A few of us had the opportunity to go to Bulgaria this past week. It was such a sweet experience! We went to Bulgaria for a day trip to evangelize.
Right off the bat, we had attacks from the enemy. Our van broke down, and we sat at a car place for two hours before getting into a different car. Then on our way there, we were inches away from a terrible accident. Praise the Lord that our driver was able to avoid it! Then we reach the Romania-Bulgaria border, and the line moves slowly. We finally make it to where we are evangelizing for the day, and it’s 12:30. Remember, we only have that day. We were a bit discouraged, but when we got there, we started right away. Although we had a short time there, it was impactful and worth it! We had a bunch of Bulgarian tracks to hand out to people. This is something that I enjoy. Face-to-face interactions and handing the tracks to people are so much fun! So many people accepted them, which is fantastic, and I know that doesn’t mean they will get it, but even that step of taking the track is significant. We planted seeds all over the area in Bulgaria that we visited. Throughout the time, we met several people, but one interaction stuck out to me. I was handing a track to a girl when I felt a pull to her. I asked her if she spoke English, and she did. We talked about random things and then about God. We got pictures together and shared our Instagram, which was fun. As we parted ways, she asked if she could please stay in contact with us. Just by a simple interaction, she was interested and wanted to stay in touch. What a blessing!! We kept handing out tracks, and I realized that the people around twenty and under were way more open to the tracks and learning something new. I found that exciting and realized it’s not just a Bulgaria thing. It’s a generation thing. We can reach so many young people because they are open to hearing new things. So often, they go to what makes them feel good and if they encounter something. If we go out and reach out to them in love and pray for God to encounter them, how many more young people would come to know God? It breaks my heart to think of people not knowing about God and not being saved. I want to partner with God and share God’s love and good news with as many people as possible, whether in daily life with acts of kindness, evangelizing, or just listening and loving people. We can plant rocks in people’s shoes with even the most minor thing, like handing out a track. The rock is distracting and gets a person thinking and leading to action. When you have a rock in your shoe, you take action to get it out, but you think about it first. Even just getting them thinking is a big step! I think when I go home, I will continue doing this. I will take what I’ve learned and apply it to daily life. I now have new ways to serve, love, and evangelize. I have learned so much about evangelism and what is effective. First, the difference between doing things with a smile and not is a game changer. Going up to a person with a smile makes you seem more approachable and kind. A smile can change a day for the better. Number two: Handing things out works very well for evangelism. A little gift and an evangelism booklet pique interest and are a highlight in the person’s day. Combining one and two is very powerful. If you hand out a gift with a smile, it is so effective! I will be taking this back to the states!
The third thing that I’ve learned from evangelism is that people love to talk about themselves, so asking the right questions opens them up, and they will begin to trust you. As trust is being built up, you can share some of your story and relate to them, which makes the friendship bond even more substantial. Aim to be people’s friends. Build trust, and they will be more willing to hear about God. I can use these three things in Eswatini and the states. Each time it needs to be adapted slightly to fit the culture, but for the most part, it’s the same. Sometimes one of these works better than the others, and that’s why it’s so important to have an open mind with it. Let God use you as planned because he knows everyone and how to teach them best. My best advice for evangelism is to stay dependent on God and let him guide your steps. Let him speak through you, and watch as results happen! Even if you’ve just planted a rock in their shoe, it’s impactful. You don’t have to have much experience to hand out gifts with tracks or to smile and get to know people. Show Christ’s love, and people will naturally be attracted to your presence. I want to live radically for Jesus. I want people to know that I love Jesus and desire to have it too.
If you remember one thing from this blog, I want you to remember that even minor interactions can change a person’s life. Let God use you to connect with people, putting a rock in their shoe. Go out and radically love people for the glory of God!
