Dear Pastors, Church Members and Praying Friends,
I would like to highlight one very encouraging event this last month. Do I have nothing else to report? YES! But I don’t like to overwhelm you with things like…
* Stories of people getting saved
* How I got the gospel message in front of 20,000 MEN and 239 of them signed up in 3 days
* How Respect was protected from a gunman by God while preaching the gospel
* The blessings of meeting up with the people in Botswana again
And much, much more…So I will confine this letter to one huge lesson for all of us to consider.
I met with one of the men I led to Christ in Botswana several years ago. I was hoping for an encouraging meeting, but he told me of being out of work for the last 2 years and despite training and submitting his application to numerous businesses he is still without work. This is a normal problem so many people here face. As his situation unfolded, my heart was broken for him.
He told me of how he had come to Christ and did not ask God to give him wealth. But then went on to tell me of how he was now discouraged and had quit preaching the gospel due to his circumstances.
Is this a Biblical response? No…but it was very understandable to me as I heard his story unfold. The circumstances may change, but there are people facing trials the world over. The answer is not to berate them, but to understand their heart and learn to encourage them as the Holy Spirit does us.
As we spoke, most of our time was taken with me understanding his situation. He is in a village all alone and far from the other brethren. That alone makes his situation so much more dangerous. When we live where there is no church, we do not have the encouragement of the brethren.
After hearing his situation and then reasoning with him from Scripture, we parted ways. I told my wife I understood his situation. I knew he did not speak as a lost man…but as a very discouraged saved man. I began to pray earnestly for him, but he was so low I did not expect much. Oh me of LITTLE faith.
Four days later I received a message from him. He said…“I will be back this morning teaching the Word at a public transport. I thank God for that. You called me at the right time.”
Right time? When I called him he had driven to a village near where I was heading for a meeting. When he got there he was told the meeting was canceled. Getting to the meeting had cost him a great deal of money and now it was canceled. They could have told him! When he was on his way home I called and found out he was close by. So we were able to meet and although the meeting ended with no resolution, God was at work in his heart. Four days later I was shouting when I read what God was doing in his life. That meeting was God’s appointment!
Would you take a few minutes and pray for him? His difficulties are very deep and far from resolved. But he is on the right track. Not only encouraged, but back to witnessing to others!
Please do not take for granted that others around you will go on without encouragement from the brethren. This is why the Lord intends us to be in churches and not out on our own. And if we find ourselves somewhere without a church, we need to labor that one would be gathered so we can encourage each other in the work of God.
So much more to say, but no room left. Thank you for your prayers! They really do make a difference!!
Yours for the Souls of Men,
Douglas Hammett
South Africa, Botswana and Beyond
