Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (NIV)
Where do you think of when someone mentions the “ends of the earth”? Each one of us imagines some place different as we read those words. A dark, lush green jungle filled with screeching howler monkeys might pop into your mind. Or maybe a bleak, empty expanse of desert, void of all noise might be more of your image. Some might even picture a bombed out, desolate city where stray animals are the only signs of life. My work with orphans takes me into some very remote corners of God’s beautiful creation. Each time I venture somewhere new, I wonder if this village or that slum sits at the very end of this earth. To my surprise, each new place takes me somewhere further down the path to toward the end of the road.
The rural, destitute villages resting on the slopes of the mighty Himalayas felt very remote when I visited them. The majestic beauty of the towering snow-capped mountains casting dark shadows across the stark poverty of the village created an unforgettable contrast for me. It unsettled me to witness man and nature, both created by God, side by side but world’s apart. And it was more than just the poverty that caused this feeling of separation. I saw God in the splendor of Mount Everest while I saw hollowness in the lives of the villagers. God was not in this town and I felt the emptiness deep in my soul. God called me to be His witness in lost places like this one. Much of this village was destroyed in the Nepal earthquakes and my heart hurts even more for them. What little they had, was taken away from them.
God calls each of us to be His witnesses to the far ends of the earth. The world is waiting for news of their Savior, the one who will rescue them from the darkness. God is waiting for you to take the Good News to the lost. There are villages like this one all around the world, waiting for the gospel. There are people in your cities and neighborhoods, waiting to hear of Jesus. God is calling each of us to GO!
Yvonne
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
