"What if I don’t know what to say?”

That was the question Jill, a longtime International Commission staff member, carried with her as she boarded a plane for her very first evangelism trip to Brazil.


She quickly discovered that God doesn’t require perfect words; just a willing heart.

"After six years of working for International Commission in the home office, the right opportunity came for me to go on an international evangelism partnership trip to Itaperuna, Brazil.

Before I left, I wondered, “Would I know the right things to say? What if someone asks me a question I don’t know how to answer? Will I actually be able to help my fellow team members and the Kingdom of God [by introducing people to Jesus]?” Like most people, I felt both excitement and anxiety about going.

There were a lot of people in Itaperuna who didn’t know Jesus. Our group of Americans was made up of people who had been on trips with IC before, and those like me, who had never been. All of us noticed the lack of receptivity to the Gospel right away. Even the veterans said, “This trip is different. People are more resistant here, and they don’t want to listen.” We shared Jesus anyway.

During one visit with my team, we went to the home of a woman named Sadie. Sadie’s depression was so bad that when she was initially asked if she wanted Jesus in her heart and life, she said, "Why do you keep asking me this? My life is so terrible, and you keep talking to me about God. God is not good, and Jesus can’t help me."

Without knowing what had just been said (it was quite literally lost in translation), I told my story of how I'd come to be at peace with the fact that life can be hard and God can be good at the same time. After I shared, Sadie invited Jesus into her life.

This visit was literal evidence that the right team made the right visit at the right time, and that nothing will get in the way of someone coming to know Jesus when Jesus wants that to happen. The obstacles (depression) or difficulties (lack of a common language) don’t matter. What matters is that the Holy Spirit has been working in the listener and that the proclaimer is ready to proclaim. In a way, my nerves over not knowing what to say were correct.

I had more than just that one visit with Sadie, where I didn’t know what to say or what had been said. But God knew. God knew what I needed to say, and although it was my voice, they were His words, combined with the Lord’s desire that no human should perish. That’s a pretty powerful combination, and I am humbled that God chose to use me as part of his work and plan for Itaperuna."

 

Do you want to be a part of the Great Commission by going and sharing the Gospel on an International Partnership just like Jill? Click the link below to view all of our upcoming Partnerships.