The tiny little town of Broken Bow, Nebraska may seem obscure and insignificant to some. But for me, it holds many fond memories. It was where I was born . . . and born again.
In the summer of 1984, a young couple by the name of Mark and Lynn Roche erected a blue puppet stage in our front yard. At three-years-old, I remember sitting on the front porch of our blue Victorian-style home, watching. I remember raising my hand when they asked if anyone wanted to ask Jesus into their heart. My dad told me years later that they took me to the side of the house to pray with me. I have walked with Jesus ever since.
Thirty-four years has passed for both me and that couple. Mr. and Mrs. Roche are no longer in their twenties touring farm town neighborhoods, but have started a ministry in Fiji to prevent women from entering sex-trafficking. I have married, had a child, gone to Bible school, and am actively serving in my church. I have conducted my first conference and am working on publishing my first book. Much can happen in thirty-four years!
As I consider how this couple began, I’m reminded of Zechariah 4:10: “Do not despise these small things, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin . . .” (NLT)
Mr. and Mrs. Roche obeyed God in the small, yet significant, act of ministering to children in rural Nebraska. As a result, God promoted them to another country to minister to wounded adults. Their faithfulness in Nebraska made way for more lives–even a nation–to be impacted. They are like David and Esther, who began in obscurity and evolved into recognized nobility in God’s Kingdom.
They won’t know until they’re in heaven how many lives they’ve touched. I’m certain they wouldn’t remember me should we meet again, but I am grateful for their obedience and faithfulness. My goal is to take the seed they planted in my life and to see it multiplied into many others. That is how the Kingdom of God works–with the consistent, faithful planting of the smallest of seeds. We should never despise their size.
(For information on the Roche’s ministry to Fiji, go to http://www.hopefiji.org/)
(Above Photo: Me sitting on the same front porch thirty years later.)
Christa Madrid 