GENEVA, Ala. (BNc) — Yesterday, the doorbell rang and I answered it to find Ann, one of our older ladies from church, returning something she had borrowed. I looked outside to see how she had come and saw her male friend sitting in the car.

We visited a few minutes, and I told her I would go out with her and speak to Ray. I have watched him come with her to the services of the church for a year and a half, when he was visiting, and knew he was not a member.

She and I stood at his car door and talked with him. I wondered how I might set up a Bible study, and then bravely asked, “Ray, what are you religiously?”

He paused a good while and finally said, “I’ve never been anything.”

Immediately, I asked, “Have you never been baptized?”

He said, “No, I never have.”

Feeling the urgency of the situation I said, “Ray, you don’t need to leave this world without doing that.” My friend said, “I’ve talked to him about that.”

I had to plunge ahead and see if he would agree to study God’s plan of salvation. I said, “What about sometime tomorrow getting Douglas together with you and letting him show you what the Bible teaches about how to be saved — not what we believe, or someone else believes, but what the Bible says about how to be saved? He could come to your house or you all could come here. It probably wouldn’t take over 30 minutes or so.”

To my delight, he said, “I will do that.”

My friend mentioned she had a doctor’s appointment a little after 8:00 a.m., and we decided they would come after the appointment. I said, “I’ll tell you what. You all come here and I will cook lunch for you.” She said, “We can’t beat that.” I doubt that, at 80 years of age, they do much cooking.

My husband Douglas drove up right as our conversation ended, and I related to him what we had agreed on. He was happy to hear it and told them to come any time after the appointment.

We could hardly wait for the next day to arrive. Ann and Ray came around 11:00 o clock and the peas, corn, fried okra, sliced tomatoes and blueberry cobbler were all ready. The cornbread was in the oven. Glasses were filled with ice in the freezer just waiting for the freshly made tea. I put the sliced pickles and margarine on the table and called everyone to eat.

Douglas gave thanks for the food and we enjoyed our meal together. After blueberry cobbler and ice cream were finished, I said, “Ann, why don’t you help me clean up the table, and Doug and Ray can study here or at the church building.”

She agreed and soon Douglas and Ray walked over to the building which is close to our house. As we worked in the kitchen, I prayed for them as they studied, that Ray might understand and obey God’s will.

An hour or so later the telephone rang, and Douglas asked us to come to the building. Ray had decided he wanted to be baptized into Christ.

Tears and thankfulness flowed as we made our way to the church building. Upon entering, I looked in the classroom where Doug likes to study with people and saw the three-ring binder. “A Few Minutes with Someone Who Loves You” was used again today to teach the Gospel plan of salvation.

A little before 3:00 p.m., 80-year-old Ray Medley of Pensacola, Fla., was baptized into Christ at the Geneva, Ala., church building.

His baptism marks the 22nd person baptized this year in this small Alabama town.

EDITOR’S NOTE: After reading about evangelism success using “A Few Minutes With Someone Who Loves You,” on BNc, Glenda printed the 16-page booklet for her husband to use in teaching others. Each page was put in a plastic sleeve and then into a three-ring binder. Glenda’s husband Douglas, preacher with the Geneva church, has used the notebook several times with the same success as in teaching Ray Medley. Douglas stated, “I think it is as good a tool as I have ever seen with which to teach others.”

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