God's Work In Satan's Playground
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
In the transition to the new work, my opening church-planting strategy was to go house-to-house, taking a brief religious census at each home. Where interest was shown, I put a “+” mark on the questionnaire to encourage a follow-up visit. Where no interest seemed to exist, the family earned a “0” mark. Isn’t it great that the Holy Spirit is so much smarter than we are? Several “zero families” later became an important part of the church. One place that received a big “+” was Manuel Messias’ home. After answering the census questions, his wife Lourdes said, “Come back on Saturday when my husband is home. He likes these things.” That is a typical Brazilian description of someone who is sympathetic to the gospel. I went to visit the Messias family on a Saturday morning. Manuel was like a ripe mango waiting to be picked. Just touch it, and it falls off the tree. Manuel and I talked about the Bible and prayed. That morning, Manuel was saved—the “first fruit” in the Aratu ministry. Forty-four years later, he still is there.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
“When I felt God leading me out of journalism toward missions, I reflected on the following: By evening, the newspapers we worked so hard to produce were being used to wrap garbage. We had to go back and do the whole thing again the next day. Winning a person to the Lord lasts for eternity. That contrast weighed heavily in my decision to ‘trade’ journalism for church-planting.” --Dick Buck
About the Author
Dick and Mavis Buck have served in urban-missions church-planting since 1968. When retirement age came in the year 2000, they didn’t understand what that meant. God continued to give them active ministries in and around Salvador, Brazil, well beyond that time. As Dick explained it, “There’s nothing we’d rather be doing. And the Lord has confirmed that by keeping us plenty active.”
“If you love missions and have supported people like Dick and Mavis, this book will encourage you. If you are considering foreign missions or are on your way to a mission field soon, don’t leave home without this book. Get ready to plunge into ‘real’ cross-cultural foreign missions, as you read God’s Work in Satan’s Playground.” Pastor Tom Ruhlman, Tabernacle Baptist Church of Shoreline, WA.