An Encouraging Story

We just had our quarterly Extreme broadcast.  It's always an exciting time when you know all your fellow volunteers around the globe are logged into the live meeting at the same time.  It was great to hear/watch the updates of each department from the Officers, and it was encouraging to hear of recent staff changes with more  volunteers coming on board every month.  It was inspiring to listen to various stories and reports from the three cities in which 4040s are hard at work planting churches.  Please let us share one particular story with you:

Our director, Brian Tibbs, was visiting the jungle city of Iquitos.  One afternoon, he went along with 3 of our female missionaries to visit a man with whom they had been meeting for some time.  This man was an ex-terrorist who regularly threatened an independent church across the street from his home saying that he was going to kill the pastor.  He was very hateful.  He didn't believe in the Bible and made that well known amongst his acquaintances.  After just talking with and listening to him for a long time, Brian felt a push from the Lord to "preach the Word boldly."  He and the other missionaries decided to ask him if he wanted to accept Christ that day.  No, he was definitely not interested in doing that, he replied adamantly.  They continued talking for a while longer and Brian asked again if he would like to accept Christ.  No, he really was not ready for that yet.  After a moment, the man spoke up and said something that had obviously been on his mind: the night before he had had a dream in which he learned that God was going to send him messengers from very far away.  The God he didn't want to believe in.  The God he hated.

Well!  They then told him that one of them is from a state that borders Canada, another from California, and the other two from Northern Peru - all 4 were messengers from very far away sent to talk to this man!  He at last didn't have a reply.  They asked one more time: Would you like to accept Christ?  Yes, he was ready.  They all stood up, placed their hands on the man, repeated the sinner's prayer and this hateful ex-terrorist accepted Christ Jesus as his Lord!  He was immediately a changed man.  He physically looked different, peaceful.  God is so good and can reach even those who we think are lost forever.  One of the missionary girls reported several days later that the man is attending church, sharing his testimony and already helping other people grow in their faith.

This is just another reminder of how your prayers are so powerful and God is using them to do great miracles in Peru.  Thank you for partnering with us and supporting us to be able to support our field missionaries.  YOU are making an impact.