Kathy arrived at the courthouse with two books and a bunch of snacks, expecting to sit in the jury pool all day. No one wants a missionary as a juror, you know. At least that’s what all her friends told her. Within the first ten minutes of sitting in the potential jurors’ holding room, four cases were called up and about 100 people were needed, including Kathy.

Kathy was intimidated sitting in front of the judge, the attorneys, and the defendant for voir dire, where the attorneys ask questions to determine the six jurors for the case. Some of their questions were personal and humbling. Then, an attorney looked at Kathy’s profile which showed that she worked for Campus Crusade for Christ. He came over to her and asked her what she did.

She was a little tired and out of it, but she bravely said, “I work for the Jesus film. Have you heard of the Jesus film?”

“No,” he replied, a little surprised.

“The Jesus film is the most translated film in the world. We just reached 1000 language versions this summer. My job is to go to other countries and record these new language versions.”

“Oh, okay.”

He seemed finished with her and she seriously doubted they would pick her after that. However, she was picked for the case and was later picked as the foreman, the person who facilitates the deliberation among the jurors and gives the conclusion to the judge.

After the voir dire, one of the other six jurors, Rob, asked Kathy more about what she does. Kathy shared her testimony with him. They talked about what he believed, too. He seemed to think that as long as you believe SOMETHING, it’s okay. Sitting in the courthouse, they talked more about truth and how important truth is.

“In a science lab you can easily determine truth quickly, such as, this chemical plus that chemical results in this reaction. But for things that happen in the past, you must rely on evidence and testimony,” Kathy explained. “Take the four gospels for instance. To have that many similarities between four different eyewitnesses is amazing! And they all were willing to die for their testimony.”

Later in the deliberation room, the jurors took as much time as they could to deliberate and still couldn’t come to a unanimous conclusion. At first, Rob was scared to judge anyone. Later, Rob was adamant about his view of the truth (the man’s guilt). Kathy prayed God would continue to show Rob that truth is important and that Jesus is the Truth.

Since Kathy works in an office with hundreds of Christians, she is around believers much of the time and finds it challenging to recognize everyday opportunities to share her faith. She had no idea jury duty could be so full of great opportunities. She admits being a little shy to talk to groups, but she spent all day with strangers who WANTED to talk with her about herself. She explained the Gospel to her captive audience, telling several people how Jesus changed her life. She is looking forward to her next jury duty opportunity to proclaim Christ boldly, speak up for the truth, and see what God will do!

NOTE: Most people get a jury summons in the mail and groan, but Kathy was excited. As part of her job, she had visited various countries where it is impossible for local citizens to have a voice in their government (and if they try, many are shot). So, Kathy considered it a great privilege to participate in a jury trial, as guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution.