A short-term missionary was far off the beaten path in South Asia. He was on an extreme mission trip, trekking mountains to share the truth of the gospel in one of the world’s most treacherous landscapes.
Along the journey, he met Ansh* and Pranav*. They were sitting on a concrete patio when he approached them and introduced himself. He soon learned that Ansh was the homeowner and Pranav was a student paying for school by selling merchandise door-to-door.
It was obvious to the missionary that their encounter was one of chance—a divine appointment.
Ansh offered his visitors tea and the group sat down. Pranav hesitated to engage as the other men talked about the beauty of the mountains. Soon the missionary swayed the conversation to matters of faith … first sharing his testimony and following up with a gospel presentation.
The missionary asked if Ansh and Pranav understood the message he shared. Ansh quickly responded to the missionary’s invitation to follow Jesus, but Pranav was more resistant. His body language made it clear that he felt like an outsider. After all, he was the traveling salesman unfamiliar with the community and unknown by its people.
But to Pranav’s excitement, the missionary encouraged him to join the discussion anyways. He asked the missionary a few questions and within minutes he, too, became a follower of Jesus.
*Names have been changed for security reasons.