Catching Kairos

“Kairos” is Greek for “opportunity”, “chance” or “season.” Lysippos portrayed it best in his sculpture of the mythical character. Kairos had winged feet, and stood on tiptoe, to symbolize that he was ever-running like the wind. Because of his speed, the only way he could be caught was from the front, and this was done by grabbing the ponytail emerging from the front of his head. Once he had passed by, he could not be caught because his head was bald in the back – you could not catch him, no matter how badly you wanted to. In Colossians 4:5-6, Paul invokes the image of this fleeting impersonation of opportunity, warning us to make the most of every opportunity we are given to interact with outsiders.

Gniezno, Poland, the area of service of ITMI missionary Magda Dymel, is a place where Kairos passes by daily, and the exhortation from Colossians receives special gravity in the face of the challenge this Polish townlet represents to mission-minded believers. The town’s history and culture is interwoven with the history of Catholicism in Poland, and this cultural mentality permeates the inhabitants’ understanding of spiritual matters: a prayer is taken to be a learned formula, and the Bible is a sacred but abstruse book, not to be touched by laypeople. Magda’s weekly children clubs constitute the only chance for many of the kids to learn about the Scripture and its loving Author. But Magda does not restrict herself to this activity only, she is ready at all times to seize Kairos and spread the word about God’s salvation – whatever the circumstances.

One afternoon at a kids’ club, led as usual by Magda, the children were rehearsing the end-of-the-school-year performance, when two women unexpectedly slipped in. The women, a mother and her friend, just wanted to admire the children’s theatrical skills and enjoy the carefree atmosphere of the meeting. Little did they expect that God was going to use their chance visit to let them hear the good news in its entirety.

Magda’s original intention had been to skip the time for the Bible story in favor of focusing on the rehearsal. But the arrival of the two women prompted her to change her plan. By worldly terms, the two may have stumbled in there by mere accident, but she knew God’s desire for them was to make them hear the good news – now. So even though she had not planned for it, she gathered the children together and announced a short break for a story. That day, however, her words were more meant for the two silent spectators than for her usual listeners. Sentence by sentence, the story of the garden of Eden unfolded, revealing the mechanism of temptation, sin, its consequences, but also promising eternal hope through Jesus Christ. Calm on the outside, Magda was inwardly pleading with the two women to take advantage of the gift of salvation she was presenting to them.

Magda’s passion for the lost and the sincere love she shows for the children cannot but impact the hearts of their parents, many of whom trusted Magda to such an extent that they allowed their kids to go to a summer camp organized by evangelicals – an amazing fact in the face of the general wariness that Poles exhibit towards evangelical “cults”. Although the majority of the adults prefer to be casual observers just now, even in this position they are also exposing themselves to the gospel. The hearts of the children and their families, however, are not the only ones that Magda influences with her willingness to serve.

The other day, out of the clear blue sky, Kairos knocked on Magda’s door again. This time literally. Jesus said: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mt 4: 4). In this case, the two boys standing at Magda’s doorstep that spring afternoon were downright famished. But in all likelihood, physical hunger was their usual companion as well. They knocked on her apartment’s door, asking for money, and in exchange offered to run an errand or help her with household chores. At first she turned them down politely: such requests happen every now and then in Poland, and it is often difficult to judge whether the need is genuine. But when she heard them clamoring up the stairs to her neighbors’ door, something nudged her to call after them. If they would clean the stairs for her, she would pay them. Agreed? Agreed.

After the job was done, Magda invited the boys in and offered them something to drink, in addition to the promised payment. And then, over a casual conversation, she shared with them the importance of reading God’s Word, and offered them a study booklet along with the Gospel of John, translated by Dr. Piotr Zaremba and his team. The younger boy responded with enthusiasm and took the books eagerly, jotting down Magda’s cell phone number to stay in touch with her as he would be reading the Word. And so, another person has been exposed to the healing power of the Scripture.

One year ago, a generous ITMI supporter took hold of the opportunity to give one year’s worth of support for Magda to begin the kid's club. Magda will continue to grab Kairos’ ponytail when he approaches, and she will continue to serve the Lord no matter what he calls her to do. Because of the impact that the kids’ club has made on Gniezno, we pray that He will allow her to continue serving in this capacity, by working in the hearts of Christians to raise support for her to continue in this work. Every day, unbelievers are dying of hunger for the Word of God. Let us join our tireless warrior, Magda in prayer and support as she strives to seize God-ordained opportunities to win people’s hearts for God’s kingdom, and put a stop to this hunger – together.

by Carolyn Zaremba, Poznan, Poland