“For Christmas, we decided to visit a village known for believing in the traditional religion of their ancestors. Many of them are refugees now because of the war, as are we. Through these hard times, we wanted to bring Christmas greetings, gifts, and the truth about the birthday of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Upon our arrival, the children were full of curiosity about Christmas. When we told the story of Jesus’ birth in the manger, they listened attentively. We also led everyone to sing Christmas hymns, filling the whole village with cheerful songs. Some villagers were moved after listening and took the initiative to ask us more about the Gospel.
With the village warmed up to the loving message of the salvation of Jesus Christ, we went from door to door inviting everyone in the village to our Christmas evening sermon. When they opened their doors to us, we greeted them with a warm smile and explained to them the meaning of Christmas: Jesus Christ came to the world to bring love and salvation to the world.
Many of the villagers were unfamiliar with the concept of Jesus, but when they heard what it was all about, they showed interest in learning more. Some villagers were moved by the message and the prospect of singing songs. When evening came along, more than 750 people showed up to the Christmas sermon in eager anticipation.
For the sermon, we chose one of our pastors who came from the village. He preached the Gospel in his language and used his cultural background to make the message hit home for the villagers. He did a wonderful job, and many of the villagers found their hearts stirred by the Holy Spirit. We prepared snacks for them, hoping that they would come empty-handed and leave with their souls and bodies full.”
