Follow Me
Keith McMillan, president of seventy
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. -Mark 1:17-20
A number of years ago while serving with the church in London, I was sent to the Kingdom of Spain to baptize a man into Community of Christ. I was rightly worried about what I would find on that trip and was very concerned about my limited Spanish.
We did not have a congregation in Madrid at that time. I learned that there was a family of members living there who had migrated from the Philippines some decades before, in search of better economic opportunities. They were the first family to be helped by Apostle Charles Neff through what would become Outreach International. I made arrangements to visit them and then took a taxi to their neighborhood. Because I had trouble communicating the address and location in Spanish, the cabbie dropped me into the middle of high-rise apartments that all looked alike to me.
Dragging my suitcase, I looked out of place in a dangerous situation. I managed to get a passerby to call the number I had been given, and I said a little prayer. After about 30 minutes I saw a man and his daughter running down the hill to collect me. In broken English he said, “Follow me.”
They took me to their apartment where the saints were waiting for me to share with them in their first communion in over 20 years. I’ll never forget hearing the familiar hymns floating through the air as we arrived.
Later Elder Domingo said, “We want our own Community of Christ congregation!” I remember saying, “Well, let’s make that happen.” After much prayer and many visits, we had a congregation in Madrid in a couple of years. As we follow Christ into the many places where we are called, people’s lives are transformed.
Prayer Phrase
“Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day…” (Psalm 139:12).
Spiritual Practice
Repeat this month’s prayer phrase slowly and intentionally within your heart. Invite this prayerful repetition to open a space of presence to the divine light within you. Where are you experiencing the light of God in your life and in the world?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.