AN UNNAMED COUNTRY
J
anet* had been working as a tentmaker nurse for 17 years in a very difficult country. Sometimes she felt all that time had been wasted—no one had been baptized; no one was even taking Bible studies. One day, a pastor was able to visit her city (the first pastor in more than a year who had been able to get a visa to come). She asked him and his wife to visit some friends with her. They agreed, expecting to visit another foreign family. But as the car pulled up to the house, the pastor realized this was no foreign worker’s home. This was a massive mansion owned by wealthy locals. His mind was
whirling. In this part of the world, Adventist pastors rarely have the opportunity to visit non-Christian locals in their homes. In fact, he had never been in one like this before. But he knew a little of what to expect. Inside the door would be an ornately furnished visiting room. That is where they would sit and talk because in that country men aren’t allowed in the center of the home unless they’re part of the family. The hosts welcomed Janet, the pastor, and his wife warmly and then turned and walked past the visiting room and up the stairs into the center of the home. As the group took their seats in the
“Don’t tell me you’re not making a difference in this country.” large family room, the pastor almost had to pinch himself to see whether this was really happening and not just a dream. This family must really think a lot of Janet, he thought. They must consider her part of the family, and because of her, my wife and I are being counted as part of the family too.
17
UNWASTED YEARS
30
