What do you do?

It was New Year's Eve. about 8:00pm. Showers were over, and we were sitting at the supper table in our p.j's finishing dessert. Someone began knocking on our back door. Our gate had been shut, the doors and windows to the house were shut...who could it be? It was a neighbor lady and two small children. She wanted to invite us to join them at their house to celebrate the new year. What do you do?

So, we got re-dressed and headed over there. We could here the loud music from our house, and we tried to warn our children as we were walking there, that it probably would be loud. As we walked into their compound, the first thing we noticed were four big stage speakers, a stereo mixing board, and an LCD monitor. The speakers were blasting forth a pulsating rhythm of dance music, and the LCD was displaying skimpily dressed music videos. What do you do?

They were arranging some benches for us to sit on, and getting ready to fix some food. They had a big barbeque going, a griddle with shrimp and pork, and a pot of soup. It was quite a feast. She told us that since new years only comes once per year, they would eat seafood. They had invited us to come and share with them, their best. What do you do?

They motioned for us to take a seat on the benches that they had moved over for us. So we did. No sooner had I sat down, another neighbor who had long drunk past his alcohol limit, began offering me some whiskey. I declined. A little while later he offered it to me again. I declined. So, he came around the makeshift table and very loudly and belligerently offered to pour me some red cream soda. Then he wanted to toast the new year. What do you do?

The Barbecued pork was some of the best we have ever had. The grilled pork fat, and a few other items weren't that great. Our children enjoyed the endless supply of Fanta pop. Once their glass was empty of red pop, somehow it was instantly refilled with the green pop. Noise, Lewd Videos, Drunkenness, Food, Sugar, Late at night...what do you do?

Well, we were overwhelmed with gratitude. We have lived in this village for 7 months and that is the first invitation that we have received to come and eat with them at their table. It felt good that they considered us a part of their village enough to invite us to their house. There was no way we could choose to be unsocial.

That is the reason we came here. We came to live among these people. To build relationships with these people. We didn't come to partake of their evil ways, but we did come to sit with them and lead them to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Pray for us as we daily encounter situations that stretch us way beyond our familiar box. We truly do want to give our Utmost For Christ. Martin