Outreach in Northwest Africa…After Jesus’ Model
We were all gathered in a small room in Northwest Africa–The 17 people I’ve been in leadership track with for the past 7 months.
Our host told us to all open our Bibles to Luke 10, the time when Jesus sent out 72 followers ahead of him to do ministry. This would be our model for outreach for our time in Northwest Africa.
“The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two…”
Got it. Divide up into small groups–in our case, two or three.
“Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.”
So first we’ll prayed before going out. We prayed and worshipped for hours every morning.
“Go!”
Alright, so after worshipping, we’ll get out of the house and get in the city.
“Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.”
So we’ll create need for ourselves. Every day, we’ll go out in the city at lunchtime with a limited budget, and need to find food, all while not being able to speak Arabic, the local language.
“When you enter a house, first say ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them…stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you.”
We will find an English speaker, ask for their help, and if they’re a person of peace we’ll eat with them.
“tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.'”
Share the gospel.
So we went out. Soon my two teammates and I found ourselves at a park. We approached some men working out on a pull-up bar and asked if we could join them.
That’s when we met a man we’ll call Omar. Omar spoke English and immediately was interested in speaking with us. We started talking about sports, culture, and America. We quickly found out that Omar is a Muslim. We listened to him share about his faith, seeking to understand him and his beliefs. And we shared the good news of the gospel with him.
The next day, he wanted to meet with us again, and he wanted to help us get couscous, one of the most common local foods. We sat down, ate together, and again talked for hours and hours about culture, religion, Jesus, the Bible, the Quran, our own stories, and so many other things.
The next day, he wanted to take us to his favorite place in the city. And the next day he had a new plan for us. And the next, and the next.
I spent four days with Omar. By the last day, he was coming up with question after question about America, Christianity, and Jesus. He was always seeking to understand, while still holding onto his own beliefs.
After I spent four days with Omar, my two teammates met with him two more days, and they brought along one of the men on the team hosting us, a long-term missionary in Northwest Africa. I was told they talked for hours about nothing but religion. Our host speaks Arabic, knows the Quran in depth, and just loves conversation.
So now, our host hopes to meet with Omar more in the future. They considered him a person who promotes peace, as Jesus talked about in Luke 10.
Would you pray with me for Omar, that God will soften his heart to the love he needs, and that he’ll see Jesus for who he really is?
Stay tuned for more stories from my time in Northwest Africa!
