This week, hear from World Race participant Aaron Moore about how he and his team shared the Gospel with a family in Armenia, with photos from Abbey Spiker. Their simple obedience led to two people choosing to follow Jesus. Check it out!
Potentially one of the most impactful things that I’ve learned to recognize this year on the Race that I’ll carry with me beyond these eleven months is the value of my “Yes” to the Lord. He can and wants to and will do a lot with our obedience and I was blown away by what He did when my team gave a hard ‘yes to our hosts in Armenia. Let me tell ya about that one.
It had been a rather long day of preparation and execution of youth ministry. We’d spent our day planning crazy games and learning new songs to sing in worship and then we got to hang out with some of the church members in the evening. It was less like the typical youth group setting that we’re accustomed to in the States, but I’d say that we had a pretty great time in fellowship and service with our new friends.
At the end of the church service, Vardush, our lovely host, found us and informed us that our driver would return with the bus shortly and we’d all need to be ready to go as soon as he arrived. No context, just get in the bus, which was all we got most days. However, this was particularly interesting because it was a little after 9:00 pm. Because of this, our team leader gave us the opportunity to opt out and stay back, but the majority of our team bought in and loaded onto the bus to learn that this was just another house visit. We were used to these. We would enter the home, exchange a friendly greeting, Vardush would chat with them for a while while they served us fresh fruit and coffee, then she would address Google Translate to fill us in, and that would be our invitation into the conversation.
As we piled into the apartment on the top floor of the complex, the events unfolded just as we’d expected them to, but this family’s story was rather unique. The oldest son of this family had recently been killed in the war and both the father and his brother had recently been killed in two different car accidents. We learned after awhile that the younger son had also been in a car accident only weeks before our visit that killed the passenger in his car, but his life was spared. We prayed against the generational curse of death on the men in this family, and then I quickly responded and shared that I believed his survival was more than a coincidence.
The Lord clearly spoke some words to me over that youngest son’s identity and role in his family, so I shared that with him through the translator, which naturally transitioned our conversation into a presentation of the Gospel. This family claims to be followers of Jesus, but I could tell that this young man, if he’d ever surrendered his life to Him, was a prodigal that the Father was longing to hold in His arms again. So I refused to leave without hearing a response from the son. The Good News had been presented and that’s not a space you want to leave open ended, so I plainly and directly asked if he was ready to say “yes” to God’s invitation into the Kingdom. I ensured that he knew what that meant, and then Vardush helped him to pray a prayer of surrender to the Lord.
As we were wrapping up conversation and walking out the door, I was chatting with my new brother, and waiting for the ladies of my team to walk out, but they never came. I popped my head back into the living room to see tears streaming down the faces of my teammate, Jenn, and the young daughter of this family. The youngest daughter was convicted by the Holy Spirit, and Jenn and Vardush led her into the arms of her Savior for the first time that night as well.
HALLELUJAH!! PRAISE THE LAMB!!
Loading into the bus, we rejoiced together at what we’d just watched God do before our eyes. This late night venture, our decision to obey, and our sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit meant salvation for two lost souls. Thank you, Lord, that you allowed us to partner with you in this!
So…. what is God asking you to do that you wouldn’t be naturally inclined to give your ‘yes’? I’ve known that difficult obedience to be incredibly fruitful and beneficial. He is worthy of your devotion, even when you don’t want to give it to Him.
God is pleased with our obedience. How will you respond when He calls?
Is God calling you to serve others around the world as you grow in Christ-centered community?
