From the Field

part four

{On Saturday I send out a “Saturday Story.” This is simply a break from the regular Scripture-based daily devotional. Sometimes there is a moral to the story, sometimes it's just a story. I’ll mostly leave that to you to decide. Today is a continuation from previous weeks. You can go back and read the previous Saturday Stories for the full context. I hope you enjoy it and your weekend.}

The following day we headed down the mountain toward a coastal city, one of the three main small cities on the island. One of our goals was to find out if any Christians were living there and if they had any churches established.

On arriving, the missionary began to strike up conversations with locals we encountered. In each talk, he would eventually get around to asking if there were any churches in town. Most people had no idea, but we did find one person who said that there was a church she knew of. She explained how to find it.

Our driver took us to the area where we had been told there was a church. Sure enough, we located a small house with a sign indicating it was a church. We knocked on the door and a middle-aged woman answered. The missionary explained who we were. Her facial expression went from one of doubtful distrust to one of joyful surprise.

She invited us into the front room and asked us to sit on the hardwood benches that lined the wall. The building was dual-purpose. It was both the church building and the pastor’s home. In contrast to the cool mountain climate we had just left, the air in this coastal city was heavy. The room was hot and humid. Sweat was rolling from our heads and our shirts were all becoming soaked. The pastor’s wife seemed comfortable, having lived there a long time and being accustomed to the climate.

Once we finished with the small talk, and a level of trust between us had been established, we explained what we were doing. She shared what she knew about the people group we were investigating. She told us where they mostly lived on the island, about the culture, and efforts to reach them with the gospel. Everything she told us was quite helpful.

He husband was away. He had gone to a meeting on another island and wouldn’t return for a few days. We wouldn’t be able to meet him, but the missionary suggested that he could get his information and keep in contact and possibly partner with them in the future. She seemed pleased.

While we were talking a girl who looked to be about fourteen came out from a back room. The pastor’s wife said something to her. She disappeared again but then reemerged in a few minutes with a tray carrying cups of hot tea and biscuits that she served to each of us. Then, she laid the tray on a small table and sat next to the pastor’s wife.

I had been assuming that she must be their daughter, but after she sat down she said, “May I tell you my testimony?”

To be continued next Saturday…