Myrna Gregory
July 27, 2012
The thing I love most about this ministry is the freedom to walk slowly through the crowds and then watch God provide the divine appointments that could only be created by Him. Our team was walking down one of the busy sidewalks of London headed to the Hyde Park area. Jan Feldman and I were chatting as we were walking simply enjoying the sites and the fellowship. We heard a young woman’s voice calling to us, “Hey, what are you guys doing?” We turned to find a young woman (a server at a local eatery) who was on her break. Her question was a wide open door of opportunity for us to share with her. Haley was an energetic young lady, and she listened intently as I shared the gospel using the “Jesus pin”. I asked her if the story we shared made sense to her, and she said that it did. I extended the invitation for her to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ because she had indicated that she had never made that decision. She said YES! Right there… on the sidewalk outside her place of business… Haley prayed to receive Christ. Jan and I wrote down her contact information so that we could email her and send her some materials. Also, it gave us a name and email for a local church to use to follow up.
What an amazing start to our day. We had passed many people on the street that day. We always look for people that make eye contact with us so that we can engage with them in conversation. Jan had smiled at her when we passed by and said hello, but with God’s nudging Haley stood up from where she was resting and literally chased us down the side walk to receive Jesus.
One of the fun things we do in order to better serve others and to open the door of opportunity is offer to take pictures for people. That was the case the Danielle, a young woman from China. A little later yesterday, I noticed Danielle trying to take a picture of herself with her camera, so I offered to take it for her. As Jan and I continued simply walk through the crowd, Danielle came back to us and asked us to take additional pictures. It was at that point we felt led to start up a conversation with her. Jan began to share the Gospel with her by using the pin. She asked Danielle if she had ever heard that story before, and her reply was no. (That answer pierces my heart every time I hear it because it reminds me of millions who have never heard the name of Jesus.) As this point we offered her the invitation to pray and receive Christ, and she said “Yes.” Right there in the middle of a huge crowd of busy tourists, Danielle prayed to receive Christ. We asked for her information so that we could contact her in the future. We encouraged her to get a Bible and try to find other believers in China that would help her to grow in her relationship with Christ. Danielle left a country that is basically not open to evangelism, but God placed her in our path for her to hear the gospel!
You may have read that London has enlisted extra policemen to help with security. Our team was walking through the park yesterday afternoon, and we started talking with Steve, a policeman from Scotland. He was so pleasant and engaging. We thanked him for his diligence in protecting us while at the Olympics. When he asked about our pins, Jonathan took one off his lapel and began sharing the gospel with him. Steve indicated that he went to church, but I could feel that there was something not right. We asked him if he knew for sure that he would spend eternity in heaven. His reply, “I hope so.” Of course we shared with him that he could have assurance on that very day. I explained to him that many people know about God, but they do not know God personally. I told him that we wanted to give him one of our pins as a free gift. And even though he could admire the pin and even tell us all about the story behind the pin, unless he actually accepted the pin personally it was not his. I explained how it is the same with God. He could know all about Jesus and go to church, but unless he personally decides to ask Jesus into his life and accepts the love and forgiveness that only Christ can offer, then he only has head knowledge, not a personal relationship. Steve decided that he wanted the gift of salvation, and he prayed to receive Christ right there in the park.
I am so thankful for how God put our team together today. It was perfectly designed to work together to share His Word with the world.