We were listening to a CD titled Missions in Action by Bob Johnston the other day. He and his wife Mary are missionaries to the Haitian people of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The message he preached was about compassion, taken from Mark chapter 2. One of the stories that he told while preaching really touched my heart, and I would like to share a sort of summary of it with you. I hope it touches your heart, as it has mine.
I (Bob Johnston speaking) am going to tell you about a little boy about twelve years old named John Dainy (not the correct spelling, but that is how it is pronounced). Now John Dainy was a special boy among his people. His parents had dedicated him to Satan to become a witch doctor. I heard that there was a family that lived up on a certain mountain, so I went up with one of my friends to tell them about Jesus. We walked up the hill, a two hour and forty-five minute walk. When we got to the top, I knocked on the door and tried to tell the mother and father, grandma and grandpa about Jesus. In the yard watching us talk to his family about Jesus was a twelve year old boy named John Dainy.
The mother and father, grandma and and grandpa didn't want to hear about Jesus... they had their own gods, and they didn't need Jesus. We left the mountain. Two Sundays later I saw some movement in the bushes by the church. I thought it was some of those kids that like to throw pebbles at the preacher while he is preaching. I thought, I'm going to see who this is. So I inched my way over to that side of the building still preaching. When I got close enough where I could see... there he was John Dainy. You see, John Dainy was easy to recognize. When a Haitian boy is dedicated to Satan, they don't cut his hair. I kept preaching. I preached about Jesus and his free salvation.
The next week I was preaching, and I saw John Dainy by the bushes near the front door of the building. He would peer into the door while I was preaching, so he could see me. I preached... I preached about Jesus, and his saving blood, how he could rescue your soul from sin. After about two hours I gave the invitation. Who came running up that isle but John Dainy himself. I said, John Dainy, let's pray. We knelt down beside one of those front benches, and we prayed. John Dainy got saved. Praise God!
Well, John Dainy went home and told his parents; he told them that he got saved. They kicked him out. They didn't feed him, they wouldn't give him any water... they wouldn't give a place to sleep. I didn't hear about this until about five days after it happened, but when I did I headed up that mountain. One of my friends came with me. It was about eleven o'clock at night, so we were using flashlights. Searching our way up the mountain, we got to John Dainy's house. We began calling for him. By this time... we didn't even know if he was still alive. Then we heard... the weeping and sobbing of a twelve year old boy. We ran closer, and there was John Dainy. On his knees, outside the door of his home praying, "Jesus, please save my mother and father, grandma and grandpa, brothers and sisters." He wasn't worried about himself, that he hadn't eaten in five days or had a bed to sleep in! He had compassion. He cared more about his own family, than he did about himself, or how comfortable he was. To this day that door is still stained with his tears.
I said, John Dainy... are you alright? He said, "Yes, I'm alright, but please pray for my mother and father, grandpa and grandma, brothers and sisters... that they would be saved. I prayed for them and talked to him some more. Then we went on down the mountain.
One day I woke up at four-thirty in the morning to go to the church and pray, and there was John Dainy. He was sweeping the church yard before he had to take his father's goats up to the top of the mountain. I said, John Dainy, do you understand that salvation is by Jesus' blood alone, and not by your works? He said, "Yes Preacher, but I'm doing this for Jesus." Then before he left he reminded me. "Preacher, don't forget to pray for my mother and father, grandma and grandpa, brothers and sisters." He never missed a day to tell me that... he would always remind me. "Don't forget to pray for them, Preacher."
About two weeks later, he didn't come down to sweep the church yard. I wondered why, but I didn't really think much of it... until he missed a service. John Dainy never missed a church service. Someone came and told me that John Dainy was very sick. I went up the mountain, a two hour and forty-five minute walk. When I came to his house they had him laying on a bed in the house. His belly was all swollen with hunger. I said, John Dainy... it's the preacher. He looked up at me and said, "Oh, Preacher, I knew you would come." I asked him, John Dainy do you know that you're saved? He said "Yes, Preacher, I'm going to heaven. I'm going to see Jesus." After a while I had to leave so I told him, John Dainy, I have to go into town tomorrow, but I'll be back on Wednesday, you hang in there, okay?
On Wednesday, when I was getting ready to go up the mountain, someone came running down and told me that John Dainy was very sick. I ran up that mountain. The normally two hour and forty-five minute walk took me one hour and eleven minutes. When I got up there I went into where he was laying on the bed. His belly had burst from his hunger. I reached down and took his hand, that was swollen bigger than mine and said, John Dainy I have to ask you one more time. Do you know that you know? He said, "Preacher, I know, and I'm going to see Jesus. Please pray for my mother and father, grandma and grandpa, brothers and sisters." So I began to pray, but it was John Dainy that I was praying for. He stopped me, "No, Preacher, don't pray for me... pray for my mother and father, grandma and grandpa, brothers and sisters." I had lost it at this point, and I was weeping. I began to pray, I prayed that they would all get saved. Then right before John Dainy took his final breath he said, "Preacher, when I get to heaven I'll save you a place right next to mine, so we can always be together."
The compassion of that boy had made him willing to go to the point of death. He loved his family, and he wanted them to be saved, above anything and everything else. The next morning, I went into the church to pray... and inside the church there was already a wooden casket with the body of John Dainy in it. I began to weep, and I prayed that God would give me that kind of compassion as I preached the funeral service for this boy. That John Dainy's mother and father, grandma and grandpa, brothers and sisters would get saved.
At John Dainy's funeral there was upwards of a thousand people there. They were in the church, outside and all around the church. I preached, and God gave me a special kind of compassion that I haven't been able to understand. I preached, and John Dainy's mother and father got saved, his grandma and grandpa got saved, his brothers and sisters got saved! John Dainy's compassion took him to death, so that his family would get saved.
Do you have compassion? We all have lost friends and family. Do you pray for them? Do you really pray for them? Do you spend time every day pouring out your heart for them? Do you have compassion for the lost? I definitely haven't been taking the time to pray for my lost friends and family every day. This story preached to me. God, please give me that kind of compassion!
I (Bob Johnston speaking) am going to tell you about a little boy about twelve years old named John Dainy (not the correct spelling, but that is how it is pronounced). Now John Dainy was a special boy among his people. His parents had dedicated him to Satan to become a witch doctor. I heard that there was a family that lived up on a certain mountain, so I went up with one of my friends to tell them about Jesus. We walked up the hill, a two hour and forty-five minute walk. When we got to the top, I knocked on the door and tried to tell the mother and father, grandma and grandpa about Jesus. In the yard watching us talk to his family about Jesus was a twelve year old boy named John Dainy.
The mother and father, grandma and and grandpa didn't want to hear about Jesus... they had their own gods, and they didn't need Jesus. We left the mountain. Two Sundays later I saw some movement in the bushes by the church. I thought it was some of those kids that like to throw pebbles at the preacher while he is preaching. I thought, I'm going to see who this is. So I inched my way over to that side of the building still preaching. When I got close enough where I could see... there he was John Dainy. You see, John Dainy was easy to recognize. When a Haitian boy is dedicated to Satan, they don't cut his hair. I kept preaching. I preached about Jesus and his free salvation.
The next week I was preaching, and I saw John Dainy by the bushes near the front door of the building. He would peer into the door while I was preaching, so he could see me. I preached... I preached about Jesus, and his saving blood, how he could rescue your soul from sin. After about two hours I gave the invitation. Who came running up that isle but John Dainy himself. I said, John Dainy, let's pray. We knelt down beside one of those front benches, and we prayed. John Dainy got saved. Praise God!
Well, John Dainy went home and told his parents; he told them that he got saved. They kicked him out. They didn't feed him, they wouldn't give him any water... they wouldn't give a place to sleep. I didn't hear about this until about five days after it happened, but when I did I headed up that mountain. One of my friends came with me. It was about eleven o'clock at night, so we were using flashlights. Searching our way up the mountain, we got to John Dainy's house. We began calling for him. By this time... we didn't even know if he was still alive. Then we heard... the weeping and sobbing of a twelve year old boy. We ran closer, and there was John Dainy. On his knees, outside the door of his home praying, "Jesus, please save my mother and father, grandma and grandpa, brothers and sisters." He wasn't worried about himself, that he hadn't eaten in five days or had a bed to sleep in! He had compassion. He cared more about his own family, than he did about himself, or how comfortable he was. To this day that door is still stained with his tears.
I said, John Dainy... are you alright? He said, "Yes, I'm alright, but please pray for my mother and father, grandpa and grandma, brothers and sisters... that they would be saved. I prayed for them and talked to him some more. Then we went on down the mountain.
One day I woke up at four-thirty in the morning to go to the church and pray, and there was John Dainy. He was sweeping the church yard before he had to take his father's goats up to the top of the mountain. I said, John Dainy, do you understand that salvation is by Jesus' blood alone, and not by your works? He said, "Yes Preacher, but I'm doing this for Jesus." Then before he left he reminded me. "Preacher, don't forget to pray for my mother and father, grandma and grandpa, brothers and sisters." He never missed a day to tell me that... he would always remind me. "Don't forget to pray for them, Preacher."
About two weeks later, he didn't come down to sweep the church yard. I wondered why, but I didn't really think much of it... until he missed a service. John Dainy never missed a church service. Someone came and told me that John Dainy was very sick. I went up the mountain, a two hour and forty-five minute walk. When I came to his house they had him laying on a bed in the house. His belly was all swollen with hunger. I said, John Dainy... it's the preacher. He looked up at me and said, "Oh, Preacher, I knew you would come." I asked him, John Dainy do you know that you're saved? He said "Yes, Preacher, I'm going to heaven. I'm going to see Jesus." After a while I had to leave so I told him, John Dainy, I have to go into town tomorrow, but I'll be back on Wednesday, you hang in there, okay?
On Wednesday, when I was getting ready to go up the mountain, someone came running down and told me that John Dainy was very sick. I ran up that mountain. The normally two hour and forty-five minute walk took me one hour and eleven minutes. When I got up there I went into where he was laying on the bed. His belly had burst from his hunger. I reached down and took his hand, that was swollen bigger than mine and said, John Dainy I have to ask you one more time. Do you know that you know? He said, "Preacher, I know, and I'm going to see Jesus. Please pray for my mother and father, grandma and grandpa, brothers and sisters." So I began to pray, but it was John Dainy that I was praying for. He stopped me, "No, Preacher, don't pray for me... pray for my mother and father, grandma and grandpa, brothers and sisters." I had lost it at this point, and I was weeping. I began to pray, I prayed that they would all get saved. Then right before John Dainy took his final breath he said, "Preacher, when I get to heaven I'll save you a place right next to mine, so we can always be together."
The compassion of that boy had made him willing to go to the point of death. He loved his family, and he wanted them to be saved, above anything and everything else. The next morning, I went into the church to pray... and inside the church there was already a wooden casket with the body of John Dainy in it. I began to weep, and I prayed that God would give me that kind of compassion as I preached the funeral service for this boy. That John Dainy's mother and father, grandma and grandpa, brothers and sisters would get saved.
At John Dainy's funeral there was upwards of a thousand people there. They were in the church, outside and all around the church. I preached, and God gave me a special kind of compassion that I haven't been able to understand. I preached, and John Dainy's mother and father got saved, his grandma and grandpa got saved, his brothers and sisters got saved! John Dainy's compassion took him to death, so that his family would get saved.
Do you have compassion? We all have lost friends and family. Do you pray for them? Do you really pray for them? Do you spend time every day pouring out your heart for them? Do you have compassion for the lost? I definitely haven't been taking the time to pray for my lost friends and family every day. This story preached to me. God, please give me that kind of compassion!
HalleluYaH \0/ thank you for sharing this
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I remember when he told this story at church. I bawled my eyes out. We have so much and we have so little compassion for others; while he had nothing material and he cared so much. This is really convicting.
ReplyDelete