Do you need a ride?

What Wikipedia Can’t Tell You

• Do you need a ride?

E ach time I’m at church, I am met with a sign when I leave the parking lot which says, “You are now entering the mission field.” That same sign is at several churches I’ve attended. You’ve probably seen them, too. Remembering this sign, is why I decided to share a story about a friend of mine.

For the sake of confidentiality, I will call my friend “Driver.” I’ve known Driver and his wife for about 15 years. They belong to a church we attended when we lived in Dallas. Driver and I are Facebook friends. Driver offers ride-sharing services in the DFW area. If you know anything about the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, you know it’s one of the fastest growing areas in the nation with all the traffic that comes with it.

Driver started posting about his ride-sharing experiences several years ago. I quickly became hooked as I read each of his encounters. If I had to guess, Driver probably puts 100-200 miles a day on his vehicle picking up and delivering passengers all over the metroplex and airports. He stays busy constantly and with each reservation comes a person (or multiples) with a story. Driver engages each passenger with a friendly smile and encouragement. Everyone that enters Driver’s vehicle is told in a warm and caring way what Jesus has done in Driver’s life and given an invitation to attend church. I simply can’t count how many have taken him up on his invitation.

When I saw the “mission field” sign this week, I immediately thought of Driver. He has a built-in mission field of those living in, around, and passing through the Metroplex. Driver didn’t have to go looking to be a missionary … God built it into his day-to-day routine … and it’s powerful! Every day I look forward to seeing Driver’s posts to see how he is witnessing to in the world by those people who enter his vehicle. I laugh and often cry with each of his posts.

These days we are busy with our discussions about current events and forgetting what our mission field is. Jesus said, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37). Going to the mission field in another country is not the only way we can tell people about Jesus. There are countless opportunities right across the street from each of us every day. We simply need to be looking for them. Just remember my friend, Driver, who has his own mission field to greet every single day.

Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries of Pittsburg, TX. She has been a contributor to Bound for Life and written numerous articles published in LifeNews, Christian Post and the Baptist Standard, and is the author of Go Tell It!. isit her blog, The Second Mile, at www. debbyefurd.com and contact her by email (caryjohnefurdministries@ gmail.com).