Share the Story

"So how do I go from talking about diarrhea to a biblical message?" 

These are the kinds of interesting conversations Emily and I get to have. And this is the kind of creativity that we get to invent as we seek to minister through the infants in distress program. 

One of the biggest outreaches of the infants in distress program is the monthly milk distribution. The thing is, we can give away milk and medical care and compassion at these events, but if we don't offer Jesus, what is the real point? A physical need has been met, but an eternal one neglected. I heard a missionary surgeon once say, "I don't want to just populate hell with people who have had hernia repairs." In the same way, we don't want to save a bunch of infants' lives just so they grow up never hearing about Jesus. 

That's why each milk distribution includes a biblical message, which comes right after the health and hygiene teaching segment. This is also why Emily and I get to discuss how to go from talking about diarrhea to eternity. 

We discussed and prepared a little bit the evening prior to the distribution, and then I fell asleep trying to think about how to connect diarrhea to the Bible. I gave up and just decided to share my testimony. 

At the distribution in the village the following day, I brought my baby made out of a water bottle to demonstrate how diarrhea causes fluid loss and the need for ongoing rehydration. I had wrapped the little water bottle baby in their traditional cloth and pretended it was real. Much to the ladies' delight, they played along exceptionally well, and they even gave the baby a dagara name. One women even grabbed water bottle baby from me to pronounce a blessing on it. 

The diarrhea role play was so much a hit that I didn't even need a smooth transition into the biblical message. I just took a seat and asked the women if they wanted to hear my testimony, and they eagerly agreed, and I told them about how I became a Christian, how God rescued me from my eating disorder, how he uses trials to purify our faith like gold, how he called me to Africa, and how I want them to believe in Jesus and his love for them. 

We read John 1:12, the very verse that invited me into personal relationship with the Father. "To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."

At the end of the day, you don't need a fancy way to transition from diarrhea prevention to the gospel. It just kinda happens when you decide to spend time with people and talk about what matters. 

So give me any subject and I will turn it into a Bible message! (Just kidding) But I have learned that one of the creative skills of living life on mission is being able to introduce Jesus into any conversation, and it's really not too hard. It doesn't even take much preparation, just willingness. It's not too hard to talk about what you love most.