Battle Log
Saturday 17 February 2024
Posted 21 February 2024, 5:12 PM by Doug Espie. PermalinkIt was a beautiful Saturday and our larger-than-usual team assembled in the park near the Council Chambers.
We were blessed to have Barry join us, a warm and passionate teacher from a local Christian school.
Our crew of 8 prayed together and then split into pairs to cover the CBD.
Barry and Geoff soon encountered a Sudanese Muslim bloke. Like most Sudanese we’ve met, this man understood and firmly believed in his religion. This led to an interesting, vigorous discussion on the truth of Islam vs Christianity.
At the end of the discussion, Geoff encouraged the man to read the Gospel of John to discover Jesus’ true identity and the claims He made about Himself.
The trio parted on good terms...but this wasn’t the only conversation Geoff and Barry got into today.
They also were able to connect with J-, who was currently homeless. Together they had an extended discussion and Barry was able to share the Good News about Jesus with J-.
We find that the homeless tend to be some of the most open to spiritual conversation. Yet they often struggle with crippling addiction and/or mental illness. Many of their life stories are a combination of their own foolish decisions..made repeatedly...and their genuine victimisation at the hands of evil people around them. Their stories are heart-breaking and yet they are some of the toughest people I know.
All of them are made in the image of God and are as equally valuable in God’s eyes as any doctor, lawyer or anyone else you can name.
We endeavor to connect with them and offer support where appropriate. While Barry was speaking with J-, Merv was busy speaking with K-, another homeless bloke.
K- has a big dog and a big beard. He is relatively young and he was keen to share his story. Merv sat with him for a while and I (Doug) continued to hand out Gospel tracts. It wasn’t long before I met R- at the corner of Ruthven and Margaret Street...the same R- from my last report!
Since our discussion last November, R- tells me that he has been “checking out Jesus more”. He is keen to visit a Church in Wilsonton and R- shared that he can’t get over “the fact that Jesus is such a loving guy”.
R- and I spoke for quite a while as R- walked towards the Base Soup Kitchen. I told R- that I too feel stunned by how loving Jesus is towards people. I also mentioned that I love how Jesus always tells the truth...that because He is so loving, He always speaks the truth to people.
Besides loving the fact that Jesus always speaks the truth, I find that mentioning Jesus always speaks the truth...because He loves us...is a helpful counterbalance to the modern idea that Jesus’ love for us minimises His desire to speak uncomfortable truths to us.
R- and I parted after quite a hike together and I pray that Jesus will draw R- back to Himself.
During this outreach, Merv and I also had an opportunity to hand out tracts at the Bus Interchange.
The Bus interchange is a great place to engage people with tracts because many people are waiting for their bus and they are generally bored out of their gourds.
While handing out tracts Merv and I met two friendly First Nations blokes who were heading home after a tribal meeting here in Toowoomba. We had a good yet brief discussion and we were also able to give out a number of tracts to people who were waiting.
While all these adventures were going on, Sarah and Elisa were faithfully engaging people on the north side of the CBD. One memorable encounter involved a young couple who Elisa and Sarah offered a tract.
They replied “We’re Muslim” to which Elisa said “Oh...you’re Muslim” and proceeded to offer them a Gospel of John in Arabic.
“No” they responded “We’re Muslim!!” and continued on their way.
Their attitude was in stark contrast to the vast majority of foreign-born Muslims, who want to discuss matters of religion and generally desire to convert us. In many ways, I respect this desire to convert us far more than the sluggish, shallow, brainless apathy towards spiritual matters that charecterise so many of us who have grown up amidst mind-numbing 24/7 entertainment and the stupefying effects of 21st-century secularism.
Nevertheless, God’s unstoppable purposes and love for humanity will overcome both the zeal of the East and the apathy of the West. His Kingdom will come and His will (will) be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
I’m looking forward to the day when we no longer need to pray the Lord’s prayer because its fulfillment will be in our rear vision mirror.
But we’re not there yet. In light of this upcoming Day...please pray for our team and everyone mentioned in this report.
Jesus is doing good things and He’s got even more good things in store for Toowoomba.
View previous Toowoomba (QLD) report (31 December 2023)
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.