Go and Make Disciples–in Lewiston Maine!

This summer I had the opportunity to teach an 8 week intensive English class to recent immigrants at the Root Cellar in Lewiston. Immigrants by the thousands are pouring into Lewiston.
Put yourself in their shoes – they have left their homeland, they have left behind most if not all of their family, everything in this country is new, and most do not speak English. It can be overwhelming and disheartening.
These folks have come here not for vacation or just to find a better life, but because conditions at home are horrible. There is war and unrest and many disruptions. In my class this summer I had students from Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Congo Brazzaville, Somalia, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Cuba, and Eritrea. Most of them knew very little English.
There were 30 or so on the role, meaning they had attended one or more classes. Most days there were around 15 in the class. A few of the students were in their late teens but most are adults. We had class Monday through Thursday from 12:30 until 4 in the afternoon.
I really care about my students. It is my desire to see them come to know Christ. I especially have a soft spot in my heart for the Muslims, most of whom are from Somalia. The Muslims present a challenge because they are taught that Jesus was a prophet and that He is not God. They don’t believe it was Him who died on the cross, but someone else.
You and I know that “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” We walk a fine line at the Root Cellar, wanting to present Christ, but not wanting to alienate the Muslims. Reaching them requires patience and taking time to build a relationship.
So I use some scripture in class, but not blatantly pushing Jesus down the throat of the Somalis. I had the opportunity to get to know these folks during the 8 weeks of classes. I am building bridges with a couple of Somalis, with the hope of presenting Christ to them sometime down the road. They say the average amount of time required to see a Muslim come to Christ is 7 years. That can be discouraging, but at the same time, we had better get started!
God has clearly brought these people right to our backyard. What else should a follower of Christ do than reach out to them with love and do what we can to help them? Again, put yourself in their shoes, and think how you would feel if you were in their situation.
There is a need for English teachers, those to do one-on-one tutoring, those to care for children during the classes, those to help with sewing classes, some to prepare meals for big groups, some to answer the phone and receive people at the door. If you have other gifts and abilities they probably can use those too.
Pastors Mike and Tim have encouraged me and the Global Outreach team to do what we can to reach out to the immigrant community in Lewiston. If we want to share Christ with those from other cultures it sure is cheaper to drive to Lewiston than it is to fly halfway across the world!
Dean Walker has been helping out this summer as well and he really enjoyed it. So how about you? Please pray about this opportunity and join us. God can use you here and now. We can go and make disciples – in Lewiston.

-David Shaw

If you are interested in learning more, you can reach out to David: (207)689-6988 or shawfarms@zoho.com.