WATERMELON WITH A QUEEN

Oh, how we danced, sang, and rejoiced by candlelight in the kitchen and out on the star-lighted veranda that night, after a wonderful supper of fried chicken – a favorite.  Because, you see, it had been a very special day.

We had eaten delicious finger dripping watermelon with a queen and had shared the Gospel with her!

Watermelon Plants On My Veranda in Malawi

 I was visiting another lady pastor in a distant African village at the time, and she had asked if I would like to visit the king, thinking the reign had been taken over by the son in recent days although we soon learned that had not yet happened.  Evidently audience with the royalty was not unusual, after paying a small fee.  I agreed to make the trip up the mountain and the other pastor, and a lady friend and I started out one soon mid-morning and proceeded up the mountain for some distance. Midway, we approached an old house where several aged men were sitting outside – to collect the money.  My pastor friend approached the leader and very quietly and respectfully asked for an audience, paid for it, and one of the men escorted us further up the mountain. Before long we went through a gate into what was the compound of the royalty, winding through many groupings of very clean, lovely small pastel painted houses. 

Soon, the lady pastor whispered, ‘We are here.’  Looking up, I saw a very fat woman sitting at the side of a building, on a small hill, accompanied by several men. (In explanation, I will say that obesity in poverty stricken countries is considered prosperity and therefore is greatly desired.) I whispered back, ‘This is the Queen?’ to which she whispered back a surprised, ‘ Yes!’ having expected to see the new young king.

The man leading motioned us to sit on the chairs positioned just a few feet away in front of this privileged group – the Queen and her attendants.  We chatted for a few minutes and soon one of the attendants returned from the garden with a big, ripe watermelon.  He sliced it and gave us each a very large piece, which we ate with dripping fingers – every delicious morsel.

The Queen asked many questions about me, our ministry, etc., and etc., and then asked if she could ask me a question about the Bible.  When I, of course, agreed she said – and I quote – ‘We know that the world was destroyed once by a flood.  I have heard that it is going to be destroyed again.  Can you tell me about that?’

We had just been studying II Peter, Chapter 3, which describes the coming destruction of the world by fire, and I opened my Bible and began to teach her, of course ending with the way to escape – by salvation through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.  I invited her to consider what I had taught her, and said that I hoped to see her in Heaven someday.  She promised to consider it and thanked us for coming.

My dear pastor friend almost ran down the mountain with excitement.  She said that she and her group of Bible study ladies had, some months ago, fasted and prayed for the Queen to hear the Gospel.  They did this for a period of time and then felt freedom from the fast, and were confident that somehow, some way,  she would hear – but wondering how, oh how, could they possibly do that???? 

This day their prayer had been answered!

What a blessed privilege it is to be an Ambassador of Jesus Christ! We can never know just what exciting events God has in store for us! (Second Corinthians 5:17-18)

So that evening we had the special food of fried chicken and sang into the dark night.  One of those rejoicing with us that was a young man who I will tell about in another blog…………

PRAISE GOD!

Nancy, Ambassador of Jesus Christ