Trust in the Lord

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” -Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)

The morning sun had just risen when a car pulled up to the gates of the container terminal of Visakhapatnam port. Four of us, including myself, were scheduled to speak during morning assembly at a nearby school in the city. The vice-principal of the school was the one who came to pick us up. But as we got into the air-conditioned vehicle and drove through the winding streets leading to our destination, uncertainty weighed on our minds.

We had met as a team the previous afternoon to get acquainted with each other and discuss what we were going to do. While we read through the requirements of our assignment together, something struck us as odd.

We were asked to do an evangelistic skit in a secular school.

Our eyes looked at each other and we wondered exactly how we were going to do this. The city of Visakhapatnam is nearly 98% Hindu, and by its name Olivet Public School did not suggest any sort of Christian affiliation. Concerns of how far would be too far arose. Eventually we did choose a skit and I was assigned a part to play. However, we were unsure if we would be able to convey its subtleties in a way that did not take away from its message yet was careful to not trample on any underlying sensitivities.

As we neared the school we could see children in clean and crisp uniforms being dropped of by their parents on motorcycles. Entering the school’s courtyard we were soon ushered into the office of the principal. Sari-clad and determined to give the best education for her students, the principal warmly expressed her thanks at our coming.  She told us of how she not only wanted her students to be prepared academically, but for life as well. Motivational posters and quotes adorned the walls of her office and the corridor behind us. None however were from Christian sources.

Soon the vice-principal informed us that the children were waiting in the courtyard. Making our way outside we were greeted by a sea of over 400 students dressed in green and white all seated neatly in rows. We first began by explaining different items found on Logos Hope and how they relate to the purpose and mission of the ship. After that we introduced ourselves and where we are from. The students had fun trying to find our countries on the large map which we brought and enjoyed the little snippets we gave about our homes.

Then it was time to do the skit. The drama revolves around a chair coated with a sticky substance with a sign placed on it saying in bold letters “Do not touch!”. A man walks by it, sees the sign and throws it away. While he knows that he should not sit on the chair, circumstances and his lack of alertness cause him to become stuck. Try as he might with all his efforts, he could not seem to set himself free and the harder he tries, the more of himself gets glued to the chair. This also hinders him from meeting with his friends, who begin to distance themselves from him once they realize that the chair is holding him back. In this hopeless state, another person walks by and tries to help the poor man but to no avail. This person has a back up plan, he gets down on his knees and to  pray. At first the man on the chair scoffs that it is useless. But slowly his body becomes unstuck from the chair. The pair then walks happily away. Before they do however, the man formerly stuck places the “Do not touch!” sign back on the chair and warns the audience not to get trapped as he was.

The message behind the skit was this. Sin is like that sticky chair. Once it traps you, there is nothing your own abilities or strength can do to get rid of it. It follows you everywhere you go and even causes our relationships with others to fall apart.  Yet while it may all seem hopeless, only Christ’s intervention in our lives can set us free when we have become mired in sin. This was wonderfully explained by one of our team members and as we said our goodbyes to the children the principal called us back into her office.

All of us wondered what she would say about the skit. Would she be offended? Would her image of the ship change for the worse? But to our pleasant surprise she thoroughly enjoyed it and said that the children seemed to have enjoyed it all and have taken a lot from the play. She then confided in us that she went to a missionary school and that our visit encouraged her especially. To further confirm that God’s hand was in this school visit, as we were driving back to the ship the radio of the vice-principal’s car played this all too familiar song:

“God will make a way, when there seems to be no way. With love and strength, for each new day, He will make a way.”

Here we were worrying and fretting about how the message of Christ would be received in this school and God was saying to all of us, “Don’t worry about it! Just walk in obedience to me.” It was clear that He was already at work in that school and the educators who ran it. All He wanted us to do was to play our part in His perfect will. I pray that He would continue to work in the lives of the students we had the privilege of meeting, as well as in the life of the principal. I pray that the seed planted in the hearts of the students will be nurtured and flourish so that they may find life and hope in Christ and what He has done for each of them.

I thank you once again for your continued prayers and support as God is teaching me what it means to lean on Him and to place my entire faith in Him and His ability to carry out His redemptive plan in world.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.