Evangelism

I’ve discussed much the importance of witnessing, as I feel it is the backbone of Christianity.  God has created us as a social creature; meant to live and love as a community.  Witnessing is that simple and most elegant order of communication that brings us together as one body in Christ.  Throughout my first two years of being a new Christian, I have tasked myself to seeking the liberty of witnessing my faith to others.  Each of us are unique and so it is that we find our own expression of witnessing as we are most comfortable, but it is mandatory that we seek God’s comfort and not our own as our inclined demeanors can bring us quite short of our true potential to witness.  We should always seek that potential and never be content with the easy.

As I matured in my Christian faith, it began to become a reality that God was calling me to more than my easy witness; that stretch of my hand first, then my arm.  God wanted more from me; to show me His power within me and His desire that I use His measure as He has allotted it, not as I might choose to use it.  He wanted me to reach out with both arms, and so I knew this growth needed to be sought.

Kathryn & I have been most fortunate that our growth in Christ had been greatly funded by a few small, lay ministries that were in our church.  One such is Patricia Hilliard Ministries.  Patricia is one of God’s encouragers; as a friend, a Life Coach, a speaker and teacher, and as a fearless missionary.  We have both benefited from those gifts within her, and through her encouragement we have grown as God has intended us to do so.

In July 2011, we found that growth opportunity to reach out with both arms to witness through an evangelical mission trip to Puntarenas, Costa Rica; one Patricia had developed in association with Cal Montenegro of Shepherd Network.  This trip would take twelve missionaries into the neighborhoods of a port city on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, with the purpose of witnessing God’s Word in our lives and exhorting the citizens of this city to consistently seek out Christ in their lives.  It would be a four-day, non-stop push into multiple local churches, a hospital, an orphanage, a prison, both a men’s and women’s conferences, and finally to an open-air church on the top of a mountain.  Morning, afternoon, and evening became appointments on our calendar. Continue reading The Willing Tree – Our Mission to Puntarenas