I Believe

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady


For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV

“How long have you been in this country?” I asked.

“Twenty years,” she said.

“Has anyone ever invited you to church?” I asked.

“No,” she whispered. “I would be afraid. Everyone know Bible. I would not know how to act.” Jody was from China. She was my nail tech when I was in Raleigh, North Carolina. In China, she had been Buddhist but she knew the difference between Christianity and Buddhism. She told me that Buddhism was a way to live and Christianity was about God. Guiltily, she added that she supposed Buddha a “kind of god.”

“Do you believe in Jesus?” I asked.

“Of course,” she said. “How could so many people believe and it not be real?”

“Have you heard the story of Jesus dying on a cross and being raised from the dead?”She nodded. I quoted John 3:16, stopping to explain the harder English words. Her eyes lit up.

“Do you know the word sin?” She shook her head. I explained that it was doing wrong things and making mistakes.

“I try to be good person,” she said quickly. “But I not so good. I do bad things.”

“We all do. In fact, the Bible says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” I took a moment to explain what "glory of God" meant. She nodded eagerly.

“Do you know what the word wages means?” I asked. She did. I went on. “The wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life with God. We do not do deserve it – it is a gift. Do you understand?” She nodded.

“My favorite line in the Bible says, ‘all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved.' Do you know what Lord and Savior means?

“Lord means God,” she answered.

“Exactly,” I said. “It also means you are agreeing to let God be in charge of your life.” I went on to explain what Savior meant. She was fascinated. We talked about heaven and hell.

"Would you let me lead you in a prayer asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior? I will tell you what to say.”

I have no words for her eagerness. For 20 years, people in America had talked about Jesus. She had read about Him. She knew many of the details. She walked by churches but was afraid to go in. No one had ever told her how to meet Jesus or invited her to church. She already believed and really wanted to know him. It was so easy –it always is when the Holy Spirit has prepared the heart. All I had to do was tell her what to do. She boldly prayed to receive Jesus – confessing her sin emphatically and asking for forgiveness. She asked Jesus to be her Lord and Savior and beamed at me because she knew what that meant.

I tried to get her contact information but Christian literature being mailed to a Buddhist home is not well received. We talked about Chinese Bibles and she knew how to get one. She even knew where to find a Chinese church. She was still afraid to go but now, she had the Holy Spirit to give her courage.

Pray for Jody. Invite people to church. Be aware of how frightened so many people new to this country are about going to church. Make it easy. Do not be afraid to explain Jesus to someone where English is a second language. Go slowly, speak scripture, explain the hard or confusing words, and trust the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

Donate so people like Jody can meet Jesus.