Rain
The Palm Sunday began with rain. Everyone came to church carrying an umbrella. The two umbrella stands filled quickly and the lobby had a rainwater puddle. It seemed as though our plans for evangelism would be ruined by rain.
We had been planning for weeks to do evangelism in a local park to remind people about Easter and invite them to our church to celebrate. Many eggs had been hard-boiled and the Sunday school children had dyed and decorated some of them. The forecast was for more rain throughout the afternoon.
Can we go?
Pastor Sejun made the morning announcements and told the church members that even if we had to hold umbrellas while we sang, we would be going out to share the good news and invite people to church. I was surprised. Although rain is appreciated, most Koreans don’t enjoy being out in the rain. Even if it is sprinkling, people often will dash to the nearest convenience store to buy an umbrella to keep their heads dry. Someone told me that city rain is acidic and can cause hair loss. And we were still going out despite the rain?
I had dressed in a pink oxford shirt and chalk colored pants. When I stood to preach, I told the congregation I had dressed to look like the other cherry blossoms in bloom. We prayed for the rain to stop, and then I preached. It was still raining when the message ended and we ate lunch together. It was still raining when we sat down for a rap session. But it stopped raining when it was time to go to the park.
Let’s go!
We all took our umbrellas and headed down the stairs to the sidewalk. You never know… As we walked and talked together, the sun came out from behind the clouds for the first time that day. When we arrived at the park, other people realized that the rain was over and that a walk in the park would be a pleasant Sunday afternoon activity. We prayed for God’s blessing.
With a guitar, some songbooks, bags and baskets of Easter eggs, Christian Farmers five-color bracelets, and tracts, we shared the love of God with many people: children and senior citizens and all ages in between; families, couples, and single people; bike riders, dog walkers, and stroller pushers. Some received us gladly while others avoided us like we had the plague. All the while we had great joy and fellowship.
Keep going!
We met members of another church who come to this park every week to sing. We told them, “Hallelujah!” and to keep up the good work. We were not their competition but their co-laborers. I’m not sure they believed us, but we were feeling free relaxed in the Lord. We finished with a prayer for all the people we had met and asked God to bless the other church’s work. Next time we will go to the college campus near our church.
There are millions and millions of people here in Seoul who need to hear the Truth. Pray for our Grace Mission Church’s efforts to reach the lost.
–Pastor Dan Dunbar
