WOW GOD IS SO GOOD!!! WE GOT TO LEAD 3 IRANIAN REFUGEE MEN TO THE LORD!!! AMEN HALLELUJAH PRAISE GOD!
Usually I’d save the punchline for the end, but some things are just way too exciting to save until the end!!! Especially when eternities are changed and all you want to do is shout it from the mountaintops!
( ***This story will have SO much more depth to it if you read my previous blog first. So if you haven’t checked out “The One with Jesus in the Refugee Camp”, go read it!)
Now for the whole story of how this incredible moment came to be…
My team and I had the privilege of going back to the same refugee camps that we went to two weeks prior. Our experience the first time was so powerful that we absolutely wanted to experience it again. This time we knew what we were walking into, but that didn’t make it any less impactful. In fact, I walked away even more speechless than the first time.
In my last blog I shared the story of the men from Iran that we talked to in the compound, the ones who were asking about Jesus. Well, we had kept in contact with them via social media. They told us they had left that compound and went to another since they were trying to cross the border as soon as possible. We were bummed that we wouldn’t see them again, but still rejoiced in the fact that we got to share some of Jesus with them.
Well, when we got to the refugee compound that we met them at, we were hopeful that maybe, just maybe they would still be there. So as soon as we got there we went straight to the spot where they were staying last time. And lo and behold, they were there!!! They had tried leaving the night before, but the police forced them to turn around. (Crazy how sometimes a setback actually turns into the biggest blessing of your life, am I right?!)
We had all afternoon to talk with them, so we wanted to take them somewhere more private where we could actually share the gospel. (There were even more people at the camp now and we still had to be cautious about what was said around the other refugees.) So me, Megan, and Ryan, took the three of them out to lunch in town.
At lunch, they were able to ask us all of their questions about Christianity and we were able to openly share Jesus with them. They were so curious and already had such a childlike faith as they held on to every word we shared with them.
They understood and believed. You could see it in their faces and the certainty that they agreed with us in. So at the end of lunch we asked them, “Do you want to begin a relationship with Christ?”
And right away, all three of them answered “Yes!”
So we prayed. And they got saved. And at the end of the prayer, we looked up and saw all three grown men in tears.
We rejoiced and I asked them why they were crying.
They said they felt something move, something shift. They felt peace and happiness. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and it was the most unusual, beautiful thing they have ever felt.
It was the single greatest moment of my life thus far.
Then, they started asking about baptism. We explained that baptism isn’t necessary to be saved, but just another step in their faith as they publicly declared their relationship with Jesus. Then again, without hesitation, they said they wanted that.
There was no body of water or pool around, so we improvised. We bought some water bottles and found a secluded place away from the public eye. And there, in a field in the middle of Bosnia with just water bottles, we got to baptize our new brothers in Christ!
There is no possible explanation for all of this except that Jesus moves and nothing can stop Him.
My prayer for my new brothers is that they would be able to share their story with those around them. And that because of their testimonies, thousands would begin a relationship with Jesus also.
God has already been so faithful in their lives. He’s not about to stop now!
