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