Serving in Puerto Rico
Tú puente a Puerto Rico
Door to Door Evangelism
We were walking down a very hilly road. A stray dog had been following us for quite some time, and up ahead we saw a few chickens running around in a front yard. Someone definitely seemed to be home. "Buenas Tardes!" we shouted towards the screen windows. The house was about 800 square feet, constructed of concrete blocks and wearing a tin roof hat. The front porch had a nice iron fence and the house was painted a bright marigold. "Buenas Tardes!" we shouted again. A woman probably in her mid-20s came out of the house with baby on her hip - her facial expression showed that she was questioning what we were doing. "Dios te bendiga, señora. Somos misionarios de Carolina de Sur y tenemos regalos para ti en el nombre Jesu Cristo. ¿Necesita pampers por el bebe?" (God Bless you ma'am. We are missionaries from South Carolina and we have gifts for you in the name of Jesus Christ. Do you need diapers for the baby?) She shook her head yes and walked closer to accept the diapers. As she came closer we saw that she had tears in her eyes. We asked her if she was okay, and she told us, "This morning I realized that I didn't have any more diapers for my baby, and I didn't have a way to get more until tomorrow. I prayed to God for him to bring me diapers... and here you are!"
That is a true story from July 2009 - we spent several minutes with her talking about why we came to serve the Lord in Puerto Rico and invited her to our sister church. For those a bit more bold, door to door evangelism is an exhilarating mission opportunity. Students or adults, towns or mountains.. walking up to a home and shouting "Buenas Tardes!" to an open window takes guts.
Sometimes groups bring gospel tracts, information about IBTdR, or household items like baby diapers, or bags of rice. If your surprise visit is welcomed, don't be surprised if you are invited inside for a drink and a story or two. Embrace every opportunity to share about our merciful God, sending His son to die for us so that we aren't bound to our sin or past mistakes any longer.
