When *Thomas, a Global Gates missionary, arrived from Texas to his new home in North Carolina five months ago, one of his core objectives in reaching his Afghan neighbors for Jesus Christ was to get them Scripture in their heart language. By God’s grace, Thomas cleared this hurdle just before Christmas. He said, “Every Afghan home in my apartment community and the surrounding neighborhood now has God’s Word.”
However, this did not happen overnight. It was a process to reach this point, and it began with friendship. Hospitality is synonymous with Afghan culture. Thomas knew a simple gesture of kindness could go a long way. He purchased dates and herbal tea from a local Muslim market, and delivered those as gifts when he went to introduce himself to his Afghan neighbors and welcome them to America.
Many foreigners who move to North America have never been in a Christian’s home. So, Thomas hosted Christmas parties in his apartment to celebrate with his Afghan neighbors. They sipped apple cider, munched on snacks, and talked. His new friends opened up about life in Afghanistan and the pain they saw and experienced in their homeland. Thomas shared his testimony, then told the story of Christ’s birth.
Thomas sent his guests home with gift boxes full of fruit, sweets, Scripture, and other gospel resources in their heart language.
How are you leveraging your life to reach the nations near you for Jesus? You can live on mission just like Thomas. As you can see from his example, it starts with showing your unreached neighbor that you care about them.
“Be obedient to what God has called you to,” Thomas said. “Ask God to show you where he’s at work among the lost and unreached near you, then join him in what he’s doing. God has brought the nations to us. We have easy access to befriend them and show them the love of Christ.”
Introduce yourself to your Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jewish neighbors. Invite them into your life. Tell them how God met your greatest need and how he can do the same for them. You are sent.
*Name changed for security reasons.