God uses EVERYTHING in Southeast Asia

I was so excited as I flew across the ocean, I was going on my first overseas mission trip! I had been praying for years for a chance to go and share the treasure of the gospel with those who had never heard.

Now I was headed toward Southeast Asia to those who truly have never heard. Little did I know what I would face when I arrived.

Upon arriving in country my team and I were briefed on what we could and could not do. I felt really discouraged as I wondered, "How can I share the gospel if it is against the law?"

One of the largest mosques in Southeast Asia was on our tour of the capital city. More than 100,000 Muslims worship at this mosque every week. I was struck by the fact that each square we stepped over represented a soul. Looking up toward the end of the corridor I noticed the sun shining brightly through windows that completely encircled the mosque. The amazing thing was that each window was in the shape of a cross. I then noticed that every window in the mosque is in the shape of the cross!

The guard at the mosque said that the architect was a Christian, but the cross has no meaning to them. As I looked at the crosses, though, I remembered the words of Luke 19:40. The Pharisees had demanded that Jesus tell the people to stop worshipping Him, but Jesus responded that if the people were quiet even the rocks would cry out. The Pharisees were trying to stop the gospel, but even the rocks would cry out so God would be praised! God used this to remind me that He would open the doors and He would draw men to Himself, I just had to be faithful.

To prove that God, in fact, did use everything to open doors for evangelism, I will tell the story of how I got my "new" name. After arriving in country, I found that the food and I did not get along. In fact I had a hard time eating. Actually, eating was not the problem as much as digesting the food. To be blunt, I found myself throwing up frequently the first four days. The nationals, in honor of my unique cultural adaptation, gave me the name "Mr. Throw-up." As I would walk through the villages, I would be greeted with my "new" name and a grin or laugh.

One morning I prayed during my devotionals for a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. Many of you are thinking that I don't have much faith, or I would have prayed for a steak. The closest place to buy bread was over 2 hours away, though, so even as I prayed I did not believe I would be eating PB&J anytime soon.

That day as our lunch arrived, I jokingly said to our national guide, "I sure hope you brought the PB&J I prayed for this morning!" The guide's face paled. He said, "I did bring you a PB&J." I have to admit at that moment I considered becoming Pentecostal.

I tell you this story because God used my illness and my PB&J to open the doors for the gospel. Two days after the sandwich episode the guide who brought the sandwich asked me to pray for him like I prayed for that sandwich. This opened the door for me to tell him about the One to whom I prayed! I am still praying for this man, but I know for sure that he has heard the gospel. I would gladly go and throw-up for another four days to share Jesus with those who have never heard.

- Keith, a collegiate minister in Georgia

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