For my second month on the World Race, we are together in Alba Iulia, Romania as a whole squad of 41 with our squad leaders and mentor. For the second day in a row, we went out in teams to meet people and tell them about Jesus today. Unfortunately, only half of our team, Ahava, was able to go. Thomas was sick with a fever, David had to go with him to the clinic, and Liz had to fill in for the administrative role that Thomas is in charge of with our host this month.
I tried to encourage my team that all this was happening for a reason. In my experience, when the Lord has big plans for you to carry out in his kingdom, the enemy throws obstacle after obstacle in your way so that you can’t do the Lord’s work. With sickness and distraction in our way with the enemy trying to divide our team, I knew God had big plans for our day.
With Alex, Madison, Davante (squad leader), and our translator, I arrived at the park, and we all got to talk to a few people. We provided them encouragement, advice, and perspective. A few of them were very receptive, and already knew the Lord. After those conversations, we spotted a group of five kids that walked into the park.
We approached them sitting on the steps of a building and began talking to them. We asked them their names and ages, and one of the boys was smoking a cigarette. I asked him how long he has been smoking, and he told me six years. Almost half of his young life. I told him that I used to smoke too, and I asked him what he enjoys about it, why he does it. He said that he wants to be like the cool kids that do it. Not having an answer or another question, I began to pray for the words to say.
Meanwhile, one of our squad leaders, Davante, asked all the boys if they know who God is. The two older boys, both fourteen, told us the younger kids don’t, but one of them is a believer and the other, an atheist. I asked him if he found atheism peaceful or difficult. He told me it was peaceful. I told them it was really cool that they had a friendship even though they believed different things. Then Davante told them that Jesus hung out with a lot of people that believed in different things, and lived different lives.
We asked him why he was an atheist. He said that his father was an Adventist Christian for a long time, but people beat him and persecuted him for his faith. He decided that if God was allowing people to beat him for his faith, then there actually is no God who loves him. After he said this, Davante shared his personal testimony with the boys. He shared a message of hope when God allowed him to go through a very difficult time for many years, and after continually trusting the Lord, God finally helped him out of that situation.
Davante asked the boy if he knew about Jesus. He said yes, but he didn’t believe in Jesus because the bible doesn’t tell about Jesus’ whole life. It only talks about a few years of it. Davante then asked him a question:
“If someone asked you to tell them your life story, so they could write it down, and you told them your life story, but they only wrote down the stuff you told them from age 6-11, do you stop existing because they only wrote part of your story?”
They boy stood quiet for a while, seeking a comeback or answer. Eventually he answered, “This is true.” Then Davante proceeded to explain the Gospel to the boy, and asked if he was interested in praying about it with him to see if God would speak to him. He said yes. We all moved to a bench to do a listening prayer.
The three younger boys began to be a distraction with their futbol, so I asked if they wanted to go pass it around. We walked away and started kicking the ball around. While we were passing the ball around, the boy on the bench prayed. He felt God speak to his heart. He decided that he wanted to believe and have a relationship with God.
As I kicked it with the other boys, I saw the joy on their faces, just being free and having fun. I asked the boy who had been smoking earlier if he knew what happy meant. He didn’t speak much English.
“Yes, I know happy,” he answered.
“More happy futbol, or more happy smoking?” I asked faking a cigarette puff.
“Futbol,” he answered looking at the ground a little dejected. I signaled for our translator to come over to us. I asked him if it would be okay if we sat down and talked. He agreed to it, so we moved over to a bench.
I asked him if he really enjoyed smoking to be like the cool kids. He said he didn’t really like it, and it made him feel bad. I asked why he really does it. He told me that it felt like something inside of him makes him want to smoke. I said I understand that. I asked him if he thinks he is happy most of the time in life. He said he usually is, but not all the time. I asked him if he knows who God is. He said that god created everything and all of us. I asked him if he felt like God was his friend, or something far away. I pointed to the cross on my shirt, and I asked him if he knew what this meant with God. He did not.
I explained to him that God created us so that we could have a loving relationship with Him. But when he created us, we sinned against Him by disobeying what He told us to do. Since God is perfect, He couldn’t have a relationship with imperfect humans because of their sin. Eventually, God came to earth in human form as Jesus, to live a human life without sin. Jesus showed people how to love and what it meant to have a relationship with God. He lived a perfect life so that He could be a perfect sacrifice to God. That His innocent death on the cross took the weight of all human sin, so that we could have a relationship with God again through Jesus. He gave up His live so that God could forgive us forever.
I asked the boy if that sounded like something he wanted to have in his life. He said yes with a smile. I asked if I could pray for him. He said yes with a smile.
I prayed that he would understand in his heart who Jesus is. I thanked the Lord for his open heart, and willingness to listen, and his desire to believe. I prayed that the Lord would change his heart and his life. I finished my prayer and asked him if he wanted a relationship with God. He said yes with a smile. I led him through a prayer of salvation.
“God, I choose to believe in you and have a relationship with you. I believe that Jesus died for our sins, and I ask forgiveness for what I have done wrong in sin. I thank God for sending Jesus to forgive us, and I want to walk in that freedom and forgiveness. I ask Jesus to reside in my heart, and change it. I pray to have a heart like his, and be a new creation. God, be the leader my life. I what to trust God with my life, and I want to follow Him for the rest of my life. Amen.”
When we opened our eyes, I was looking at a new person. He was grinning with all his might, a new child of God. I asked him if his heart felt different now. It did. I got his facebook info to talk to him more, and I asked him if he had a Bible. He said that he had one at home. I told him that he should get to know his new friend better. God gave us his words so that we could know him better. I also told him that he could pray directly to God like we just had together. I encouraged him to talk to God as much as he could as if he was a friend next to him. Just tell Him how you are doing, what you are feeling, and thanking Him for your life in Him.
The Kingdom of God gained two great kids today.
