Truly, the Good News!

Her home was tiny. Over the front door hung an ornament with a painting of Jesus and Mother Mary that says, "God bless this home." Inside, there was a small wooden bench where Cheryl and I sat. In the corner, there was an old fashion sewing machine that had obviously been used to make the curtain that was separating us from the kitchen. The curtain was made from a few rice sacs and other random cloth. I asked Cheryl (my translator) to tell the old woman that I liked the curtain. It was sort of eclectic, like something you'd buy from Urban Outfitters. Anyway, the woman just laughed at my complement.

Then Cheryl looked at me, and in nervous Filippino fashion she asked, "Let's start?" I replied, "Okay, let's pray." Cheryl translated that we were going to pray, so the old woman quickly got up to spit out her chewing tobacco that was now dripping red out the corner of her mouth. We prayed and then I asked if she woman had ever read the Bible. "Not yet," she replied. So, I started in Genesis and briefly explained about the Old Testament. I told her about Adam and Eve and how sin has broken man's relationship with God. Then I shared about the Law of Moses and blood sacrifices, which led into the New Testament and Jesus' sacrifice.

We read Ephesians 2: 8,9 that says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Afterwards, I rambled for a minute about the free gift of God and how there's nothing we can do to earn the gift. The woman looked at me like she really believed what I was saying, but she still didn't completely understand. In the middle of my rambling, she interrupted to ask Cheryl a question. Cheryl said to me, "She just has one question. She wants to know what is the free gift?"

Wow. I laughed and said, "That is a really good question!" Then I turned to Revelation chapter seven and explained the the picture of the great multitude around the throne. Eternal life with God is the free gift. In heaven, we will serve him day and night, and be sheltered by his presence. I went on to tell her about the promises of heaven like no more hunger and no more tears. The woman interrupted me again to say, "That sounds wonderful."

It does sound wonderful, doesn't it? The Good News doesn't get old. I'm continuously humbled by the Waray waray peoples' response to the Gospel. So often, I get used to the idea of God's free gift, and I forget to be amazed. In Proverbs 25: 25 Solomon writes, "Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." In the Philippines, a bottle of cold water is hard to find, but I believe the good news of Jesus Christ is going to suffice.