Me with Ayelen, Alisson, & Maria at the High School Outing
"For by Grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9
What a blessing to see God at work and see the glorious fruit of obedience to Him! On Thursday, July 25th, I had the absolute joy and privilege to see God at work first hand and personally.
I shared last year that one of our deaf high schoolers, Maria, accepted Jesus as her Savior during the High School Summer Camp. I then had the pleasure to share that during the High School camp back in April another of our Deaf High Schoolers, Alisson, also made the decision to follow Christ. It seemed that God was using these camps to speak to our students, so I was already thinking about next year's camp and what God may do. But then....
This past Thursday the High School had a one day field trip/outing. The outing included fun time and a time when a message was shared and the gospel was again presented. I was soo excited that 5 of our Deaf High Schoolers went on this outing, so as I translated the message, I was able to make it personal towards those students whom we know have not accepted Christ as their Savior yet. As I spoke to Ayelen, one of the deaf young ladies, about her need for Christ and that she hasn't accepted Christ yet, she just responded that, no, she hasn't yet. Immediately Alisson, who accepted Christ in April, responded to her explaining that its not about a factual if you have or haven't yet, but that she had the opportunity to Accept Christ right then. She then proceeded to go through and explain to her the entire gospel message again and ask her why was she waiting, that she knew the truth. Ayelen then decided to take that step and follow Christ! As Alisson prayed with her and encouraged her, I could see the Holy Spirit working as Alisson started crying more than Ayelen realizing what God had just done.
What a glorious gain for Christ! And what a privilege to be able to see, after 3 1/2 years here working with these girls and sharing Christ with them, God not only drawing these amazing young ladies to Himself, but already using them to share the gospel to others and encourage others to follow Christ. I was, and continue to be, so in awe of already seeing such beautiful fruit from obeying Christ and coming here to work with these beautiful young ladies and so many more. I knew that the ministry here is a long-term ministry and that we may not see actual decisions for Christ until years in, but what an amazing blessing to see souls saved after just 2 - 3 years here. Angels are rejoicing and God is glorified!!