Dog Eat Dog

“And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.” Genesis 37:11, NASB.

In many Third World settings it is assumed that any local person who spends time with foreigners is getting something. Norman* was a homeless man who spent time with a group of foreigners in a local park. Norman did get something very valuable from the foreign visitors, but it wasn’t money. Norman received the Gospel of eternal life. He became a new creation as he confessed his sins and committed himself to be a follower of Jesus.

During the first visit a man road by on a bike and made a sign to indicate that Norman was crazy. Norman was in a bad situation, but he was definitely not crazy. When another group of foreigners came back to find Norman, they were told that he had suddenly dropped dead. Yet this story was suspect, because many of the details given conflicted with things that the believers knew about Norman. 

Believers suspect that Norman was run off by members of the community because of jealousy, or to keep other people from being influenced by Norman’s decision to follow Christ. Believers are worried about Norman, because they lost contact with him before getting him established in a group with other believers in the area. For the time being Norman is being committed to God for his growth and protection.

*Names changed for security reasons.

Pray that:

Believers will find Norman, and that he will become established with a group of believers and grow in his new faith.

People in the area will put aside their suspicion and jealousy long enough to discover that the treasure Norman received is available to all of them.

God will protect Norman from physical and spiritual assault as he stands in Christ.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.