Kenneth Hopson Reports on the Impact of Personal Evangelism in Uganda

Bob,
I received your message about the impact on evangelism and how Jesus has touched people in the ministry.  I have an example of one that happened just a week ago.  Praise His Name!

We were expecting a guest coming to Uganda, from Tanzania on a bus, so our family had waited in the town of Kampala for over two hours as it was late in coming (it ended up being 6 hours late, but this is Africa!).  Delight and the children went home to wait and left my son, Kaleb, and me to wait in town until the bus arrived.

We walked up the street and got a coke while waiting, and afterwards, standing outside the small shop, was a man with no front teeth, who greeted us.  He asked for some help, as he was homeless.  I began walking along the street with him and Kaleb, talking with him.  I said that I didn’t have much money to give him but that I had something much more valuable than money to offer.  I told him that I am a Christian and about salvation in Christ that he could have.  He told me that he too is a Christian.  Here in Uganda, that has many meanings, so I asked him how he knew that he was a Christian.  He said because he went to prayers in the morning and that he watched cars for people while they shopped and made sure they were safe.  I asked for his name, and he said, “Moses.”  I told Moses that doing these things was good but that praying every day and doing good things could not save him.  I told him that salvation isn’t based on doing good things but by faith in Jesus, the only One who can save us from our sins.

I asked him how many good things he would have to do to get to heaven -- 100? 1000? Would 1 million good things be enough?  How could a person know if he/she has done enough things to earn their way to heaven?  I told him that it was impossible to do enough things because salvation isn’t based on doing things at all.  He did have a small New Testament Bible, so I showed him scripture about how he is a sinner and so am I, and how it tells us that all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and fallen short of God’s glory.  I showed him in Romans 6:23 that because of those sins, the wages for committing them is death.  I told him that Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no one can enter heaven except through Him alone.  I told him that we all deserve that death, hell, but that Jesus provided the way to be forgiven by shedding His blood and dying on the cross for those sins that he and I and the world had committed.

He listened intently, and I knew that the Lord had prepared this man for a time such as that and that the bus was meant to be late so that I could have an opportunity to meet Moses and tell Him about Jesus. I told him some of my testimony and how I used to think as he did; that I was a Christian because I was a good person but that Jesus had opened my eyes to the truth - that I was a sinner in need of a Savior.

I asked him if he would like to know Jesus as his Savior and be saved.  He said yes.  I told him that he needed to pray a prayer telling Jesus how he really felt and that he was sorry for his sins and to ask Jesus to forgive him and to come into his life and be his Lord.  I told him that this was a serious thing and that he should not pray to please me or to get anything from me and that Jesus knew his heart and if he would really mean what he was praying.  He understood, so I asked him to pray and told him that I would pray for him after he finished.  He prayed there in the street, a sincere prayer of repentance, as people walked by us.  I prayed for him too and thanked Jesus for saving Moses. I told him to remember that day the Lord had truly saved him, August 18th, 2007. It was truly a privilege to lead Him to my best friend, God’s Son, our risen Savior.

I told him I wanted to give him something, so I gave him a little money to get some food.  I plan on going back to see him when I’m in town and to give him some more things to read and to see how Jesus has blessed him since the last time I saw him.

Please pray for Moses - that he will remain true to Jesus and that he will know that he is blessed, because one day he will be in heaven with us.  I thank God for the honor to serve Him in Uganda and to be a very small part in His great plan to save the world as He uses us, His instruments.  Please let God use you today and the days ahead as He presents opportunities to share of His love and salvation.