Dear Pastor and Church,
Several weeks ago, as is our custom on Saturday afternoons, I went out on door-to-door visitation with a man in the church. We were assigned a specific area, slowly going house to house, handing out tracts, and inviting people to attend our services.
One dead-end road branched off the main street we were on, with only a few houses. The road was very muddy since it had been raining almost daily for the past month, so I hesitated about going down it. There were only three houses, and nobody looked home, so I thought for a moment of skipping it, that way we wouldn’t get our shoes dirty. But I felt like we needed to go and knock on those houses anyway, so we did.
We walked the dirt road carefully, trying not to fall into the mud. The first two houses were empty – no one was home. But when I arrived at the third house, an older man was about to walk into the house. We made eye contact, and as he approached me, I began to tell him who I was, what church I was from, and that I wanted to invite him to church. He didn’t speak a word and looked at me rather funny – which I thought was odd, but then again, I am a tall foreigner, so I think I would have the same facial expression if I were him. He took the tract I offered him, nodded, then turned to go inside. I walked away, continued going from house to house, and never thought about it again.
A couple of weeks later, an older lady in the church named Ms. Gloria approached me and said that her older brother had told her that a tall foreigner had come to his house and had given him a tract. He told her he felt terrible that he didn’t invite the foreigner in and talk with him. So, he took the tract, began reading it, and had many questions. He couldn’t sleep at night and hoped that maybe that foreigner would return and revisit him. So, every week he waited. Ms. Gloria told him that she knew who that foreigner was and would let him know that he wanted to ask him some questions about the tract. So, Ms. Gloria reached out to one of the staff ladies at the church, who then forwarded the information to me.
Two weeks ago, Ms. Gloria, myself, and my wife were standing at the same spot I stood a few weeks earlier where I debated whether to walk down that road. We went to that house and were invited in and saw that older man sitting on the couch in the living room. His two daughters were there, as well as his three grandchildren. I was informed that Ulderico (the older man) had recently lost most of his hearing and could only hear in his left ear if I spoke loud enough. So, I sat on his left side and began explaining the Good News of Jesus Christ. Every time I talked, I would lean in, put my mouth beside his ear, and speak loudly so he could hear me. His grandchildren and daughters were in the room, and they listened to the gospel as well.
After explaining the good news to him and answering his questions, Ulderico bowed his head and asked the Lord to forgive him of his sins and save him. He then began to tell me that when he saw me a couple of weeks ago, he noticed something different about me. He said he was too embarrassed to invite me in but regretted not doing so. He then read the tract and couldn’t sleep at night. He said he had so many questions and was hoping I would return. He then thanked me for coming back and showing him how he could be saved. The next day, he and one of his daughters came to church on Sunday morning. Then the following Sunday, he returned with his other daughter and three grandchildren.
I tell you this story not to boast of myself because if it weren’t for the nudge of the Holy Spirit, I probably would have skipped that muddy road. I share this to show how God can use a simple knock on a door and a gospel tract to alter a person’s eternity.
Please pray that Bro. Ulderico’s family gets saved. He repeatedly expresses how he prays that his children will understand salvation. My wife and a staff lady will be going there this Saturday to witness to them.
Also, pray that Bro. Ulderico will follow the Lord in believer’s baptism and for wisdom
as I begin to disciple him.
Your Missionary
Stephen, Whitney, Landon, Grayson, & Carson Trimble