear from her again too.  I leave her in the hands of the Lord who saves.

There was open air preaching in Cathedral Square, and other outreach in Cashel Mall / the Bridge of Remembrance.

I had a fascinating chat with a young man who had studied philosophy at University.  He was very intense, and his intensity attracted another couple who joined the conversation for a while (and left with a tract).  Eventually I was becoming very tired (sugar low) and the conversation had to end, but he accepted my email address and a tract - he said he would contact me to continue the conversation.  I hope he does.

It’s great watching Andy so confidently and respectfully approaching people to talk to them about Christ - he’s currently at another level!  When I compare myself to him, I realise I’ve lost a lot of confidence of late.  I think due to some of the difficult conversations I’ve had of late, I’m shying away a bit.  A fear of man.  Yet I will continue to persist in sharing the gospel, prayerful of where I’m at.  Please continue to pray for the gospel work in Christchurch (including all those not directly connected to Operation 513 - there are so many diligently working to bring the gospel to those around them).

In addition to the street work, I was online for many hours over these two days.  Twenty four recordings on my desktop.  Glory to God alone that the gospel is being proclaimed!
 

---

On Tuesday afternoon I was back in Riccarton as usual.  I had a fascinating conversation.  A young lady went past who smiled and stopped.  She said that I had talked to her last year sometime - she had been in a larger group (I didn’t remember her).  So, I checked to see if she understood the gospel by asking what she had to do to go to heaven.  I was encouraged when she said: “nothing, it’s because Jesus died on the cross for our sin”.  I clarified that we would have to accept the gift by trusting that Jesus had done that for us.  So I asked if she was trusting that Jesus had paid her hell fine.  She started giving weak excuses as to why she hadn’t.  Soon she started arguing that she would want to take the responsibility for her own actions.  I worked through two analogies to demonstrate the problems with her thinking - but she just doubled down.  I was confused, so I figuratively stepped back and decided to ask: “is there another reason why you are rejecting this?  Could it be that you’ve been deeply hurt by someone, and you don’t like the idea that that person could receive God’s mercy?”  To my surprise, she agreed.  Key lesson: if someone is fighting against logic, it's possible there is a deeper issue why, other than the logic.  It was great that the issue was on the table, so it could at least be addressed.  So, again, I tried to highlight the problems with her thinking.  I tried to reason with her about the serious nature of her sin - while trying not to minimise the sin that had been done to her (we talked about the fact that all sin is not the same).  We talked about the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35).  But, sadly, she was resistant.  We parted ways soon after.  She took a gospel tract.

Before and after being in Riccarton, I was online.

I talked to a guy who had been in a car wreck a month prior.  He was stuck at home with a broken leg.  He was thinking deeply about life and death, and we had a great chat.  He really appreciated it, as he came to understand the gospel.  I could tell he was wrestling with the cost (in this life) of the gift (of eternal life) - he didn’t give me any details, but I challenged him on this, pleading with him to respond in faith no matter the cost.

A chat with a girl who had a giant dog that kept walking in front of the camera!  She didn’t seem too interested, but she stayed to hear the gospel before she bailed on me.

On Wednesday I was given the opportunity to do some training.  It’s so encouraging getting an insight into all the Christians that are actively learning to share their faith online - it’s such a good environment to learn!  I spent an hour and a half with a guy from the USA - I answered his questions, and gave him feedback on the two gospel chats he had.  I was very encouraged.

I also had a number of my own chats.

I connected briefly with a guy from Saudi Arabia - his battery on his laptop was nearly gone, but he received a link to needGod.net before we disconnected - he said he would take a look.

My last chat was with a couple of girls who gained some much needed clarity on the gospel.  They were looking to prayer and baptism to save them :O.  It was a great chat - glory to God.

---

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of a lovely Christian couple.  The gospel was so clearly pictured and explained throughout the ceremony - the whole thing was such a joy.

Before the wedding, I spent some time online.  The highlight conversation was with a Buddhist guy from India - he seemed pretty dedicated to his religion, so I didn’t think I was going to make much progress, but to my surprise he ended up sticking around to hear the whole law and gospel presentation.  He seemed interested.  At the end I explained that to trust in Jesus, he would have to let go of Buddhism.  He said that would never happen.  The conversation ended soon after.  Never say never with God!

I had another great chat with a kid who became super animated when he grasped the gospel - it was so good to watch, it was truly amazing to him (and me)!

On Sunday there was a team of four in Cashel Mall.  Andy and Toby were active in “walk up”, and I used a flip chart and handed out tracts.  Susan joined us later.  It was Chinese New Year and a procession went through the mall near the end of the outreach - it attracted a lot of people.

I was straight into a conversation with a guy who was approaching people for surveys, he said if I did his, he would do mine.  No problem with me.  I didn’t have my normal “The good person test” front page up, and so during our discussion the subject of “being good enough” came up.  I smiled and said, oh, that’s what my flip chart normally starts with.  His eyes went dark.  He said that if he had seen that front page, he wouldn’t have stopped to talk to me.  He had done the flip charts years ago at an A&P Show and he didn’t like it.  But we were in a good conversation and so he was happy to overlook it.  God’s providence, because he had “walked away” from God while at Uni, but two years ago, he had “come back” to God.  Sadly, he didn’t understand the gospel - he was pointing to the fact that he was good enough to get to heaven.  So today he came to grasp the gospel - praise God.  On top of that, he had questions about why there is evil, and we also talked about the proper place good works played in the picture.  The fireman analogy really helped him.  He left at a crossroads; he understood he was in sin that he wouldn’t want to be in if he trusted that Jesus died for him.  I left him in God’s hands.

I had a number of other good opportunities, but the best was at the end of the outreach when a young man came over to chat - a girl, maybe his sister, came over and got involved as well.  She didn’t think she would die, because she said she would get her head frozen and come back once technology improved!  They seemed to be joking with me initially, but they became much more engaged as the conversation progressed.  By the end of the chat, they seemed to be grasping the gospel and were very thankful.  Praise God.

Once home, I joined the team online for “Training Sunday” - I was paired up with Sarah (New York) and Ryan (Chicago).  So great to work with this kids who are so passionate for the gospel!  While paired with Sarah I had a special chat with a Christian kid, who seemed to become a Christian during the conversation.  “When are you going to trust that Jesus died for your sins?”, “I already am”, “Oh, when did you start doing that?”, “Now.”  Praise God - may his profession reflect true conversion.

Later I talked to a guy from Bethlehem (Palestinian) and then Ryan had a great chat with three for four Catholic kids who came to grasp the gospel (pictured).

What a day, what a gospel, what a wonderful God!  Glory be to him alone!
 

---

Thursday and Friday were busy days of both street and online outreach.

I have 34 recordings of online conversations on my desktop from these two days.  It’s wonderful reaching so many with gospel seeds.

I’ll come back to the online conversations, but I want to talk about the street work first.

A team of six were outside the hospital standing against the horror of abortion and bringing the hope of the gospel.  It was a fairly calm outreach, although we had some students go past - one of whom, sadly, spat towards us.  And later we had a sudden verbal argument with two ladies who looked like they worked in the hospital.

The open air preaching in the Square attracted a large group of hecklers - one of the biggest I’ve seen.  At least three Christians preached, while others handed out tracts (Binu!), and others were able to have one to one (Ollie) or one to small group (me) conversations.  The conversations I had were difficult.  Heckler’s pulling out difficult Bible passages or concepts to challenge me on.  It was hard, but I had to be faithful to God’s word - even when it’s unpopular.  I decided to get the open air preaching going from this.  I decided to preach boldly on the issue of homosexuality being a sin (making it clear that I don’t hate homosexuals - even when faced with hatred from those in support of homosexuality).  I also preached against abortion.  But I also explained the hope of forgiveness found in the amazing sacrifice of Jesus.  Without God changing our hearts, it is impossible to turn from sin.  But Jesus did the impossible through his perfect life sacrificed on the cross for our sinful ones - received not by our works or actions, but by trusting in that sacrifice.

Later, a team of six were in Cashel Mall.  Two flip charts were running, tracts were being handed out, and plenty of conversations were occurring.  I had a tuff chat with a guy who has played indoor cricket for New Zealand.  It was a bit of an apologetics battle, but surprisingly I was able to get to the law and eventually the gospel - not that he was interested, sadly.

Now coming back to the online conversations.  The highlight for me was a chat with a young lady who was intelligent and very resistant to the idea of God.  It turned into a mini battle, but somehow the conflict got defused.  It turns out her resistance was because she had been Muslim and now rejected Islam.  I then found out she was from war torn Libya!  Thankfully she is not currently living in that country.  She asked that I stop recording the conversation, because her life was at risk because she had left Islam - I happy obliged.  Now that the conflict had been defused, I was able to have a wonderful gospel conversation with her.  She came to understand the key difference between Islam and Christianity.  And she seemed really grateful for the new information.  She said she would check out needGod.net before we parted ways.

Through the two days, I was also able to talk to guys from France and Spain, as well as many other places all over the world.  Online evangelism is a gold mine of gospel opportunity.  Please continue to pray for the team as we reach out in this way.  Thanks.
 

---

On Tuesday afternoon, as usual, Roger and I were in Riccarton with our flip charts.  It felt “back to normal” with the kids back in school.  It was a touch quieter, and yet there were still many opportunities to share the gospel.

A highlight conversation was with a young university student - very shy, and yet willing to go through the flip chart with me.  He didn’t know the gospel (or was too shy to articulate it), but he was able to articulate after our chat.  It turns out he had been going to a church for a couple of years - he had been invited along by friends, and he wanted to learn more about God.  It makes you think: how can someone be involved with a church for two years and not be able to articulate the gospel?

The rest of Tuesday and Wednesday I was online with the team.

On Wednesday I was having a bad day.  I don’t understand why.  I didn’t want to be there.  I didn’t have the energy to deal with the people I was talking to, the smallest thing would irritate me.  Before each chat I would pray partly apathetically, and yet desperately for God’s help (is it even possible to be apathetic and desperate at the same time? :D )?  And I persisted through quite a few conversations.

Near the end of the outreach, I struck a girl who was quite intellectual in nature.  For this reason I was completely upfront with her on why I was here (to tell her about Jesus) and asked if she wanted to talk about it.  She said that she would never be converted, but she was happy to talk about religion.  The conversation went completely off script, and yet I was able to explain the seriousness of sin via the law and the amazing grace of Jesus.

Later she was asking me about: “how has this improved your life”.  I was able to explain that it hadn’t necessarily improved my life - Jesus promised suffering for those that believe.  Before I was a Christian, I had been at the center of the universe, and my number 1 priority was my happiness - yet I wasn’t; but since I’d became a Christian, and now that I’ve grown I now realise that God is the center of the universe, and yet, I now have a Joy that I never knew.  I think it was something related to this where she came to tears.  She never explained why she was crying.  I didn’t ask.

The chat wrapped up soon after that.  But before she left, I checked to make sure she understood how one is justified before God.  Her answer indicated she understood.  She knows how to get in touch if she wants, I leave her in the hands of God.

 

---

On Saturday I was online with the team.  When connecting with a stranger, some initial reactions to me: “Hi grandpa”, “Are you a teacher?” x 3, “I know you from somewhere!” x 2 (both times it was from Tik Tok video’s - praise God for that, may the gospel go far and wide).

A chat that fascinated me was one that seemed to end prematurely.  The three girls were very engaged from the start, and one of them even said, “don’t skip, I really want to talk about this”.  Because I could tell they were engaged, I was able to slow down and really work through the logic, law and gospel.  They seemed to grasp the gospel, as they were responding correctly to my initial checking question.  Then suddenly, one of them reached out and disconnected the chat.  I was so surprised - I have no idea why she ended the chat.  God does.  I leave them in his hands.

Sunday I was in the city as usual.  A team of seven with a mix of experience, which was very encouraging.  It was a very busy outreach, with some wonderful conversations.

I spoke with one guy who’s eyes seemed to shine as he came to grasp the gospel.  It was wonderful to watch him engaging.

A couple of Muslims were very interested in the flip chart and stopped to chat - they came to understand the gospel, even though they rejected it.  They were lovely, and we parted ways with a handshake.

One of the team brought three girls over to the flip chart to hear the law and the gospel (a boy friend also joined the conversation and heard the good news too).  And then later, I was into a conversation with an intellectual type, when more people joined the conversation - there ended up being a small group of unbelievers and believers hearing the gospel, or gaining experience in how to share.  Very encouraging.

By this stage I was a little late leaving, so I was slightly late to the online “training Sunday”.  I was paired up with Karah from the US, and we had a great time listening to each other's gospel conversations and giving each other feedback.

Karah had an interesting chat with a guy from the UK who had a guitar and would avoid Karah’s questions by bursting into song!  It was quite comical.  But despite his avoidance, he seemed quite smart, I think he was understanding what she was saying, but he was rejecting it.

I had two chats: One with a pair of girls who slowly became engaged and came to grasp the gospel.  The other was with a pair of guys with Christian backgrounds, possibly not Christians yet?  It’s unclear, but they certainly gained some clarity - glory to God.

I was encouraged to learn this morning that people actually read these reports from time to time.  If you are reading this, then thank you for praying for all this gospel outreach.  Pray that we will be humble and open to correction, we are so desperate to represent Christ correctly.  Pray that the gospel would prosper, and that God would be glorified.  Thank you!
 

---

Page 1 . . . 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 . . . 48

---