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By Rio Mabugay
When Jesus told His followers to “go,” He never intended for the church to wait inside its walls for people to come. The mission field is wherever people are鈥攁nd sometimes, that mission field is Walmart.
My wife and I first met Marie while shopping at a Walmart in Anderson. We were looking for a dress that would make breastfeeding our baby a little easier, and Marie kindly helped us find what we needed. What seemed like an ordinary shopping trip became a divine appointment.
As we talked, the conversation naturally turned to the Lord. Marie shared that becoming a missionary had always been her dream. Neither of us realized God was already answering that prayer.
Before we left, she invited me to a monthly Bible study she attended. More than 20 people from a variety of Christian backgrounds gathered with one shared desire鈥攖o know God through His Word.
As relationships grew, several members asked if I would lead Bible studies. Marie eagerly invited her friends, and before long several Filipino Seventh-day Adventists from the area joined us. Together we studied Scripture, asked questions, and grew in faith.
When Marie discovered the beauty of the biblical Sabbath, she requested Saturdays off from her job at Walmart so she could worship with God’s people. It was a simple but powerful testimony that following Jesus sometimes requires courageous decisions.
Marie quickly became my ministry partner. Together we started several Bible study groups, including one in her neighborhood. She continually invited family members, friends, coworkers, and neighbors.
She reminded me of Andrew in the Gospel of John. Andrew wasn’t known for preaching to crowds鈥攈e was known for bringing people to Jesus. Marie had that same gift. She believed that if people encountered God’s Word, the Holy Spirit would do the rest.
On June 20, 2026, after attending the Revelation of Love evangelistic meetings, Marie publicly gave her life to Christ through baptism. Even more meaningful, three friends she had personally invited through the Bible studies were baptized alongside her.
One of the most touching moments came when her husband, watching from the audience, simply said, “I’m proud of her.”
That day, Marie was one of 15 people baptized.
What amazes me most is that God was using Marie long before she entered the baptismal waters. Before she became a church member, she was already inviting people to study the Bible. She was already opening doors for the gospel. She was already making disciples.
That’s intentional discipleship.
Too often, we think evangelism begins with a public meeting or a church program. But intentional discipleship begins with noticing people, building relationships, listening to their stories, studying the Bible together, and inviting them to take one step closer to Jesus.
How many “Maries” are working at Walmart, serving coffee, stocking shelves, cutting hair, delivering packages, teaching school, caring for patients, or living next door? How many people are quietly praying that God would use them, waiting for someone to invest in them?
Jesus told us to go into all the world. For many of us, “all the world” is the grocery store, the workplace, the neighborhood, or the checkout line. Divine appointments are often disguised as ordinary moments.
The church doesn’t exist only on Sabbath morning. We are the church every day of the week, wherever God places us. Instead of asking, “How can we get people to come to church?” perhaps we should first ask, “How can we bring the love of Christ to where people already are?”
The mission field isn’t waiting for us to unlock the church doors. It’s already stocking shelves, ringing up groceries, serving coffee, teaching classrooms, working construction sites, and living next door.
The question isn’t whether God has prepared people. He already has.
The question is whether we’re intentionally looking for them.
Perhaps the next disciple-maker is already at Walmart.
Featured in Northern Lights, July 23, 2026
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