I am a student from Kenya. Before coming to the Philippines, I worked as a campus ministries director for the East African Union, where my assignment did not embrace the role of a public evangelist. Even now my study is directed toward Bible teaching and not evangelism. I am completing a Master of Arts/Religion program at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (ANAS).
One morning, however, I had a brief interaction with a student from the AIIAS ministry class. He introduced me to the Global Evangelism Web site sponsored by Carolina Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (carolinasda.org) and the Quiet Hour. I visited the Web site and signed my name just out of curiosity, as one of the possible speakers for an evangelistic program in the Philippines.
To my surprise, my application was accepted and I was assigned to go to the Bicol region of Luzon island. Bicol is about 500 miles southeast of Manila. The region is famous for the warmth and friendliness of the people and of sili, pili, and tilapia fish! In addition, the place is famous because of its active Mayon volcano. Besides, the Hoyop-Hoyopan caves make Bicol a historic place and a tourist attraction.
First, some fears
As days went by, I felt reluctant to go to this place for evangelism. Bicol is steeped in strong religious traditions that make it difficult to present a Seventh-day Adventist way of thought and belief. One student pastor at AIIAS had warned me that I would be lucky if I got five people to come out to listen to me. Besides, with terrorism around the world, I felt unsafe as a foreigner in such a remote place.
But worst of all was the fear of inadequacy. As a Master of Arts/Religion student, my seminary program emphasis was tuned toward an academic preparation for teaching religion. What do I have to do with public evangelism? I asked myself. The AIIAS seminary bulletin makes it clear: "MA-R seminary program is an academic degree in religion," meant "primarily for students wishing to qualify themselves for teaching religion." As a result, I was aware that my curriculum had little emphasis on evangelism.
As a student, I had other fears too. How was I to balance seminary studies with an intense two-week evangelistic series? I sought some counsel from my seminary dean and from the vice president for student affairs, hoping they would deny my request for time to do evangelism. But instead, they both encouraged me to go, and rearranged my class assignments accordingly!
As a foreign student in the Philippines, I was fully aware of the disadvantages of my status. I cannot speak the local language. Besides, expectations from a foreign evangelist are sometimes too high to meet.
The image some people have of an evangelist is disturbing. Most evangelists are known to come from the United States with big budgets. I knew I would be expected to have my own budget and graphic projection equipment, and to meet my own travel expenses.
Carolina Conference Global evangelism had made it clear that I was expected to meet my travel costs, hotel, and meals. Yet, I did not have a penny with me. Worse still, foreign students have no work opportunities in the Philippines. As I faced all of this, I began to think that I had made a mistake to have signed up.
At the same time, I felt hounded by the words of Jesus, "Take nothing for your journey" (Luke 9:3).
I wrote to global evangelism head quarters, informing them that I was unable to take up the assignment because I could not come up with money. But to my surprise, the Carolina Conference Global-Evangelism director offered to pay for my bus travel and meet other local direct expenses. He also sent me a videotape on the life of Christ and a set of CDs with sermon notes and graphics.
This development almost drowned my excuses for not being involved in evangelism. Then during family worship one morning, I encountered something that convicted me of my call to go. My youngest son read the parable of Jesus about the two sons in Matthew 21:28- 32: ". . . And he came to the second son and said likewise (son, go work today in my vineyard). And he answered and said, 'I go, sir' and he went not." Was this little boy of mine aware that he was probably referring to me?
My next challenge was the fear of leaving my family in a foreign land. I have four children for whom I am responsible. Two weeks away would destabilize my family. But my heart continued to be disturbed with the conviction that I should go. It seemed my wife had detected some strange uneasiness in me. She asked if I had a class assignment troubling me. I told her I was going to be away for evangelism.
I expected her to discourage me in view of terrorism and kidnapping in some parts of the Philippines. But she prayed and wished me well! I left with out making adequate financial arrangements for my family.
Then, the adventure
I attended the orientation program in Manila organized by Carolina Conference. It was designed to assist first-time evangelists through the experience of evangelism. One of the things that impressed me was the presence of six students from Friedensau University in Germany. They, too, were scheduled for evangelism at other sites in the Philippines. I came back and reread the Web site information on global evangelism and went through the CD sermon notes and graphics.
Within days, I was ready to leave.
The adventure began when I arrived at the evangelistic site. The opening night saw the hall filled with people. The wife of the president of South Luzon Adventist Mission had set up the projector and screen. The program's theme was "A New Beginning for the Family." Some people seemed excited to see an African "black" man. The children would come to touch me and feel the hair on my head. It was as though God created me black for this occasion. Some of the people came to the meet ings just to see "this black man."
One day I accompanied the local elder to visit a Filipino family. They had been resisting our invitations to come to the evangelistic meetings. We entered their house and prayed with them. I read a few Bible verses and invited them to come to the meetings.
As we were about to leave the house, the mother called out and said, "No black man has ever entered my house before. This man from Africa must be a messenger from God. We will come to the meetings." And that evening I saw them walk into the hall. They were among the first to arrive, and they never missed a meeting after that!
But the greatest moment came on the fourth night when I was making a call for decisions. No one stood for the first five minutes. I almost froze. I began sweating but I did not give up.
Then something miraculous happened. In the center of the hall, one elderly mother with her son stood up and moved forward. Later, she was followed by five young people. Then fifteen people came. Before ten minutes were over, half of the people in hall stood and stepped forward, making their decision.
I noticed one woman wiping her tears as she came forward. The sight almost electrified me: She was the one we had visited earlier, the one who had been so impressed with me as a black man. On the closing day of the meeting, this family was among the 41 baptized.
Happenings in the city jail
Perhaps the greatest miracle of this evangelistic program was what took place in the nearby Legaspi city jail. The local pastor had made arrangements for me to visit the city jail during the day and preach to the inmates.
On one occasion, I shared one of the Global Evangelism sermons: "The Unpardonable Sin and the Holy Spirit." It seemed to have immediately touched a number of inmates.
One female inmate asked me whether she had heard me correctly when I said that "murder is not the unpardonable sin." I read her the words of Jesus in Matthew 21:31. "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men ..." Before my translator had finished translating this part of the verse, she shed tears and joyfully requested if she could be baptized.
She was among 15 inmates baptized in the city jail that week. I was overjoyed to see her come out of the water with a beaming face. She told me that she was going to live for the glory of her Lord. Her prison term was to end soon, and she would share her story and joy with others.
Her parents came that evening to see us. They expressed their happiness for what had happened to their daughter at the city jail.
Finally, some lessons
This joyful experience of seeing simple men and women decide for Christ has taught me several things.
First, there will never be any excuse sufficient to deter me from evangelism. The Master's great commission takes the highest priority over our business.
Evangelism is my reason for existence. Witnessing for Christ is a call that swallows up every other engagement of life. It is a call that gives meaning to all other things I am doing. My heart and soul have been refreshed. My mind can focus as I pick up my studies. These studies have taken on a new meaning as a result of this experience.
Second, I have learned that evangelism is not so much about the number of people baptized but about a single life transformed by and for Christ. Heaven's "joy over one soul" is no less than the joy over thousands baptized. "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goes forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him" (Ps. 126:5, 6).
Third, God has His vineyard near to where we are. Across the street or across the seas, it makes no difference: The opportunity for witnessing remains the same. Students can find both training for and opportunity to witness by contacting the Carolina Conference Global Evangelism Center.
Fourth, lack of high-tech equipment and big budgets need not be a hindrance to effective evangelism. While they are helpful in making public evangelism attractive, they should not be allowed to compete and even clash with the simplicity of evangelism as found in the New Testament.
Finally, the notion that public evangelism by seminary students applies only to those taking applied ministry is false. Evangelism is every Christian's calling.
