God Forgive Me When I Doubt!
Today, I was door knocking outside of Ataco, El Salvador and was having a wonderful day in studies with a couple of families. Each study lasted over an hour. I was excited to see the families I visited with to come to the “area” for our VBS and Gospel Meeting. After a short lunch break, The truck was loaded with the plastic chairs and canopies. And then… the typical monsoon of rain set it just as the time the VBS was to start. The water was rushing down the streets and the rain fell very hard…for a long time.
In my mind I thought…no one will get out in this, no one will care. We waited for the rain to subside and one of the local preachers said, “Okay, let’s unload!”
Unload? Uh, we are an hour late. It’s really wet. Are you sure the people will come?
“The rain is over, the people will come”…. The preacher said.
We unloaded the truck and began setting up the chairs and canopies, there were two, (2) little boys that was there. Then they left.
Then, they came back with a few friends…we had about 20 there when we started singing. Then a few adults showed up, a school let out (public) 50 people, 100 people. We kept singing the weather cleared up we did our VBS and our gospel meeting with every chair full and people standing around and listening.
The people I visited and studied with were there, children and adults.
Why did I doubt?
It’s because I have seen it the other way far too often. Rain, snow, too hot, too cold, keeping people away from worshipping God.
But today my faith was renewed in people, I saw a genuine love and desire to be in worship and in a class setting. Walking in water. with plastic bags or just in the rain with no cover.
NOTHING stopped them to get to be with God!
I asked God to forgive me when I doubted today. I pray I may never have that doubt in people again, even in the USA!
Jerry Elder 