Evangelism Report

Sunday 1st of January, 2012 – Hannah Maynard

A Million Dollar Question

Will you go to Heaven when you die?

A confronting question, isn’t it? For so many of us, death is something we try to push to the back of our minds. But as we hear about deaths in the news headlines, what more important time than ever is it for us to consider this topic, right here, right now?

Before Hope Frankston headed off on their third evangelism session so far, time was taken first to prepare. Armed with a wad of “million dollar” notes, Stephen handed us out all a tract before we hit the road; a tract which looked, well, exactly like that – a million dollar note. An attention grabber, the tract though held more than entertainment to the eye – it started off by asking the million dollar question: Will you go to Heaven when you die?” After taking the time to discuss this question amongst ourselves and how we might discuss it with people in Frankston, we split into pairs or a group of 3, and headed off on our way.

First of all, me, Dani and Wes headed for Ballam Park. But after soon realising that a spacious, empty park on this very hot day wasn’t going to get us far, we headed for the beach. The beach was crowded, which also meant that the carpark was the same, so Wes dropped me and Dani off as he looked for an empty spot. Being Dani’s first time participating in the evax sessions, as always, we made sure to pray first. We then saw a woman sitting underneath a tree, with her children. We were going to approach her, but soon realised she had headphones in her ear and didn’t want to disturb her. We then approached an older couple sitting underneath a tree. Crouching down to where they were sitting, we introduced ourselves, and asked about their views on Heaven. We found out they came from a Catholic church background, were currently attending a church in Hampton, and were originally from Croatia. However, they soon told us they didn’t speak English so implied to us it would be better for us to leave them. We politely thanked them for their time, and with 5 mins to get back to our debrief with the others, we found Wes (who’d just found a carpark) and headed back off again!

Sarah and Kien also went to the beach, only a different section of it. They managed to interact with a number of people. But the first thing they did was help a guy back his car into the Coles carpark. When they were at the beach, they talked to a Sudanese guy called Kook, who shared about where he was from, where he’s been, and how he went to a church back in Sudan. The next person they found was a retired man called Vahn, from Vietnam. He talked about Australia and his retired life. While they were speaking, Sarah felt prompted to ask him if he’d like prayer. He said that he didn’t fully understand what she meant however, so they had the chance to explain what prayer was to him. He declined the prayer in the end, but it gave them the chance to broach the subject. Sarah and Kien asked why he didn’t want prayer, with him replying that his family was Catholic and that he already knows about Heaven and sin. But he then also said that he didn’t think he’d go to Heaven when he dies, but back to the dirt – that death just happens. They also learnt that he was in the war. They then handed him the million dollar tract, and he started reading it as they said goodbye and parted from him.

Last but not least, Kelly and Stephen headed for the train station, hanging by the bus stop. The first guy they tried approaching didn’t seem friendly to them so they went on their way. The next girl they approached however, took out her ipod earphones to speak with them. Stephen and Kelly asked if this girl went to church. She said she sometimes went with friends to Jubilee (her best friend was a Christian) and volunteers in their soup kitchen. She told them she had Christian values, but doesn’t consider herself one and believes in reincarnation. She was very open however, and they passed her the tract. The bus then came, so Kelly and Stephen went on their way. They approached another guy sitting by himself, but he didn’t seem interested. The two then met Annah, an African lady from Zimbabwe. Annah told them how she was Christian and currently goes to an Anglican church, but how her husband (who’s still back in Zimbabwe) is Catholic. They are escaping the war in Zimbabwe, and her husband is still waiting to come to Australia. Kelly and Stephen then prayed for Annah and she began crying because someone close to her had died. She was so touched. She told them she was proud of them because they were young and told them that they were messengers from God. They then exchanged phone numbers, and she expressed interest in coming to our church, praise God!

Reflecting back on this, it is so empowering to see how God is using us in the streets of Frankston. Already we are beginning to fruits occur from our evax sessions. The devil will be wondering what’s happening! As I end this report, I can also see themes beginning to occur throughout the sessions. Each week, we appear to be reaching out to more Africans. Another thing I’ve noticed is how God is really using us as a team – each week the pairs are different, each pair experiences something new, and every time, amongst us, we bear fruit! Some weeks you may not experience as much fruit, but then the next week you experience an abundance of it! It all seems to go in turn, every week is a different story, and God is using each and every one of us all for the glory of God!

* Hannah Maynard.