Last week we shared the first part of Annerine Tomlinson’s testimony about her experience in Sri Lanka for her Charis Hong Kong missions trip. Part two reveals some of the challenges she faced and how she overcame them.
“On the first Sunday afternoon, we had the privilege of going to a Hindu village with a pastor associated with Smyrna church. . . . It wasn’t the friendliest reception. In fact, while I shared, I could see several men glaring at me with folded arms. For a split second, I felt unsafe. Some of my teammates also saw this. One of them told me he was thinking, Man, we better wrap this up and get out of here! Another just prayed in tongues. A thought went through my head: What if nobody responds to the altar call today? But right at that moment, I had another thought: This is exactly where I want to be, sharing with people in a context where this is not what they expect or believe in. This is where I want to preach my heart out, right here on this spot.
“Even before I had finished the altar call, hands shot up, including from a lot of the men who were glaring at me. Of the small crowd that assembled there, I guess almost three-fourths of them accepted Jesus. After that, some of these people went to get family from the little houses and brought them to be prayed for. Almost every old lady that I prayed for received Jesus. It was wonderful to have some young people of Smyrna church there translating and praying with us. Team members went with people to their houses and continued praying for people. I am beyond thankful for that day; it’s the stuff I dream of!”
Before her trip even began, Annerine had to count the cost of going on the mission field. The price she had to consider was the condition of her health.
“One of the things that I was slightly concerned about in the natural before we went was how I was going to be able to give out so much and go non-stop for so long. . . . I remember one night we had to climb seven flights of stairs up to a place to practice the skit, but I haven’t been doing that kind of physical exercise in many months because of a major health setback. It was huge for me! I was blessed beyond words to be able to go and give and minister non-stop and not being more tired than any other member of the team. That was incredible! That was really incredible!”
Annerine shares a few closing thoughts on making this missions trip possible:
“I feel completely alive and alert in these kinds of settings. The missionary and evangelist in me are in some kind of heaven if I can go somewhere where ground needs to be taken. I think it is the joy of the Father connecting with his children that explodes in our hearts. . . . Almost every day was my favorite day of the trip.”
Annerine says, “Thank you for this opportunity!”
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Comment below to share what part of Annerine’s testimony ministered to you.
(Note: Testimony has been edited for length and clarity.)
