answer(ed)

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Most people know Jeremiah 29:11. A Christian might have it in their instagram bio, on a mug in their home, or maybe even tattooed on their body so they can always remember that God has good plans for them (if you take the verse out of it’s orginal context). However, many of us do not know what follows. Let me tell you a story about what happens when we not only know, but believe and have faith in what comes next. 

Yesterday our outreach my team consisted of myself, a national translator who we call Chloe (her real name white people cannot pronounce so she gives us grace on that one), and three high schoolers from Colorado who are here on a short term trip. We were doing ministry in Msawawa. We began our morning walking the street and ended up at a small shop where men were gathered.

We began to converse with them and share about our lives while also learning about theirs. As the conversation continued a few other men joined and seemed to be acting in a way that led me to believe all they desired to do was argue with the things I said. I began to tell my testimony and how God had delivered me from a life of death and has brought beauty from ashes. However, they were persistent in their detouring of the conversation at hand. We prayed for them and they were on their way. However, one man who I spoke to before was still standing and wanting to talk more.  

As lunch time grew closer and we were running out of time all I was able to do was go through the book of John, pray for the Lord to provide a job for him, and hope to come back tomorrow to talk more. His name is Karabo, which translates to Answer in English. And wow, an answer I was going to get. 

This morning (June 14th) I was able to share encouragement with my team before going into ministry. Pictured below is what I shared from my daily devotional book “This Day with the Master” by Kinlaw. 

After lunch we went looking for him and found him at the same shop and found him dressed up. And I mean dressed up! He had a SMILE on his face and shared that after we left he received a phone call for a job offer. What answered prayer. Then he told me that he has given his life to Christ and surrendered to the Lord. WHAT AN ANSWERED PRAYER. 

Once again the enemy attempted to thwart this moment so Karabo invited us to his home. My team continued to encourage him to be a light to others and fulfill the Great Commission. However, there was a piece of the commission we were missing. After we prayed I felt the Lord prompting me to ask if he wanted to be baptized. So, in the middle of this community, surrounded by his new brothers and sisters in Christ, I baptized him from my insulated white water bottle. 

I would have never imagined the Lord would take a simple conversation and turn it into a baptism. This is something I have never experienced before in my years of being a follower of Christ and being on mission. I am learning more and more that God is using me to do things far beyond me. My prayer, and my answered prayer, is that God will take me infinitely further and do infinitely more with my obedience than I ever imagined. Today, I am thankful for answered prayers and this specific Answer, my new brother in Christ, the Lord gave to me.