At a fishing village on Black Mountain Island (Haeksando), off the western coast of South Korea, I followed the noise of laughter and shouting through the cobblestone streets to find a gathering of twenty men. They were gambling. A man would throw wooden pieces across a bamboo rug – and the way those pieces landed determined his success. After each toss, the spectators encircling the game would cheer or jeer, slap backs or jab elbows, and exchange coins.
A man noticed me standing nearby, watching the game. He took me by my elbow and guided me to the edge of the game for a better view. Someone produced a white plastic chair for me to sit on and I became a ringside spectator. Another man handed me a cup of Coca Cola. I declined the offer. A minute later he returned with an unopened bottle, popped the cap before me and poured a cup – his assurance that the drink was safe for a wary tourist. The gamblers must have been local fishermen. I appreciated that they welcomed an American guest so readily.
Missionaries distinguish between outreach, which is establishing an opportunity to witness to others, and evangelism, which is actually sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with another person. Peter said we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard (Acts 4). May God bless our efforts to reach out to others, welcoming them and showing kindness, that we might also tell them of Christ’s sinless life as their representative before God, his death at the cross as the willing substitute punished for their sin, and his resurrection as proof that God accepted what Jesus did to save us. We cannot help speaking!
(ELS mission work in South Korea is conducted by the Asia Committee of the Board for World Outreach.)