Gnostics were Intelligently Designed too
Man, I wish I had more time to write these blogs! I feel like I’m HARDLY doing the Lord justice. He’s doing so many incredible things that he should be glorified for but I just can’t write them all out. My hope rests in some day sharing these stories with you all in person. But for the moment, one more: 
Two Friday’s ago I was blessed to join the Friday night evangelism team that does their ministry in the Christchurch city square. It was great to be back in this setting seeing how this was the ministry I lead last year but wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The square in Christchurch is a pretty cool place. Tons of people just hang around and a couple churches come down every Friday night to do free sausage sizzles and play worship. In the Square Ministry we occasionally will have something planned such as skits, activities or other creative presentations that the students can use to share the Gospel. However, more commonly we just hang around the square and talk with people about faith, love, relationships, God, the Gospel or anything else as we feel lead. So that’s what I did.
I was just hanging out with a few of my students, throwing around a frisbee, when I noticed a kid sitting on a bench near me that had a similar bag as I do, so used that as my door and asked him about it. Nathan was a 20 year old Kiwi dude that had grown up in Auckland but had recently moved down to Christchurch because of some rough living situations at home.
And may I put the story on pause for a moment. The 2nd as well as 3rd comment he ever made to me was, “F’ off”. So let me use that as an example to say, “Don’t ever let someone’s demeanor put you off in evangelism”. By the time we were finished chatting he was glad that I had sat down with him and offered me a bear as a gesture of friendship (that I obviously couldn’t accept, but that’s beside the point).
Ok, sorry…. little bunny trail, but we’re back. Nathan was a bit hacked that I was the same age as him and traveling just as he really hoped to soon, but I was able to use that to encourage him. Referring to Nepal, where I got the bag previously mentioned, I told him that I had been seeking out God and that I’ve been blown away to discover how much he truly loves us. It was comical to hear him claim that he was “sort of an agnostic” while at the same time admit that, “there has to have been SOMETHING that created all this”. So I went on to share with him how much I was blown away by God’s love and my respect for the church members who come down every Friday night to simply love on people. And he could understand that.
Now this isn’t a salvation story but I want to encourage you all with this. Nathan would still be completely ignorant to the fact that there is a God out there who LOVES him unconditionally if it weren’t for that simple conversation. Just LOVE people, that’s what I charge you with today. LOVE is the route of EVERYONE’s calling in life. I’m terrible at it most of the time but I hope and pray that Nathan may have experienced a glimpse of God’s love for him that night.
Glory to God
Anyways, besides that things are going well. I’m SUPER busy now with Outreach teams chosen, but God is good and he’s helping me keep my head. Speaking of, two weeks ago I finalized Outreach teams. One’s going to Thailand, one to Australia and the other two are remaining in New Zealand. Sadly we don’t have an outreach coordinator at the base so that job falls on the staff members leading each team as well as myself so we’ve got quite a bit of work ahead of us. Please be praying things go smoothly and that planning is easy.
Well, I feel like that’s plenty for now. God Bless, and thank you for reading.
-Matt Short
