|
A Ministry Update
|
Pocket Full of Quarters Trek 2010
A Ministry Update
By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV
I’m writing from Durango, Colorado. To date, I’ve been to 14 states, handing out quarters and talking about Jesus. 6 people have prayed with me to receive Jesus and two others have committed to pray to receive Jesus when they get alone. Have you ever wondered if the person sitting next to you knows the basic Jesus story? Never assume the answer is yes. Sometimes, we must start at the beginning.
Jade was a Buddhist from Viet Nam and married to an American Baptist. She’d gone to a Baptist church many times. She was my nail tech somewhere on I 40 as I headed west. I introduced myself and asked about her faith. Excuse the grammar. I wrote this exactly as it was said. Note that I match speech patterns and speak in short sentences when talking with someone where English is a second language.
“Oh, I not religious. I Buddhist but not much,” Jade said.
“How long have you been in US?” I asked.
“6 years.”
“Were you Buddhist in Viet Nam?”
“I nothing,” Jade said. “Not religious. What are you?”
“I follow Christ,” I said. “That makes me Christian. I love Jesus. I asked Him to come into my life.”
“My husband Baptist,” she said.
“Does he go to church?” I asked.
“Some,” she said.
“Do you go with him?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“Baptists are Christian. Do you like Baptist church?” I asked. “Do you like preacher?”
She shrugged. “I no understand preacher.”
“Christians believe that Jesus was born to a virgin, killed on a cross, and came back to life. A Christian has admitted mistakes and prayed to ask Jesus to enter their life. A Christian has personal relationship with Jesus,” I said.
“He born to virgin?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “God was His father. It is hard to understand because Jesus is God. God saw how bad we were living so He came to earth to save us. God has different roles but is one God. Just like you – you do nails, are mother, and wife. God the Father is our daddy. He made us. He made flowers and trees. God the Son is Jesus. He came to earth as man to teach us and save us so we can go to heaven. When we pray to ask Jesus into our life, Jesus gives us Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is the part of God that lives inside of us and helps us. “
“Do you know Buddha?” she asked.
“I know about Buddha,” I said. “Buddhism is a philosophy and peaceful way to live. Buddha was teacher and taught what he called 4 Noble Truths for how to live. The people that I know who follow Buddha are good people. The difference between Buddha and Jesus is that I have relationship with Jesus. He did not teach truth – He is truth. He rose from dead. He is alive. No one who is Buddhist tells me they have personal relationship with Buddha.”
“He is alive?” she said, clearly surprised.
“Yes,” I said. “The world killed Jesus but He came back to life. He is God. He is alive in us when we ask Him to come into our life. He teaches us. You said you did not understand preacher. If you had Holy Spirit inside of you, Holy Spirit would help you understand him. Jesus is the way to heaven. Do you believe in heaven?”
“Yes,” she said. “Buddha say if you live good you go to heaven. I try to live good.”
“That is another difference between Jesus and Buddha. Jesus does not tell you to live good to go to heaven. He says to believe in Him. Heaven is free – if you believe in Jesus and ask for heaven. If you tell Jesus what you did wrong and ask Him to forgive you, He does. He does not even remember your mistakes after He forgives you.”
“He does not remember?” she asked in awe.
“No,” I said. “It is as if it never happened. We call that grace. It is free. You cannot work your way into heaven.”
I pulled out a laminated card that had 4 simple steps to becoming a Christian. “Do you read English?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said.
We read the tract. “Jesus loves you,” I said gently. “He said so right here. The Bible is God talking to you.”
“It is?” she said.
“Yes,” I said.
“I think I believe in God,” she said.
“I can tell you want to believe in Jesus. You do not have to understand everything to be Christian,” I said. I read her a sample prayer to ask Jesus into her life. “Do you want to pray this now?”
“No,” she said. “Can I have card? I want to read it to my husband. I want to ask if he did this. I want to know what he think.”
My time with her was over. She clung to the card as I walked over to dry my nails.
Just before I left, she came over. “I want to say thank you. No one explain this to me before. I did not know what Christian was. You taught me about Buddha. I did not understand difference. You good person. Thank you. Maybe I do this.”
“Please do,” I said.
How many Christian hands had Jade had painted while working in that shop? Surely, some were Christian. Had none of them told her that Jesus loved her? She was married to a Baptist. Why hadn’t he started at the beginning? She went to a Baptist church. Why had no one figured out that she needed to start at the beginning? Pray for Belle and me as we continue trying to start at the beginning with the people we meet.
==========================================================
Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Cheryle at 904 614-3585.
This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road leading people to Christ, you can donate at |
|