The Workman Family

"I have been sent to give you something"

She stuttered, then burst out laughing. Walking out of the office of a business friend I had been stopped by a heavy set Jamaican woman in a long flowered dress, her hair in tight braids, gaudy red lipstick and a look in her eyes that bothered me immediately.

"What did you say?"

I said. She tried to repeat herself, only to lose her words in laughter again. Four times she tried to convey her message, only to end in the same result - uncontrolled laughter. Finally, she simply said, ÒHere!Ó, shoved a piece of paper into my hand and walked out the door laughing again. The note was scribbled on a dirty piece of paper, torn off of who knows what, and was pretty much undecipherable. The salutation was written clearly however -

"Dear Mr. Lucifer."

I tore the note in half, threw it in a nearby trash can and walked out the door, somewhat shaken by the whole experience.

It had been such a good day up that moment. God has been blessing our ministry here and doors are beginning to open that we have been praying diligently about. John and Susan are a wonderful couple that God has allowed us to meet and begin to disciple. They are hungry for the Word of God and it has been a joy to watch them as they have discovered its truth , compared it to their former beliefs, then shed those and begun to follow what God is teaching them. We are seeing growth in their lives every week and ask your prayers for them as they continue to grow in Christ.

We have also seen some real progress in our student Bible studies at Titchfield High School. The vice-principal is firmly behind our work with the students and encourages them to come to every meeting., though sometimes her tactics are almost comical. If she has any students she has found on the wrong side of the rules, it has become her practice to send them to our Bible club as part of their ÒdisciplineÓ. One week she found an two entire classes breaking the rules and sent them to Bible club. That day our attendance swelled to over 70 kids! Though that isnÕt the norm, it was tremendous to see the potential that is there. We have a growing group of students who faithfully attend, participate and bring their friends. We are now making plans for summer activities for them when school dismisses in June.

God had also blessed us in a special way with a new house. Jamaicans love their music, but most of all, they love their music LOUD! Because our house was located in the middle of town there were many nights when we could not sleep because of the concerts and night clubs that are prevalent here. The breaking point came on Christmas Eve when there was a concert until six oÕclock Christmas morning, then a dance that started at noon and went until far past midnight. We had been constantly praying about the situation, but that night I determined we had no choice but to move. Almost immediately a friend contacted me about a house just outside of town in the hills overlooking the sea. Best of all, it was QUIET! We thank the Lord for His blessings to us. Please note our new address and telephone number below.

P.O. Box 234 Port Antonio, Jamaica, W.I.

(876)993-7586

The reason I had gone to my friendÕs office that day was to discuss with her the possibility of renting office space in town, a place for us to meet people and a central location for our Bible studies and eventually our church services. Since that time we have rented an office in the most prominent building in town, a beautiful, European-style plaza that stands in the middle of town. Even before we moved in, we had inquiries and people asking for schedules of Bible study times. We are finding that people are hungry for the gospel in Jamaica. Most exciting to me are the possibilities this space holds for both our teen and menÕs ministries.

As I stepped out the door of my friendÕs office that day and began walking down the street I looked back and saw that this woman was following me. I went into another business and she followed me in, standing behind me. As I left I turned around to her and said,

"Why are you following me?"

But all she could do was laugh. Finally becoming alarmed, I passed the police station and stepped in. I explained to an officer what she had been doing and he turned to her and asked her what she had to say for herself. Her explanation was simple; she was embarrassed by her behavior and didnÕt normally do things like this, but she had been told to follow me that day and she had to obey. When asked who told her to follow me, her answer made my blood run cold. She simply said,

"The voice in my head."

She had confirmed what I had suspected. This poor woman was under the influence of Satan and was doing his bidding. The officer took her into a back room and came back out to tell me that she was mentally deranged and that they would hold her until I had left town. I left, hoping it would be the last that I would see her, but two days later she saw me again in the marketplace and began to follow me again. This time after much prayer I stopped and began to speak to her. In short, she said that she had had the ÒvoiceÓ since 1996, when she had wanted something badly and had submitted to a satanic ceremony to get what she wanted. She said she didnÕt like the voice anymore and wanted to be rid of it, but when I began to tell her about the life-transforming power of Jesus Christ she became hostile and extremely agitated. She began to tell me that Jesus was not truly God, that He wasnÕt our Savior, that we were all going to hell and that Jesus didnÕt really have the keys to death, hell and the grave. All of these I knew were satanic lies. As a growing crowd watched what was going on, I gave her scripture and prayed for her as she mocked me. I havenÕt seen her since that day, but I ask your prayers for her.

Jesus Christ is her only hope.

We cannot say it enough or overemphasize its importance - please pray for your missionaries! It is only by the grace of God and the power of prayer that we are able to see souls saved and our work prosper. What amazed me after all this had passed was the peace I felt through the ordeal. Knowing we have so many people who lovingly pray for us every day gives us the strength we need to face the challenges. May God bless you for your faithfulness to us.

Reaching the Unreached,

Steve, Pam, Amanda, Derek & Devin