I’m always amazed at how God can use the least likely in His service. After hearing about some struggles our church in the neighboring village was having, I asked my good friend Nasa, who attends there regularly, “Who preached there last Sabbath?”

“Simon,” he replied. “He preached on the parable of the sower and the seeds.”

I had never thought of Simon as a preacher type, being rather quiet and reserved. But he has been an active participant in our Bible class. Often he is the first to arrive for class on Tuesday mornings. He paddles his canoe half an hour each way in order to learn the spiritual lessons taught from the Bible. For the past year and a half, I have enjoyed seeing his interest in spiritual matters grow. When Pastor Nelson Gah visited our area last year, we held a baptism, and Simon was baptized along with his wife. He had been sharing his Bible lessons with her and encouraging her to take her stand for Jesus, too.

Simon continues to participate in training programs. At our recent elders’ workshops, he came as a representative from his church. Now he is sharing the Good News of God’s word with his family and church.

—Stephen Erickson

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