One of the responsibilities I’ve* taken on at the community center my wife and I volunteer at is taking care of the grounds. During the winter, that is synonymous with one thing: snow removal. The community center is in a high-traffic area for people walking in the neighborhood (not to mention those who come in our doors), making it a priority to keep it cleared.
Weeks ago, I was shoveling the parking lot and making room for a few cars when my language tutor showed up a few minutes early for our lesson. I motioned for him to pull up into the spot I had cleared. Originally from Yemen, Abdul* was so touched that I showed up early to clear snow for his car that he took a picture of the spot. After we finished our lesson, Abdul told me that he posted the picture he took on Facebook for all of his friends around the Middle East to see:
“My English teacher wants to learn Arabic and I am here to teach him. We got a lot of snow and he shoveled a space for me to park my car and keep my shoes clean. Do you see what the Christians are doing for us here? They love us. These are the ones you call ‘infidels,’ but see the way they love us? What would you do if the roles were reversed?”
The heart of my language helper is so ripe to accept the truth Jesus has to offer, and he is certainly an influencer in the community. Keep praying that God reveals himself in a mighty way!
I am amazed that God can take the small, menial tasks that we do in the peripheral and use them as an agent to soften the soil for the gospel to be planted. And I’m humbled that that testimony can even touch the hearts of people on the other side of the world whom we have never met.
To learn more about the Dearborn Project click here or email DearbornProject@gponline.org.
—A church planter serving with the Dearborn Project in Dearborn, Michigan
