A Gentle Nudge

The idea came into my head in October, around the time of my birthday and Thanksgiving. First, it was like a nudge, a whisper, which I shrugged off as weird. Later, it became a persistent thought, one I could not shake. Then as the New Year dawned, it became a strong conviction that this venture was something God wanted me to just step into in faith
The idea was simple: Share about God with one unknown-to-me Canadian per month, chosen from a different province each month. I would simply pick a name from the phonebook, something I recall doing in Winnipeg during a Concert of Prayer for Canada. I would send the chosen person a “Good News Package” in the mail, though exactly what to put in it besides a personal letter and Christian music CD, I wasn’t sure yet.
No doubt, my church’s adult Sunday school series on witnessing provided some impetus for my plan. We were being challenged to get out of our comfort zones to reach non-Christians with the message of salvation in Christ.
We live in a country where people are more likely to know the names of ten brands of beer than the Ten Commandments. Does that concern us? Few Christians have a sense of urgency for the many lost souls who are unprepared for eternity. We are too much like that fireman in the US who was so busy fiddling around with the new radio in his fire truck that he was oblivious to the family trapped and perishing in the burning house beside him.
So January found me looking and praying for materials to put in the Good News surprise package for someone in Vancouver, B.C. It also found me at the optometrist’s office to get my glasses, which had been accidentally stepped on, fixed. As I was leaving, a sign on a nearby door caught my eye: Come in for your Free New Testament.
I recognized LifeLight Ministries as the organization that had provided Christian literature for our church to distribute after a Christmas concert. The word “vision” popped into my mind. Maybe I could find stuff for my mailings here! Sure enough, the lady at LifeLight was enthusiastic about my project. She helped me find all kinds of interesting resources, including a Who is Jesus? DVD and attractive pocket New Testaments. Now we trust God will match just the right person with the right materials each month.
I’m so glad our paths converged and that together we can share in this adventure of reaching people for Christ across Canada. Please pray for spiritual fruit as we carry out God’s mission. After all, it’s His idea!
Darlene Kaus