“Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary” (Desire of Ages, p. 195).
Since I arrived in Georgia, I have been feeling sick. Every time I eat local food, my stomach hurts, making me feel weak and unable to leave our apartment. Initially, we suspected it was a virus from the water or possibly from contaminated food; however, the symptoms continued to worsen, even after we stopped eating local food and started a healthy diet. This period was distressing for me, not just physically but also because I was not able to go out and meet people, making me feel unworthy and sad.
We went to the hospital to investigate my situation with a gastroenterologist, who ordered some exams and prescribed some medicines. The appointment with the doctor was challenging due to the language barrier. She did not know how to speak English, and we did not know how to explain the situation in Georgian. Filipe had an idea to call our Georgian teacher to translate for us. He helped tremendously, communicating my symptoms to the doctor.
After five days, I returned for the exams, which required general anesthesia. After the procedure, Filipe entered the room. I was crying and screaming. He thought something bad had happened to me. However, I told him I had a dream about the second coming of Christ. Then I started to loudly shout, “Jesus is coming back. You need to know Him” in English, Spanish, Portuguese and finally in Georgian, even though I was still mostly unconscious. In the end, the nurse understood and started telling everyone that I had dreamed about Jesus. This presented us with an opportunity to give her the book “Steps of Christ” in Georgian.
Sometimes, God opens doors to spread His gospel through situations like diseases, in which we experience discomfort but have the opportunity to share with people whom we never would have met otherwise. God used my situation to not only tell the doctors and nurses about the second coming of Jesus but also to grow our relationship with our Georgian teacher Levan. As a result, Levan invited us to have a meal with his family and friends at his house, where I could share about the dream and how Jesus told me that He wanted the nations to know that He was coming back. Our Lord opened their hearts, and they started to ask about our faith, giving us the opportunity to share the gospel.
We have the truth to share. People are thirsty to know. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, wants us to spread His gospel in every tongue, nation and tribe. Are you willing to testify on any occasion? Please pray for the nurse to whom we gave the book, for our relationship with Levan and his family, and for them to become more interested in Jesus Christ. Also, please pray for my health. May God bless you.
