by JJ Oslund '12

When I was asked to write a reflection about my upcoming trip to Cape Town to attend the Lausanne Congress, I fully expected that I would be writing about what I learned in the sessions or from the important Christian leaders I would meet.

I did learn a great deal and was, on the whole, struck by the ways God is bringing all of creation to Himself—from every corner, nation, and tongue. Oddly enough, however, perhaps the most important thing I learned happened before the Congress started, and the person I won’t forget is a security guard named Howard.

Before arriving in Cape Town, our Wheaton group had been assigned to jobs that would give us the opportunity to interact with the speakers. We were all excited at the prospect of being able to talk with admirable Christian leaders. A day before the Congress began, however, we were reassigned to new positions. I had come in expecting to be a speaker shadow, and instead was “demoted” to sitting by a door and making sure people had their nametags.

Dr. Jerry Root, assistant professor and associate director of the Institute for Strategic Evangelism, gathered us together and reminded us that we came to serve the Congress, not our own agendas. At that point I realized that I had been very willing to serve, as long as I felt like I was playing an important role— but that’s not really being a servant at all. The experience helped me understand what Christ-like humility really looks like. I believe God had bigger plans than just teaching me this lesson. On my first day on the job, when I met Howard (his African name “Gungqwa” is hard to pronounce), we talked about a lot of things. After a few hours I shared the gospel with him. He grew up in the church but thought he had to clean himself up before becoming a Christian. I told him the story of Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet. I told him that Jesus was eating with His disciples at the table and then washed their feet—and in the same way God calls us to Himself and then washes us clean.

With a big smile, Howard said he finally understood what the gospel really means.

Over the next couple of days, I helped him put together a resume and set up his first email account so that he could apply for jobs. Soon more guards came around wanting their own emails. This opened up the opportunity to share the gospel with five more security guards who listened eagerly and wanted Bibles.

Fortunately, Crossway Books had sent 4,000 Bibles to be given away, so I was able to distribute some of these copies. Soon even more security guards started popping in during their breaks to get their own Bibles. Attending the Congress stretched my worldview in many ways. But I realize now that the Lord blessed me in giving me the opportunity to meet Howard and the others—an opportunity I would have missed had I gotten the role I wanted.