“What about Romans 14?” he asked excitedly. His eager eyes shone in the flickering light of a diesel lamp, willing me to give a clear answer to his question.

My head was spinning after hours of answering questions. God had led us to this man whom I’ll call Daniel, the son of the very first Tawbuid Christian. For years after his father’s death, he had read his Bible and sought to understand the things that he read.

Seeking like-minded believers, Daniel had visited church after church. Sometimes he joined one church only to move on when he found that their teaching didn’t agree with the Bible. In his heart he knew there had to be a church somewhere that closely followed the Bible.

If there was one thing that was clear in his mind, however, it was that he was saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus. He knew that thousands of his Tawbuid people in the highlands were dying in fear and misery, unaware of freely offered salvation. He longed for someone to go with him to teach the good news to his fellow Tawbuid.

And that’s when we met Daniel. His sister-in-law is one of my church members, and he heard about me from her. He sent me a message, asking if I would come and answer his questions.

We arrived around 11 a.m. at his little hut on the edge of a beautiful mountain farm. Daniel’s face betrayed no emotion as he greeted us. However, in a manner very uncharacteristic for a Tawbuid, he immediately grabbed his Bible and started firing questions at me.

As I started answering Daniel’s questions from the Bible, I could see, to my joy and astonishment, that he clearly grasped what we read. So often here, those who know how to read have very little understanding of what they read. Not only did Daniel understand, but as soon as he saw Bible truth, he was convinced and accepted it.

The night was far spent, and my strength was exhausted before Daniel reluctantly closed his Bible and agreed to let me sleep. The physical and mental exertion of the day was causing my malaria to flare up. Even as my body ached with malaria, though, and ten thousand mosquitoes buzzed around my head, I was happy. This is why I am here. This made it all worth it. Today, one of God’s lost sheep had been found. And Daniel was his name.

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