We’re currently in St. Louis for Urbana, a missions conference focused on college students who are exploring the idea of serving overseas either short term or long term. So far, it has been a wonderful conference for Steffani and I. There are great speakers in the large group sessions, meaning 16,000 people strong. There are also great teachers in the classes that are in between the big sessions. And we’ve also helped out with recruiting at our booth with New Mission Systems International.
What I’ve found most encouraging so far though was a testimony by a young woman from the Middle East. I can’t say exactly where she was from because we’ve been asked not to; but nevertheless her testimony was one of the most moving I’ve ever heard. She had spent 34 days in solitary confinement in a prison for planting churches.
When I hear about these incredible missionaries who live lives full of risk for the gospel I can’t help but be inspired. Would I still cling to Christ if it meant death or imprisonment? Would I be as bold for Jesus as He has been for me?
Anyway, back to this woman’s testimony. She felt a clear calling from Christ to plant 7 churches in her homeland. At the time of her arrest she had planted 6; bear in mind she is only about 32 or 33 at this point according to my calculations.
When she was released from prison, she was told explicitly not to preach or share the gospel in her hometown. Alas, she felt the Lord was leading her to plant church number 7 in her hometown. This stuff sounds like it’s straight out of the Bible, right? The fact is it’s probably not too far from where some stuff in the Bible originally happened. Naturally, she followed God’s leading to plant church number 7 in her hometown.
She shared how when she was in prison she was reminded by the Lord of what she had been preaching a few weeks prior to her imprisonment. She had told her congregation to not give up, to persevere. She felt convicted in prison that she had preached something but there wasn’t any action to it. Now she got to practice what she preached according to her while she was in prison.
Obviously she spoke in an accent and with broken English, but I will never forget her testimony and encouragement from the life she lived as long as I live. I thank God that Steffani and I were able to hear this incredible woman’s testimony and I pray that we are inspired to live daring lives for the gospel.
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