The following is adapted from an article by an Alliance international worker, currently on home assignment in the United States. Because God’s people pray and give to the Great Commission Fund, he and his team minister to peoples from the North and Central Asia Region—one of the most spiritually desolate places on earth.
I had just finished tour in early November and headed to the airport. After checking in, I saw in line a guy who looked like a native from the country where my wife and I serve.
After going through security, I thought Oh, well. Maybe he isn’t.
About 15 minutes later, after I sat down at my gate, the same man walked up and sat almost next to me. I eventually asked him what boarding group he was in; he told me he didn’t speak English. And he confirmed what I had suspected.
No Coincidence
Here I was in a major airport, headed to my home in the Midwest, and on my flight was a guy from the country where my wife and I serve with The Alliance.
Who arranges these encounters? Our Father, of course!
We chatted, and I discovered Henry* and I both had a several-hour layover in Chicago. So I asked him to wait for me when he got off the plane. I wanted to take him to dinner and get to know him as well as practice my language skills.
Praying a Blessing
As we sat and ate Chicago pizza, we talked about Henry’s family, the food in his country, and about his stay in the United States. At the end of our time together, I prayed with him, asking our Father to bless him and his family.
I then gave him the only thing from his country that I hadn’t packed in my checked baggage—a copy of the four gospels in his language. Henry asked what it was, and I told him it was a collection of stories about Jesus. He was quite excited.
Henry then asked me to write a blessing in the flyleaf (asking God to bless a gift is a sign of respect in his culture). As we parted ways, my new friend told me he had a long flight from Chicago to the Far East and would have plenty of time to begin reading.
Please lift Henry to our Father and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to him through His Word.
*Name changed
Pray
Use the weekly Alliance Prayer Requests to join the Alliance family in interceding on behalf of our global teams, who rely upon the Holy Spirit for opportunities to share the gospel with those who have little or no access to the good news.
Learn More
Check out people groups of the world lacking access to the gospel. Praying for them is an effective way for Alliance people to help fulfill the Great Commission.