Some missionaries work in foreign countries.

My friend Jack works as a missionary in (mostly) foreign cars—Chicago cabs (where the Toyota Prius is king). 

Crazy guy, Jack.  He'll talk to any taxi driver, any time about Jesus. But his latest ride in downtown Chicago is a conversation I just had to pass along.  Here's how Jack told the story to me:

“Clearly, my driver was not born in the U.S., so after the usual greeting stuff, I asked him straight up, 'What is your country of birth?'  He says, with a playful smile, 'Can you guess?'

“Well, I've traveled a couple of times to West Africa,” Jack muses, “so I just guessed Ghana.  Looking into the rear view mirror, I could see a big ol' smile on the driver's face (name is James, by the way).”

The ride would be less than two miles, so Jack wasted little time moving into missionary mode. He continued:

“'Tell me, are you going to heaven?' I asked James boldly and with a smile.  A smile is a wonderful outreach tool, Jack adds parenthetically.   “The driver tells me, 'Well, I try to do good things, so I hope so.'”

Jack can be blunt—and I suppose when you have just a few seconds to get to the point, you better get to the point.   Jack told James:

“'I have bad news and good news.  The bad news is that you can't be good enough.  The good news is that the goodness of Jesus in dying on the cross for you and me—IS good enough.'  This, of course, sparked a whole conversation, and I quoted verses like Ephesians 2:8.9, reminding him that we are not saved by works, but by faith in Christ Jesus.”

“The ride went by fast, but when he pulled over to the curb, I asked the guy, 'James, is there any reason why you would not want to receive the gift of eternal life right now?'  He told me no, so I asked if I could pray with him in the cab.”

“Right there, he prayed with me to receive Christ.  What a great way to start your day,” concluded Jack.

What a great day, indeed!