A Modern Day Love Story

A modern day love story that will warm tender hearts.

They came looking for answers. He was a distraught father and she an eleven year old daughter. She had recently been diagnosed with brittle diabetes, a severe form of diabetes which can cause extreme fluctuations of blood sugar and carries a short life expectancy. They came from a mountain village near Oaxaca, Mexico, and stopped at Casa Hogar Benito Juarez, the Children’s Home where I live and work.  They hoped to see a specialist here in Oaxaca.

The father and daughter were invited to participate in our daily devotional, a teaching and prayer time, at Casa Hogar. The dad declined and sat outside but the daughter came in.

She sat and listened and after the teaching and much individual prayer, Beto, a former resident who is now visiting Casa Hogar asked for prayer for his niece for healing. We all gathered around, laid our hands on her and start praying. Somehow she ended up in my arms, crying. I pulled her close and started praying for her. I asked Beto if she had ever asked Jesus into her life and he said “No.” I then started seriously praying that God would envelope her in his love, wrap his arms around her and let her know how much He loves her.

After a short time of praying, she looked up at me and I started talking to her about how much God loves her. I told her about how God created her special, how He knew her from the womb and now knows everything about her. He knows how many hairs are on her head and what kind of foods she likes and dislikes. He knows all about this disease and wants to help her all the way through it.

Then I asked her, “Do you want to ask Jesus into your heart?”

She said, “I don’t know.”

Another helper stepped up and started explaining how Jesus died on the cross for our sins and how everyone has sin.

The whole time this precious eleven year old just rested in my arms. She began to feel God’s love for her. I felt like I was part of a modern day love story. Then she looked at me again and I started praying again that God would envelop her in His love. The verse was going through my head that His love brings us to repentance.

Shortly after that I asked her again, “Do you want to receive Jesus into your heart?”

“Yes!” came her reply!

I asked her to repeat a prayer after me. I led her in a simple prayer of repentance, asking Jesus into her heart and life. We also asked Him for help with the doctors and healing for this disease. She started crying again and I just pulled her close and loved her.

Afterwards, I told her they were having a party in heaven and that I loved her and wanted her to come back and visit me again. I went back to my work and she went out of that room.  With the help of another lady, they then led her father to the Lord. What a happy, happy day!

Publisher’s note: Shelly Stalker teaches music and dance (and does the laundry!) at Casa Hogar, a children’s home for disabled children in Oaxaca, Mexico. She is commissioned as a missionary and sent out from The Church of Living Water in Muscatine, Iowa. Anyone wishing to financially support Shelly will have a reward in heaven. Contact The Church of the Living Water.

Don’t be Chicken

​So Don’t be Chicken, Take Steps of Faith  

Chicken Evangelism–Don’t Be Afraid of Faces

Chicken evangelism​?​ 

Don’t be afraid of faces.

​Wh​at are you talking about? 

No​,​ we are not ​talking ​about sharing the ​G​ospel with chickens.

There are times in our lives when we need to take action ​even ​when it seems scary or ​challenges us to ​do something we have not done before.​ We feel “chicken”. ​Perhaps you ​have ​not share​d​​ Jesus with others or ​have only ​shared ​occasionally​.​​

Perhaps I can encourage you by telling you my first experience with chicken evangelism.

I was a new convert to Christ. ​At the time, ​I was in the ​N​av​y ​in San Di​e​go, ​California​​. I was sharing Christ along with other Jesus followers. We were on the street handing out ​​Gospel tracts when a very large and mean looking man ​came​ walking toward me.

The ​L​ord told me to talk to this man and invite him to​ church. I said​,​​ “Lord, He is is bigger and very mean looking.​”​ I thought​ that​ if I talked to him,​ he’d beat me up and it would be my last day to be alive. ​But somehow the Lord empowered me. I mustered up strength​,​ and ​put ​on the best look that I could​. Fearfully​ approach​ing​ the man​, I invited him to go to church with me that evening​. ​The man’s total countenance changed! The hardness became softness, the angry look became a happy look! ​The man became very excited and came with me to church ​that very night ​and got saved. He was so happy that he wanted to sing and play a guitar​ right there at church that night!​.

Let me encourage you not to be afraid of faces.

​If y​ou are wondering what to say​, just ​begin the chicken evangelism by simply​ starting to talk about easy topics. ​ I still do this. People are at ​​different ​stages in their lives​ and have different interests​.​ The Lord helps us to be sensitive to what they might be interested in so we can have “conversation starters”​, such as ​starting to talk about ​sports.

Sometimes, ​I wear ​a​n NFL hat or MBA jacket to​ make sports talk with strangers​. ​Then​ ​I ​lead​ the conversation into ​a ​Jesus talk. ​Or w​hen ​my wife and I​ take walks​,​ we meet people working in the yards and flower beds. ​Then ​we engage in yard and and garden talk​,​ ​and lead​ ​into ​talking about the Lord Jesus.​  When we ​share​ ​w​hat Jesus ​has ​brought into our lives and w​hat He has done ​personally ​for ​us, no one can argue that experience. ​

Kari Anderson

He Did That for Us?

Recently, while waiting in a shuttle bus from downtown Los Angeles to the LA airport I asked a young man, a fellow passenger,”Have you given your heart to Jesus?”  He politely told me he was from China and didn’t know much about those things.

I then proceeded to tell him about Jesus.  How He was God’s son  and came from heaven as a baby and how God had sent Him to earth to help us.  “Because”, I reminded the young man, “we all do things that are wrong.”

He affirmed.  “Yes, we all do wrong things.”

I explained how Jesus died on a cross to pay for all of our sins so we can be forgiven of them and totally cleansed from all wrong doing!

The young man looked at me very intently and said emphatically, “He did that for us?”

This truth seemed to be a tremendous relief for this young man who was very hungry for righteousness. I went on to explain that Jesus rose again and is alive today and with us always.

At this the young man said, “So, He’s right here with us now?”

“Yes.” I replied. “He’s right here now with us in this shuttle bus and we can ask Him for help anytime.”

“How do you do that?” the young man asked. “Do you mean if I need help making a decision, He can help me know what to do?”

“Yes”, I explained, “you can talk to Him anytime and not even out loud and ask for His help.”

At that point other passengers started entering the bus and it was difficult to continue on with the conversation but I asked him if he’d like me to send him some literature that could further help him understand.

He said, “No, that’s okay.  I can look up more information about Jesus on the internet.”

That was one precious moment with a young Chinese man and a great privilege to be the first one to explain to him about Jesus and His power of forgiveness.

Kari Anderson, my wonderful wife, reflects Christ Jesus. Known as  one who “hears God and does what He says,” Kari has traveled in obedience to His will on several continents. A “prophetic forerunner,” she has instigated mission work in Turkey, above the Arctic Circle, in the Middle East, and in the United States. Kari can be reached at her website www.karipearls.com –Publisher’s note

chicken evangelism experiences

Chicken Evangelism! Here’s another example of how it works.

James’ story, below, is not unique; rather, it shows the power of the seed of God planted within man’s spirit, even if he is rebellious. It also shows the power of prayer and the love of God toward us all.

I met James only one time and that was only for a few precious minutes together. We met at a mall at Christmas time in about 2010.

My wife was wrapping presents at a store in the Muscatine Mall. While waiting for her to finish her shift, I sat down in an empty chair beside another waiting man.

I introduced myself and began a conversation with James. He was in his twenties and dressed in sweat clothes, if I remember correctly. We talked about sports to pass the time.

Since I’m passionate about Christ, I asked him, without much delay, “Have you received Jesus Christ into your life?” (I knew I needed to ask within the first minutes of the conversation; if I delayed, I would “chicken out.”)

James responded to my “chicken evangelism” question rather dejectedly, “No, I haven’t. But my wife has.” (Did he think his wife’s Christianity would rescue him?)

“That’s good for her,” I returned, “and I have some really good news for you, too. Jesus Christ loves you. He died for your sins … and He rose again from the dead! He has a free gift for you that’s called “Salvation!” It’s not because we are good or bad;  it’s just a wonderful gift.

James listened quietly and didn’t say much. I asked, “Does this make sense to you?”

“Yes,” he finally said.

“Do you understand what I’m saying about salvation: that it’s a free gift because Jesus paid the price for our sins?”

Again, “Yes.”

The conversation flowed naturally; nothing dramatic, but very real.

My new acquaintance was sitting right beside me; just two guys talking in the mall. I continued, “Since this makes sense to you, is there any reason why you would not want to accept Christ Jesus into your life right now?”

It was all very matter-of-fact. After prompting, James bowed his head and prayed. I didn’t hear his words, but after a while he lifted his head and said, “I did it.”

He seemed happier than he was a few minutes before, but nothing very emotional. As we talked, he explained that his wife attended an Assembly of God church. I strongly encouraged him to go with her to church.

I have never seen James since that life-changing moment at the mall, but I’ve never forgotten him. Neither has God.

This week I said hello to a woman I recognized at the HyVee Restaurant. She introduced me to her daughter who was with her. The daughter turned out to be James’ wife! They enthusiastically started telling me about James. He has become a genuine disciple of the Lord Jesus, attending church every week. He is faithful as a husband and father, serving God whole-heartedly. He had enrolled in a “Road to Emmaus” course that had been instrumental in bringing him along.

His wife literally beamed as she reported her husband’s commitment and said, “James has never forgotten you!”

Without a doubt, other influences helped James on the road to discipleship. But one thing I know for certain: James prayed to receive Christ and now he is a follower of Jesus. Praise God!

Have you tried bringing up Christ with a stranger … before you chicken out? How wonderful is Chicken Evangelism! James’ story verifies that we are “born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable . . .” (I Peter 1:23). You can reach people for Christ through Chicken Evangelism. The reward is LIFE for all who believe! We can do it because the seed of Christ is in us!

If you have led anyone to salvation through Christ recently, tell your story in the comment box or by contacting me directly. I’d love to hear from you.