Being a witness

We often are asked how we evangelize, so I'm posting a few pics of what we did on Sunday, mostly for the benefit of my nieces and nephews. It's quite complicated....NOT! We get in our car with a bunch of gospel tracts, pray, and distribute. Sharing the good news of Jesus is one of the ways we worship. I'm glad someone handed me a tract when I was in public school, because my whole family got miraculously saved! The boy who handed it to me didn't even say anything, but I'm pretty sure he singled me out; and not because I was pretty. I had rabbit teeth, crooked hair and was terribly shy.  

So for example, on Sunday we drove to a neighboring village with Estonian gospel tracts, "God's Simple Plan of Salvation." This type of tract distribution rather feels like being in a mafia for God, you have a hit man, someone driving the getaway car, and a lookout. Matt was the hit man.

I was the driver of the getaway car. Olivia was our lookout for puppies and bees. She kept napping, though.

If Matt sees someone in the yard, he'll get their attention because he doesn't like just leaving literature without being able to talk to them. The best hit men make sure their target has been hit, right?

The responses vary; sneers or jeers are quite common from young people. Older folks might engage you in polite conversation or just ignore you. If God is drawing someone to Him, and you are helping to make His Word known to them, that's evangelism as I understand it (Luke 24:48 "And ye are witnesses of these things"). I don't mean to make light of the job with the Mafia metaphor, but we are soldiers in the army in every sense. The job is to carry out the boss's orders. Once in a VERY great while someone will hand you a bouquet of peonies, which is the coolest thing EVER. 

A neighbor who Matt has shared Jesus Christ with before gave us CRAZY huge rhubarb. I haven't cooked with rhubarb in decades! It's a gift to have such generous neighbors. Another neighbor gave us radishes yesterday. But that's not the reward for being a witness for Jesus. That reward is in heaven, and we won't see it until we get there ourselves. 

Evangelizing is taxing. It is putting yourself out there on the front line of battle. We are doing it as a family more and more, with even Olivia joining in and handing tracts out. Who could say no to her? So by the time we get home it's time to just be silly, relax and have fun with each other.