Go before me. Prepare the way.
Sometimes door to door ministry can be stressful. Sometimes the language barrier causes communication confusion. This is actually the case most of the time. Other times you get caught in the circle of excuses. I am catholic, my husband will beat me, it is not my time. All of these are disheartening reasons because from the outside you know what they need, what you want them so much to have, the experience that gets you through the day and the reason you get up in the morning. You want them to know and experience the goodness, the mercy and the never ending grace and love of a savior. I realized this pattern of struggles after just a few days of ministry here in Uganda. I just started crying out to God and asking him to soften their hearts, to go before me, to prepare the way.
The first day of ministry in Malaba, Uganda, Megan and I were paired and went with our translator Patrick out to do hut to hut ministry. The first place we stopped was the home of a woman named Josephine. We began to pour out our hearts to her about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. She was a Catholic, she also said her husband would beat her if she believed or converted. I was so disheartened. I did not know how to fully express to her that God wants to know her and will deliver her out of these circumstances according to his will and promises. But we kept talking to her. Megan poured out into her how much God loves her and how much he will always love her. All she could say was how happy she felt about this Good News. We started to ask her if anything else was holding her back. She told us about her job of selling alcohol. It is the way she makes money and supports her family. And again we reminded her of God’s faithfulness in delivering her out of these situations so she can better glorify him. She then told us about a dream she had. In the dream the alcohol was not fermenting. The process had not changed but the product was no longer good. What a sign from God! She recognized this dream as God convicting her of this sin in her life. As a way that he was trying to speak to her heart. She told us another interesting story that blew me away. Her son was wanting to continue education and start secondary school this year but she was unable to afford it. Around the time school started someone came to her house and offered her money for his school fees. This happened completely unannounced. Come to find out, her dream was the night before we came to visit her and the money for her son’s school fees was given to her earlier that week. She might not have realized it but I sure did. God was preparing the way for us to minister to her. Before she knew him she knew about his faithfulness and his goodness. She was able to believe that God provides because she had experienced it, and now she has a testimony to share with others. That day she accepted the Good News and was forever changed by Christ. And my prayers were also answered. God is good. He goes before us.
