(Oct. 15, 2014 - by Nate Dell, short-term team coordinator, Reach Beyond)  The donkey braying was our “alarm clock”—as if we needed the reminder that we were a long way from home.

When you calculate the time difference between Colorado and the “Stan” country of Asia that I was waking up in, it comes to 12 hours—halfway around the globe. The same animal brayed loudly for the daily call to prayer that rang out from the nearby mosque. The time of day was marked by the donkey when I couldn’t trust my jet-lagged circadian rhythm.

Three talented tradesmen representing two churches in the U.S. were with me last month to remodel the roof of a house where a man named “Solomon” lives. (His actual name can’t be published because of security.)

Solomon runs a rehab facility for alcoholics that demonstrates and teaches about the love of Christ and His path out of addiction and death. Vodka is a huge problem in this former Soviet nation. The team was there to tackle the leaky roof over Solomon’s living quarters.

During our long days of fast-paced building, we didn’t miss the fact that we were in a restricted-access country where being a Christian comes with risks—not so much for our short-term team, but for the workers who reside there long term. North Americans might call them “missionaries,” but the locals cautioned us against using that word in public around the streets where we walked.

One night around the dinner table we talked with Solomon about how he is able to work as a Christian in his home country where less than 1 percent of the residents are evangelical. The analogy he shared with this rural Colorado native immediately perked up my ears.

Solomon said his philosophy is similar to herding livestock on horseback. If you charge directly at the herd, they will spook and run, maybe even kicking at you and your mount. However, if you come alongside the herd gently and walk with them a while, you can begin to steer the herd with more subtle and easy pushes, changing their direction and moving them where you want.

That’s what Solomon and others on the ground in are working toward—changing the direction of entire nations by subtly steering every individual they meet toward Jesus.

At the end of our weeklong visit we gathered 40 minutes away from the jobsite at a nice restaurant in a larger city for a farewell meal. Of course we invited Solomon and his wife. While our team gulped down Italian food, we were surprised to learn that Solomon had never before eaten in a restaurant.

I was honored to rub shoulders with believers like Solomon who daily risk their lives and livelihoods. Join me in praying that Solomon and others in unreached places can gently lead these people in the ways of Jesus.

Source: Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global)