Although they were poor, she didn't realize it. Their toys came from nature--dirt, water, trees. In fact, the first time she visited the city and saw a doll, she said she thought, "What is this that looks like me?!"
She had heard of "Christians" before, but thought that this was something that one was born into. In other words, her understanding was that one could only be a Christian if her parents (and their parents, etc.) were Christians. Not that it mattered, she didn't even know what it meant to be a Christian. She had absolutely no knowledge of the Gospel. None.
With no spiritual knowledge or transcendent faith of any kind, she remembers distinctly thinking that life was meaningless.
However, God changed that through the ministry of Campus Crusade.
One day while she was studying, one of the ambassadors of this program shared the Gospel with her. In particular, Romans 5:6-8 got her attention:
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
I don't think I will ever forget her words. She said, "It was gold."
This poor, rural young lady who went without the excesses (even some of the basics!) of what I would consider to be a "normal" childhood, understood the immense value of the gift she was given by a stranger who shared with her the story of Jesus Christ.
She gave her life to Christ then and there. And she has never looked back.
Just listening to her talk with excitement about the many young people that she has brought to the Truth since that day through her own missionary work is a blessing. She simply lights up! For her it is an amazing privilege and honor to serve God in this way.
There are many people who don't understand the importance of missionaries. Stories like this remind me that their are many, many out there who have never had the opportunity to be introduced to Jesus Christ.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:13-15)
I don't think I will ever forget her words. She said, "It was gold."
This poor, rural young lady who went without the excesses (even some of the basics!) of what I would consider to be a "normal" childhood, understood the immense value of the gift she was given by a stranger who shared with her the story of Jesus Christ. She gave her life to Christ then and there. And she has never looked back.
Just listening to her talk with excitement about the many young people that she has brought to the Truth since that day through her own missionary work is a blessing. She simply lights up! For her it is an amazing privilege and honor to serve God in this way.
There are many people who don't understand the importance of missionaries. Stories like this remind me that their are many, many out there who have never had the opportunity to be introduced to Jesus Christ.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:13-15)
She didn't just sock that gold away. Instead, she became a gold mine.
And she is spending her life recruiting miners.
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