Go Africa – 🇰🇪 Kenya – Be Ready

While we were on our way to the prison ministry,

something I had felt during the school ministry the day before suddenly began to take shape.

It was this:

Be ready to share a message at any time.

The day before, as I watched someone share a message at the school,

I felt that an opportunity like that might come to me too.

And I thought that everyone should always be ready to do it at any time.

Since a prison ministry was also planned in Botswana,

I quickly began writing out a message.

For the ministries we would be doing in different places and with different people—

in prisons, schools, hospitals, churches, and so on—

I wanted to prepare messages that would fit each situation.

My heart started beating faster.

Once again, I realized that the person who used to hate standing in front of people more than anything was nowhere to be found.

I was getting ready to step forward again.

Sure enough,

Daniel’s wife, Malis, suddenly began leading everyone in the van in prayer before the prison ministry.

Then she asked if I had anything I wanted to share.

My heart was pounding,

and at the same time, I thought,

This must be a sign.

So I raised my hand and said that I would share the message.

“Wait, weren’t we not having anyone share a message?”

she said.

But shortly afterward,

one of the Kubamba ministry staff members sitting in the front told me to do it.

But by the time we arrived at the prison,

I realized that we would have to leave our phones, cameras, and other belongings outside before going in.

And I realized that I wouldn’t be able to read the script I had written.

Should I do it without it? I can do it without it. Would that be okay?

I had confidence in the message,

but the courage I needed to call it confidence began to disappear.

Ah... is this really going to be okay?

As I thought about it,

I started leaning toward the idea that it would be better not to do it.

I went to Malis and Cory and told them that I couldn’t do it today.

They immediately said it was okay and that they understood.

We went inside the prison,

met the prisoners,

spent time with them,

and even joined a skit drama that hadn’t been prepared beforehand.

Then I watched Cory share a short message.

Ah, I should have done it.

Ah, I should have.

I felt like I had missed an opportunity.

Cory’s message was good.

It wasn’t because I thought I could do it better than Cory,

or because I thought my message would be better.

It was because I had missed a moment to experience God working through my mouth.

Why did I miss that?

My heart began beating faster again for another reason.

It was a different feeling from regret.

It wasn’t about who stood in front and who didn’t.

It wasn’t about whether I received attention or not.

It was about getting closer to God.

I felt like I had missed an opportunity to have more of You.

There was this feeling of disappointment—

something like that.

I thought:

Let’s not miss it.

Make the most of every opportunity.

More than the inadequate translation of “make the most of the time,”

I want to make the most of this time

and make it the best I can.

When I returned to the van,

I got my phone back

and started整理ing my message again.

Be ready. Get ready.

Be ready to share at any time.

At the same time, I thought,

If they had asked me to do it in Korean, I could have done it anytime.

But earlier this year, while leading the Korean team,

I always shared the Gospel in English.

Why did the words come out so naturally back then?

I did well, didn’t I?

It was the same in the Philippines.

In different countries,

if someone just gave me a little push,

the words would come out naturally.

Why was it different now?

Ah, was it because I was in front of Americans?

Was it because I was in front of leaders like Daniel and Cory, and I was worried about being evaluated?

I wouldn’t say that I was thinking about being evaluated,

but maybe my confidence in English had dropped for a moment.

Why did I want to say something that was more organized,

something that was really well prepared?

If I were to say what I realized from looking back at myself,

it was because this time, it wasn’t

“Share the Gospel,”

but

“Share a message.”

I think I had started thinking about what kind of message would be appropriate for people

who were in the particular situation of being in prison.

I am very confident in sharing the Gospel

when I meet someone on the street and share the Gospel with them.

(I think it is right for me to say that I am confident in it.)

But standing behind a microphone and sharing a message

is something I should take seriously,

and I need to be more prepared.

And I need to be even more prepared in English than I would be in Korean.

Let’s prepare.

Let’s be more ready.

한국어 원문