After an eventful morning of evangelism in the streets, we retreated to the nearby church for lunch. Happy to sit down and recharge, I plopped down into my seat and let out an exhale. Just then, I saw my interpreter moving hastily toward me.
“Scott, come with me. We have an exciting opportunity to share!”
As I followed her outside, she led me to a soccer court that was adjacent to the church. Stepping through the chain link fence, 10 teenage boys greeted me with looks of excitement and curiosity.
With a similar expression I asked, “Who are they, and what are we doing here?”
“A member of our church coaches this boys soccer team,” my interpreter told me. “They practice soccer, and talk about God and the Bible. Today, you will talk to them.”
My growing confidence from my morning as an evangelist in Latin America quickly waned as I realized that I was being thrust into a new situation.
“OK, sounds like a plan,” I said, hesitantly agreeing while trying to muster up some energy from my delayed lunch break. As I considered the moment quickly approaching, I scrambled for an idea of what to share.
“Should I tell them a story from the Bible or perhaps share a devotional?” I pondered to myself. “Eh, that may be hard to relay, and I'm not sure how interested they would be.” I wanted something that would really capture their attention and curiosity.
Just then, I remembered the bridge illustration. The bridge is a simple-to-draw picture that illustrates the basic message of the gospel. And for a group of 13-year-old boys, I felt that it would be just the thing that would definitely capture their eyes. Silently, I prayed that it would capture their hearts as well.
With perfect timing, the coach suddenly called for the boys to gather around me. Just as I had done all morning in people’s homes, I told them that I wanted to share a story about God's great love for them and asked permission to draw them a picture. With anticipation, the boys looked on as I held open a blank page of my journal toward them. Together with my interpreter, we told them the story of God's desire for a relationship with man, drawing figures to symbolize both. As I described sin, I drew the chasm that has been left between us and God. I told them my story of trying to do good things to fix this separation with God, but nothing worked.
“Even though I tried to be a good kid, I still felt distant from God,” I told the boys. “And deep down, I feared if I was enough and if He was happy with me.”
As I shared the reality of my heart as a teenager, I picked up on a few agreeing nods from the group. Suddenly, I realized that all of their eyes were focused on the picture. “God, could you really be doing something right here in this moment?” I silently prayed. “Please move in the hearts of these boys.”
As the story transitions from bad news to good, I shared God’s solution to the problem. Out of his love, he created a way for us to be with God forever. That God sent Jesus to be a sacrifice for our sin, and His life, death, and resurrection bridges the gap keeping us from God. And then I drew a cross that connected man and God. Smiles came on some of their faces. This cross was certainly something that they recognized, but perhaps they saw it in a newfound light today. At the end of the picture, I told the boys that Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins was a gift of God. This was a gift of love, forgiveness, and acceptance, and this gift is free for anyone who decides to believe and trust in Jesus. Now came the exciting moment.
“Would any of you like to make a decision today to accept God’s gift, and put your faith in Jesus?”
Without hesitation, three hands from the group of boys instantly raised. Then four, five, six, and then all 10. Every single boy sat upright, smiling and holding their hands high in agreement. Thrilled, I led them in a prayer to communicate to God what was on their hearts. I assured them that this was not a set of magic words but simply an opportunity to talk to God personally. My heart filled with joy, as I heard a serenade of 10 youthful voices praying together to God.
Just 30 minutes before, I began my lunch break hoping to recharge and refresh. Slightly annoyed, I accommodated the request for my participation in yet another evangelism opportunity. “Maybe I’ll just have to eat a granola bar from my backpack,” I conceded to myself as I headed toward the soccer court. How quickly my heart was changed as this inconvenience quickly became a wonderful opportunity. I remain in awe that God would willingly use me, a narrow-minded fool, to share the story of his love to a group of young boys on a soccer team. What a privilege!
As far as my hunger and exhaustion from a busy morning, I didn’t have another thought about it. In fact, I left having found the exact recharging and refreshment that I intended to seek with a comfy chair and warm food. I am reminded of John 4:34-35:
“‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, “It’s still four months until harvest”? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.’”
Indeed, the Latin American boys soccer team was ripe for harvest, and I was blessed to share in the moment with God.
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