"No Time Not To Go" (Panama - June 23, 2003)

We were in the lush mountain village of El Valle about an hour inland from the Pacific coast of Panama and we had just finished an incredibly successful evangelistic visit where two grown men accepted Christ. Our combined national and North American team was excited about what God had just done, but it was time to be heading back to the church to prepare for the evening service. As we walked down the path away from the house where we’d spent an hour with the two older men, Pastor Eduardo pointed up the path in the opposite direction from the church. I looked down at my watch and back at Eduardo and asked, “We don’t have time to make another visit, do we?” He smiled and nodded and headed up the path leading away from the church. I really needed to get everything prepared for the evening bible study, but I reluctantly went ahead and followed after him. When we arrived at the next house Eduardo explained that the young man that lived there had attended his church a few times, but had never accepted Christ. At first I was a little frustrated at the thought that we were visiting someone who had previously attended the church. So when Francisco came out onto the porch, I asked him if I could share my testimony with him and he nodded affirmatively. As I described for Francisco the way that my teenage years were wasted and how I found true meaning and purpose in life only after receiving Christ, I could tell that the Holy Spirit was at work. So I asked Francisco if I could share with him how I entered into that meaningful life of relationship with my God and Father. In a matter of minutes we found ourselves praying along with Francisco as he cried out to God asking forgiveness of his sins and for God’s help in making a purposeful life. By this time I had come to realize that I had almost missed this divine opportunity by being in such a hurry to get back to the church. We briefly shared with Francisco the follow-up materials and then walked back down the path that we had ascended about 45 minutes earlier. As we arrived back at the little church I started to prepare for the evening bible study while the rest of our team rejoiced in all that God had done through them during the day. As darkness filled the sky Pastor Eduardo made his way under the tin shed church and began to pound out a bass line on his handmade bongo drum. The small group of believers there filled the night sky with a melody that was sweet and sincere and little by little people that we had visited that day started to trickle into the fellowship. Among them was Francisco! I was so excited by his presence, but I still had no idea about the full impact of our short visit with him. The evening service went well – we even had a few more people, including some drunks that wandered in off the streets, accept Christ. Interestingly enough, I saw Francisco leaning over and sharing with a few of them and pointing out to them how to find the answers to the bible study questions – a lesson that he had just learned a few hours prior. That was my only day in the village of El Valle, but the rest of the week I heard reports about the wonderful work that God was doing in that little church – including how He was using a young man named Francisco. In fact, Francisco had shown up at the church the next morning to be trained in evangelism and went out with our group that day! By the end of the week, Francisco had become a leader in the little upstart church of El Valle. And to think . . . I had thought that we didn’t have the time to go visit him. In reality, I didn’t have time NOT to go! Because we went, God multiplied the workforce and built a ministry in El Valle that will long outlive my presence there. Discipleship is a difficult and time-consuming task. But Francisco taught me that we don’t have time not to make disciples.