Battle Log
Sunday 31 December 2023
Posted 30 January 2024, 8:09 PM by Doug Espie. PermalinkStreet evangelism in Toowoomba is never boring. People from all over the world call our city home. You never know if you are going to meet an atheist, a Muslim, a Hindu, a relativist or an “apathiest” i.e someone is apathetic to important questions in life. There are many diverse ideas out there.
Yet regardless of our personal viewpoint, we all have a God-shaped hole in our lives. We wander, feeling empty or at the very least feeling vaguely uncomfortable.
Something is “off”.
Enter Jesus. Who He is and what He has done has beautiful, whiplash-inducing ramifications for each and every person. He shows us God. He reunites us with God. His Kingdom is expanding and His unstoppable plan to bring justice and healing to this world is awe-inspiring. This is good news that every person needs to individually hear and respond to.
Our team goes out every month to hand out booklets that help people understand this good news and we strike up conversations with those who are interested.
Below are some uniquely memorable conversations that we had with people this year.
1. On one outreach I (Doug) was able to speak to an older Yazidi man named G---- about Jesus.
I met G----- outside a Middle Eastern convenience store. He was a friendly bloke with excellent English.
I asked him how he became proficient in English. He told me that he learnt English decades ago at the University of Baghdad. I was impressed that he had retained his language skills and we spoke about his journey to Australia that took place a few years ago.
We had a long chat and the topic of beliefs came up. People from non-Western countries seem to be far more open to discussing spiritual matters and we shared our respective beliefs. At the end of our conversation, I offered an Arabic Gospel of John to G--. He was surprised and happy to see a publication in Arabic and he received the Gospel gratefully.
2. Another member of our team (Geoff) had the opportunity to speak to two young blokes outside Grand Central. D--- and L--- had attended a Christian school but had since turned away from God. They had a number of serious questions and they welcomed Geoff’s responses.
3. On the same day one of our team members (Merv) was able to engage an older gentleman in a different part of the CBD. This older man was a Christian but was not connected to a local church. Merv and the gentleman spoke for quite some time and Merv was able to invite him to Merv’s church. I’m pleased to report that the bloke has come to Merv’s church a few times and that there is a growing friendship in this space.
4. I can’t neglect to mention R--, who I met at a park bench near the council chambers. R-- was a character with a fascinating life story. He grew up in a well-known Pentecostal church and both his parents were ministers. As a teenager, he walked away from Jesus and eventually went to university.
R-- graduated with multiple degrees and he worked as a scientist.
However all was not well. He had a drug problem that began to erode the life he had built for himself. He also was treated unfairly by people in his professional circles. Eventually he wound up on the street after experiencing a number of tragedies.
R-- and I spoke for almost an hour on a range of topics. He was a self-professed “man of science” so I brought up the age-old problem of induction that plagues the scientific endeavor. I also explained how Christianity uniquely solves this problem and how it alone can provide a rational basis for humanity’s trust in the scientific method.
R-- pondered this for a while and then chose to bring up the issue of evil in the world. I told R-- that we can all agree that evil is a terrible thing. Yet we can have hope that evil and suffering is not out of control or ultimately meaningless. Our desire for true justice and for a world free of unjust suffering matches God’s desire, as we are made in His image. Since we are made in His image, our desire for a better world makes sense.
I then went on to explain that the collective cry of humanity’s heart against injustice and suffering will be answered when Jesus returns. As the good King, He will punish all evil and finally bring true justice and peace to our broken world. On that day we will also begin to understand God’s patience towards humanity and His power to use all our experiences of evil for a greater good...even His experience of the death of His very own Son on the Cross.
R-- listened and said that he would consider some of these things. He is one of the most thoughtful and interesting people I’ve met and I truly hope to catch up with him again someday. Please pray for him.
Carnival of Flowers and the Christmas Wonderland Outreach
This year we once again dived head first into our two biggest Toowoomba outreach events. Thousands of people travel to Toowoomba for the Carnival of Flowers and tens of thousands of people visit the Toowoomba Christmas Wonderland.
The Carnival of Flowers outreach went quite well with friendly crowds and many open-minded people. Sarah (one of our team members) even had a number of Christians encourage her as she handed out Gospel booklets to passers-by.
The Toowoomba Christmas Wonderland remains a highlight of the year. We handed out a record number of Gospel booklets (2000+) across a few nights. We even had the privilege of partnering with Hailey, the passionate leader of a different street evangelism team here in Toowoomba.
Looking back over the last year we are thankful for the challenge and opportunity of sharing the good news of Jesus with people from our region and beyond. We are thankful for His strength and courage in this work.
It is with a rising sense of urgency that we realise we are one year closer to Christ’s return. The future of our world is glorious...but in the meantime we look forward to getting to work and seeing what He has planned for us in 2024.
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.
Psalm 22:27-28
View previous Toowoomba (QLD) report (31 December 2022)
Toowoomba Team (QLD)
Meets the 3rd Saturday of each month at 10am at the corner of Ruthven and Little Street (Art Gallery Park).
The team also meets on the 1st Tuesday night of each month for prayer at various locations.
Contact Doug Espie for more information.