August 18, 2009
Alliance layperson Art Zimmer, who attends a C&MA-affiliated church in Alaska, was on his way to Sudan for a six-week missions trip at a medical station operated by Serving in Mission (SIM) when God led him to share the gospel with a Zambia airport worker.
When Ann asked for my boarding pass at Lusaka Airport in April 2008, I asked her if she had thought of having a “Boarding Pass” for heaven. She said, “I have.”
I then asked her, “Do you have one?” to which she promptly replied, “No, I don’t.”
When I asked her what she intended to do about it, she said that she didn’t know. I said, “I think I can help you.” I reached into my right shirt pocket where I carried a few pamphlets entitled, Steps to Peace with God, distributed by the Billy Graham Association. I opened it and paged through it with Ann, noting the Scriptures and illustrations. When we got to the page that concerned her receiving Christ as personal Savior, I offered to pray for her. Traffic at the airport was rather slow that Sunday morning, affording me extra time with Ann.
Destination: Heaven
After I prayed, I asked Ann if she would like to pray. She said, “Yes.” I led her in a prayer similar to what is printed in the pamphlet. Right after she prayed, she looked up at me, and said, “I come here every day, wondering if someone will tell me what you just did today. I want to thank you.”
Before speaking with Ann, I conversed with a well-dressed black man at the screening table, who turned out to be a fine believer and attended a good evangelical church in Lusaka. I told Ann about him, assuring her he would no doubt get her a Bible and take her to a good church.
God-ordained Delay
Tears of joy filled my eyes as I waited for my flight. The Lord knew why I had missed my flight the previous day—a flight that would have taken me to Nairobi in time to board a 12-place Caravan AIM charter flight to my destination in Sudan. These charters operate only a every few weeks. But for reasons the missionaries had, AIM flew another charter the very next day that took me not only to Doro, but allowed me to step off at various villages along the way—my first encounter with the Sudanese.
God knew why the delay! Acts 17:24-27 explains how He prearranges our ways, when we, Abraham’s servant could testify, “I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren,” (Genesis 24:27). He did me!