While pastoring I was blessed to have men from the congregation who partnered with me so that each week two of us would go into the community surrounding the church to witness to people. For family reasons, my wife and I decided that we needed to move to my home area. After moving, I was not in a pastoral position but was looking for people to join me in witnessing and evangelism. At an extended family gathering, my aunt asked me about what was on my heart spiritually. I shared with her my desire to continue witnessing now that I had moved home, but that I could not find anyone who was willing to join me. A week later, I got a phone call from her saying that the next time I had a desire to go witnessing, I should let her know and she would join me. At the age of 78, she lived out the reality that in the Kingdom of God there is no retirement.
We began meeting once a week at a food court in a large indoor shopping mall. We had many opportunities to pray with people and have spiritual conversations with them. One young man said that he would like prayer for some worry and anxiety he was experiencing. As we ministered to him and commanded the worry and anxiety to leave. He shared that as we prayed, he physically felt something leave his body and he felt freedom. For several years, we had many meaningful encounters with people.
At one point, my aunt said that she had been in a church home group in the distant past. Since leaving the group, she continued to stay in touch with one couple from the group by praying regularly with them over the phone. She believed that the husband would be interested in joining us and asked me if she could invite him. I said that she could. This friend began joining us and when my aunt decided to step down at age 81, this friend continued on with me for a total of 13 years, which included moving our witnessing location to an outdoor mall.
My aunt has since gone home to the Lord and the ministry with the friend I met through her has ended. But God is still working. I was visiting my uncle (the younger brother of my aunt) recently when he was in the hospital. Out of the blue, he started sharing with me that at the retirement community where he lives, he is busy blessing people and helping them however he can. Then he said something that completely surprised me. He shared that years ago, my aunt had told him about what we were doing at the mall. He admitted to me that at the time, he thought we were a little bit crazy. But now he realizes that as believers, we should be spending our time blessing others and sharing good news with them.
Then [Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’ (Matthew 9:37-38) Several decades ago, I took this command seriously and began to pray to the Lord of the Harvest that he would send out more laborers into the harvest. Not only has he brought my aunt and her friend to join me, but he has sent out my uncle as well. The Lord has brought numerous co-laborers to join with me in witnessing especially the last few years, and I have not sought out any of them. It is always a joy to see who he will bring next. If this stirs your spirit, pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send out more laborers into the harvest and ask him where he wants to send you.