Pages 5-6
Transcription
Pages 5-6
Rachel Leftwich: The principal at one school we visited was very unfriendly and unwilling to let us share with her students. She finally agreed, however, and we were able to share with the 300 students. Afterwards, she approached me with teary eyes and said, “That is why you came to our school? That’s all? You have no other agenda?” I assured her that we simply came to share God’s love with them. She said, “But I am a very bad person.” I shared that God already knew her sins but loved her anyway and gave His Son to take the punishment for her sins. I saw the sadness quickly replaced with joy on her face! Debbie Krawczykiewicz: One day, I was able to share with 663 students. Prior to Kristen Napier, Nate Green, Debbie extending the invitation to trust in Christ, I Krawczykiewicz, and Travis Cochrum noticed an elderly man who had stopped to hear what I had to say. I made a point to invite everyone to trust in Christ – not just Nate Green: As one of my teamthe students and teachers. The elderly man mates shared the gospel at a school, I bowed his head and prayed along with the noticed a group of women walking students to accept Christ! by. One of them stopped and listened to the gospel. After we led the kids in prayer, however, she was gone. I went and found her and shared the gospel with her; but, she explained that she is a member of the Inglesia ni Cristo church, a cult in the Philippines. As I continued to tell her of the love of Jesus, tears streamed down her face. I can only hope that she put her trust in Jesus that day. Patrick Henderson: As I shared at a school, I noticed that everyone was listening very intently. When I shared that salvation is a free gift, everybody seemed surprised. I was the first person to tell them that they do not have to work or pay to get to heaven. Most of the kids and all of the teachers got saved that day! The teachers had huge smiles and were truly grateful for the assurance of eternal life. Sharon Brock and Kelly Briggs Casey DuBose with orphans Rob Londeree: I arrived at a school with 300 students and met with the principal. He wondered why I was there; so, I told him why and said I am a Christian. He asked why I am a Christian and what is the difference between Christianity and other religions. I said all other religions require you to do some kind of work to get to heaven. I told him that Jesus loves everybody and He does not care about works or who you are. He sent His only Son for us. Before I shared with the students, the principal asked if any of them are Christians. Only one boy raised his hand. After I shared, I asked the students who asked Jesus into their hearts. All the children, the principal, and some parents acknowledged that they had done so! Dustin Schadt and Ashley Karr Laura Reynolds: We traveled to a remote, one-room school on top of a mountain. When we arrived, the children were on lunch break and several adults were sitting outside the school. We gathered them, and I shared the gospel. Everyone professed that they put their trust in Christ. Afterward, I had the privilege of talking with the school’s only teacher. She said she was already a Christian but couldn’t get past constant guilt. I gladly shared with her about freedom from guilt and shame in Christ and pointed her to the assurance of salvation given in Scripture. Ben Reynolds: As I shared at a school, the roar of the rain on the tin roof was hard to talk over. Out of the crowd came the face of a first grader, who was seemingly innocent but inherently sinful. She cried as I explained sin and the punishment we all deserve. I had nothing to comfort her with on my own; so, I shared the grace of God. It is incredible how God used our feeble English presentations to extend his grace and glory to the uttermost. Dave Brock: It was a typical morning in the Philippines. However, what happened next, I will never forget. It had nothing to do with my ability but everything to do with my availability. When we arrived at the first school, our Filipino pastor told me to be ready because it was a large school. What I read about the day of Pentecost in Acts since I was a little boy, I experienced firsthand, as I was able to share the gospel with 3,200 students, teachers, parents, and bystanders. Over 3,000 indicated that they put their trust in Christ! Ashley Thames and Rob Londeree Matthew Wilson: One day, my team and I spoke in each classroom at a large high school. After I spoke in one classroom, the teacher told me that she was substituting for the day because the regular teacher was in Manila, undergoing chemo for bone cancer. The substitute said she believes in the power of prayer and asked me to pray for the class. I prayed and was amazed to see the faith of this teacher and how unashamed she was to share it in front of this class. Taylor Howard Martha Yates, Julie Emerson, Joyce Rougeux, Joni Martha Yates: As our vehicle bounced down the road, it seemed we would never Webster, Phil Congdon, Caleb Watts, and Joe Congdon find our next school. We finally found it, nestled on top of a little hill, surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation. The school only had 14 students and one teacher. I realized that they had God’s beautiful creation all around them but had probably never heard about Jesus coming and dying for their sins. I felt blessed to be the one to share the gospel with them and was thankful that God allowed us to find this school. Annie Buck: On our final day, my team Lainie Rosemond: On my way back from encountered many obstacles, including having sharing at a school, I had to hike down a small, our path to the schools blocked by landslides. We muddy path. Suddenly, it began to pour down were about to turn around when we saw a rain. There was a house on the path and a man jeepney approaching us. One of my teammates welcomed us inside to wait out the storm. The was able to share with the two men and saw one Filipino pastor and I shared about Jesus. By get saved! It was such a divine appointment! the time the rain stopped, the old man had Shortly after that, God provided a way for us to accepted Jesus! God allowed the rain to last get to the schools. We took a 10 minute motorlong enough for us to share with this old man. cycle ride and walked for 30 minutes before finally reaching our destination. After four hours of trying to reach this school, we saw over 400 students put their trust in Jesus. Josh Luckey, Annie Buck, Jillian Cochran, Carry Ducker, Zack Parker, Jordan Murphy, and June Acera in a principal’s office Josh Luckey: One day, I was shopping near our hotel when a man named Alex came up to me and asked if I needed any help. I said I didn’t, but we eventually started a conversation. I found out that he was really confused about the many religions in this world, and I was able to answer his questions and witness to him. I then asked him if he would like to accept Christ as Savior, to which he said “yes.” Abigail Lynch: On our last day of preaching, my team and I traveled for 45 minutes through mountains and walked half a mile through rice fields in the rain to get to one of our schools. We arrived and found 60 elementary students that had never seen Americans before. I preached and all 60 accepted Christ! Abigail Lynch and orphan April Joyce Rougeux: One day, I was able to visit a remote school that had never heard the name of Jesus. I felt privileged and humbled to be the first person to mention His name to them. Their eyes grew wide and they got excited when I told them that after Jesus died for their sins, He came back to life and is alive today. At the end of the presentation, they all prayed and put their trust in Jesus! Jill Brookman: My team and I drove for an hour through nothing but rice fields and some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, with very few people to be seen. Finally, we came to a few houses and one small school. There were about 50 kids, and they watched our every move because we were probably the first white people they had ever seen. They were so interested in everything we said, and they listened intently. Every single one of them indicated that they chose to accept Christ as Savior. Robbie Frederick: To get to our final school, we had to drive up unpaved roads with large holes and rocks. The school was small, with not more than 40 students. When I spoke to the students, it hit me that this is what we are called to do. When I looked into their eyes, I realized that God loves all of us and we cannot stop sharing until all have heard. At the end, all the kids raised their hands to indicate that they trusted Christ. How would they have heard if we had not come? Ashlee Bowser Brittney Blount: I went to a school up in the mountains that had only 50 students. I asked the children, “Who is God’s Son?” Only the teacher could answer correctly. It was very humbling to tell the children about Jesus and how He paid the price for our sins. As we left, the children were full of joy, and the teacher was crying and thanking us for coming. Rachel Kilman: After traveling through two rivers, three muddy ponds, and over two log bridges, my team and I finally arrived at an elementary school with about 300 students. The children were not only shocked to have visitors but American visitors at that. Since we had spent so much time traveling, I really wanted to preach at this secluded school. After sharing the gospel, all 300 attentive students chose to put their trust in Christ. Dakota Smith: I went to a school that was having a parent-teacher conference. As soon as the principal saw me, we quickly met, and she allowed me to speak with the teachers and parents. They were very surprised to hear a message about spiritual freedom and unconditional love. The principal told me it was “much different from the Roman Catholic priest’s message.” After that, I saw additional mothers at the snack bar and decided to share the gospel with them. All three of them were nearly brought to tears and their faith alone saved them. Rachel Kilman, Jonny Blount, and Alec Jarm