On the streets of our bustling capital city, you may bump into a couple of London City Missionaries standing at a table seeking to strike up conversations with people about God. They will smile at passers-by and talk to those who stop. These missionaries, often with church volunteers they've trained, will also pray together, asking God to send them opportunities to share with people the life-changing message of the gospel. This ministry is often called a "book table" ministry.

It’s not the easiest thing to do. It's where our faith often meets uncertainty. Our gospel convictions clash with the discomfort of rejection. Faced with questions about why we believe what we believe, standing at a book table can really test our faith.

But it’s also an excellent way to strengthen it.

One rainy day

One rain-soaked day, one of LCM’s newest missionaries, Rebecca Tortelli, set up a book table with a couple of others. She wasn’t expecting much to happen that cold, wet, and uninviting day.

“Working at a book table is not what I feel comfortable doing,” says Rebecca.

“I had seen how people who did these sorts of things were sometimes treated. It made me feel vulnerable and exposed, trying to reach out to people who don't want to have anything to do with me. A part of me also wondered, considering the bad weather, if this would be a big waste of time.”

Sharing the gospel in another language

Just five minutes later, a man approached the table, his head bowed against the rain. His name was Diego.* He was from Chile, and it quickly became clear that he didn’t feel to confident with his English.

No one at the book table could speak Spanish except Rebecca. Except she’d never used it before to explain the gospel! The only Spanish Rebecca knew was what she studied as a child.

“My Spanish wasn't perfect. Far from it. But I knew enough to hold a conversation,” Rebecca recalls.

“But as we began to talk, something remarkable happened. Despite our language barrier and our cultural differences, we found common ground. Before I knew it, we were deep in conversation, discussing faith, life, and everything in between.

“I think, through the help of the Holy Spirit, we were able to talk about Jesus, who he was and what he came to do.”

Work of the Holy Spirit

They began to talk about God’s unwavering love shown through Jesus. And Rebecca could see that Diego was being moved to the point of tears. Minutes turned into over an hour. People rushed past, heads down and bracing against the biting winter wind. They wouldn’t have noticed a conversation between two people near a table, but God was at work at that moment.

“Diego told me that he lived near Peckham. I knew of a Spanish-speaking church in that area and offered to take him there,” says Rebecca.

By the end of the conversation, it seemed like a burden had lifted off Diego's shoulders. He eagerly shared his contact information with Rebecca, waiting for more details about where to go to church. The next Sunday, they met, and he followed Rebecca to church.

“We keep in touch from time to time,” says Rebecca. “The last time we talked he was attending the church we went to.”

Praise God for his love and mercy. From a conversation at a book table on a dismal winter’s day, Diego has found a welcoming church family and is well on his journey to Jesus.

Lesson learned

It was a great lesson for our new missionary, Rebecca.

“I discovered that every moment to share the gospel is worth it,” says Rebecca.

“Even if I get rejected thousands of times at a book table, it is worth it just for that one person who stops and gets a chance to hear the gospel and encounter Jesus.”

We don't know when or how God will use us to share his good news. We just need to be ready and faithful when the moment arises.

Who might the Lord be calling you to share his good news with today?

*Name has been changed.

If you think your church could be interested in partnering with LCM in this way, visit lcm.org.uk/yourchurch and contact us.