The Great Commission

Matthew documents for us one of the final conversations the Disciples had with Jesus before He ascended into heaven to sit with the Father and prepare a place for us (Matthew 28:18-20). In this interaction Jesus gives what is now called the "Great Commission". It is essentially the final command Jesus gives His followers, and it is, in my belief, a necessary act of obedience for any believer.

As my daughter once put it, we aren't all called to full time ministry, or foreign mission fields, but we are all called to evangelism! Often times evangelism doesn't start by handing someone a tract and saying "Jesus loves you". It often begins much more organically, more in the everyday mundane moments that draw people into the hope we have in Christ that makes them want what we have. We must be ready to share why we have that hope!

Last week we entered our mission field (cruise ship) in Galveston. We prayed on the way to the port asking God to open doors for people to know Him. We knew we would be leading Bible studies, but this time we specifically prayed that if there was a crew member that needed hope, that He would guide them to us and we would recognize that opportunity.

Sitting in the Promenade, with a table full of ducks, silicone bracelets, stickers and other fun goodies, we met Rhona. She was curious but hesitant, and when she approached she asked if she was "entitled" to any of our gifts. We said she was exactly who these gift were for, and that started the most beautiful friendship. Over the course of the week we learned so much about her, her family, her background, and why she chose the cruise industry. While I won't go into detail or give her country of origin, she came into the industry out of desperation. The very morning we met, she said she had prayed asking God to show her He still cared for her.

What happened over the course of the next 5 days was nothing short of God's hand working a miracle in the life of a child He's running after. We gave her a New Living Translation of the Bible. She had a KJV that she couldn't read or understand. She would carry that new Bible with her everywhere, and she would bring it with her every night to our meetings. We would highlight verses, read it together, and talk about what the verses meant. We talked over salvation and the free gift that Jesus gave us by His sacrifice. We talked about hope, mercy, forgiveness, and the trials of life.

At the beginning of our trip, she shared how she would cry herself to sleep most nights from a feeling of loneliness and isolation, and by our last day, she wore a smile that she said God gave her.

We have continued to stay in daily contact with her and we are working to save quickly for another trip back on her same ship before she leaves in a few months. We know her eternal life is worth any sacrifice we have to make to get there.

Lives are being changed through the sharing of the gospel of Jesus on these missions! Please continue to pray with and for us. Specifically that we can see her again soon, that she get closer every day to making the decision for Christ that will guarantee her an eternity in Heaven with Him forever, and that she has the courage to take that faith home to her family.