For some years, The Quiet Hour has espoused the philosophy and practice of Seek-Reap-Keep evangelism. Bible teachers and church members seek the lost, inviting them to study the Bible in small groups or individually. Evangelism teams hold a two-week series of reaping meetings culminating in baptism. Then the local church members, pastors, and stipended Bible workers nurture the new converts with more Bible study and Christian lifestyle lessons: the converts are so excited about God that they become evangelists themselves. This is the story of a “seeker” who became a “keeper.”
In a barrio close to the city of Limón, Costa Rica, Quiet Hour evangelism team members got acquainted with a shopkeeper named Rafaela. She has a two-story building with the shop on the upper floor. When we arrived, she took us to the back of the building which was her home. The main living area was large enough to accommodate several people.
Rafaela had had two abusive husbands. She described how hard it was to live. At the time she was not a Christian. To get away, she went to live for a year with her aunt. There she was introduced to Christianity and the Bible. Soon after returning to the barrio, she used her savings to buy an unfinished building that she converted to part house and part store.
Her new-found interest in studying the Bible also brought hope and direction to her life. Being a single mom with children was not easy, but she was determined to bring stability to them. A Seventh-day Adventist pastor visited her one day and introduced her to Bible studies. She accepted Jesus as her Savior. Because of her desire to share her faith, she invited others to meet in her house on Thursday nights. Many times there were more than a dozen people studying the Bible together.
One month before our meetings began, Rafaela was baptized as part of the first fruits of our evangelism campaign. She was thrilled that every person she met was an opportunity to share Jesus. She ministered to the young unwed mothers who would frequent her store. They, too, began studying the Bible along with others. When the meetings began in the city of Limón, Rafaela made sure that her Bible students attended the meetings that I was conducting. What a joy it was for Rafaela to witness several of her Bible students making decisions to follow Jesus in baptism. It was a greater joy to see four of her students baptized at our meetings. Rafaela had only been baptized a few weeks, and already was sharing her faith in a marvelous and effective manner with others.
As she shared Jesus with the unwed mothers, they came under conviction that they needed to get married, although the fathers were reluctant. I shared from Scripture the importance of marriage from God’s point of view with the fathers of the children. A few days before the meetings were over, the fathers agreed to get married. What a joy it was to see these new families wedded and then see them take their stand for Christ in the meetings. They are currently studying the Bible and will be baptized soon with others who are studying weekly in Rafaela’s home.
Even her own children have made decisions for Christ. To see Rafaela is to see a joy-filled Christian who is passionate about sharing Jesus everywhere. Her contagious witness will be a tremendous blessing in drawing others to Christ in the Limón region.
Continue to pray for the hundreds of precious souls that The Quiet Hour team left behind to be nurtured by teachers and pastors. Eternity will reveal the results of the labors of faithful workers like Rafaela.
