Rachel Coleman has spent 35 years as a missionary with One Mission Society (OMS). Her journey has taken her from Ecuador to campus ministry at Asbury University and now to her role with OMS’ Theological Education team. But one of her earliest ministry assignments taught her an important lesson she still remembers today.
Rachel and her husband, Randy, were once assigned to serve at Encounter with God Church in Ecuador during a period when the congregation had plateaued. They were given several responsibilities, including starting a Sunday school class for married couples.
They prayed and prepared for this new class, and then came the Sunday launch.
No one came.
The second Sunday arrived, and only one couple showed up: Ugo and Marlene. That was it, week after week, for about a year. It would have been easy to question whether their effort was worth it. But the Holy Spirit continued to speak truth to them, “Don’t quit.”
Then, suddenly, things began to change. A third couple joined, then a fourth. Before long, the once-empty room held 15 to 20 couples, engaged in lively conversations every Sunday morning.
“That class became a place where Christian couples felt safe inviting their non-Christian friends,” Rachel says. “Marriages were restored, and people met Jesus because the Holy Spirit was faithful in small beginnings and small spaces.”
Rachel encourages those who feel discouraged by slow starts. Don’t overlook them or give up, because the Holy Spirit might be doing significant work. If you find yourself in a quiet or unproductive season, “Don’t scorn small beginnings,” Rachel says.
