Bridgette's God

Jessica and I have just recently met met a woman from Zimbabwe named Bridgette. She's in her late forties, white, with the accent of a native speaker of Afrikaans. She's been a Christian most of her life, raised two boys of her own, as well as other adopted/foster kids, and she has recently moved to Malta on business. She showed up at Word of Life Pentacostal Holiness Church a couple weeks ago out of the blue (I guess she found us on the internet or in the phone book or something). And in a small church that has yet to organize a greeting ministry, I was glad to be the first to make her feel welcome. So she took Jessica and I out for dinner earlier this week. And what a breath of fresh air!! Bridgette has an amazing heart! She's humble, gracious, and generous. But what's most refreshing is that she focuses on God's grace and mercy and has a heart for broken people. And that's hard to come by among Christians living in a Catholic country.

You see, the Church here has a unique job. Everyone here has already heard the Gospel. They know "Jesus saves." But how do you get them to see that they can have a personal relationship with Him instead of going through a priest or praying to a saint? It's hard to do with an attitude of love when the people you're trying to reach are so antagonistic about it. Even once you convince a person to follow the Word of God over the word of the Pope, the task of discipleship is tough. It's more about correcting their doctrine than introducing them to Jesus. And that leaves the Christians saying a whole of do not's and must not's and thou shalt not's. It's tough.

Jessica and I have been hoping that somehow we can be an influence of grace and mercy. We believe that by accepting people with all their faults, they'll see God's love, turn to Him, and then let the Holy Spirit convict and change them. Bridgette thinks so too, and is was really encouraging to have a little pow-wow session with someone who feels the same.

Now, don't get me wrong. The Church here isn't hostile or unmerciful. It's just that the focus on holy living and correct doctrine makes people talk more often about what folks are doing wrong, instead of talking about why they do those things and what hurts they must have. Also I should clarify that Catholicism in Malta is way different than back home in the U.S. There's a whole lot of non-biblical stuff incorporated into Catholicism, and although it's technically universal to the faith, we find that it's taken to the extreme here.

Back to Bridgette. One reason I'm writing this blog about her is because even she will admit that God's still teaching her how to accept a compliment. She's a wonderfully humble person and refuses most nice things I try to say about her. So I'll just say it here: She's incredibly wise, and people would benefit more to shut up and listen to what she has to say. Her heart for certain ministries is inspiring and I hope it catches on. And she's an example of generosity and a "cheerful giver."

Another reason is a prayer request. As you read this, and whenever else you think about it, please pray for her. Not only that God grants her material blessings (her company isn't being extremely helpful in getting her office up and running), but that she has an awareness of more of God's presence as well (she'd agree that that's the sweetest of all). And since she's been such an encouragement and affirmation to Jessica and I, I really want hert to be blessed in return, and so I'm asking y'all to help me pray.

And the last reason that I'm writing about Bridgette is because I think she's a perfect example of a non-missionary missionary. And since that was the last thing I wrote about, I wanted to share this story:

Bridgette was working in an office of a company that she partly owned. She had a receptionist girl who was raised Catholic, but remained Catholic mostly just in name and not much in practice. Bridgette never closed her door, and the girl often heard her talking to or about God. One day the girl asked Bridgette about her relationship with God, and from then on they often had discussions about spiritual things over coffee. Bridgette told her about a God of love who gave His life for hurting people.

The girl was a compassionate type who cared especially for animals. At the end of one day, coming out of the office, Bridgette saw the girl standing in the street crying and praying loudly. A stray dog had a serious head injury and was cowering in a corner of the street. It was hostile and would not let the girl approach it to help. As Bridgette came upon the scene, she heard the girl praying towards the sky, "I'm praying to Bridgette's God..."

Now, it seemed a lot of pressure on Bridgette at the time. She told the girl that by praying, she had left the problem at God's feet, and there was nothing more they could do. It turned out the next morning that the dog actually walked inside and allowed itself to be caught and taken to the vet.

But I think if just one person, one time, ever called on God as "Ben's God", then I would count my life a success. And I'm not sure I'll be satisfied until then. For someone to come to a knowledge of God because I am His servant and child... THAT is what it means to be a missionary!