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On a recent flight home from Virginia, I prayed that the Lord would seat me next to someone I could share the Gospel with. Once on the plane, a guy in his thirties with tattoos and a mohawk asked if he could sit next to me. We exchanged a few words, and he pulled a book out of his backpack. I asked what the title was, he said, Hyperion by Dan Simmons and told me how excited he was about locating it in a used bookstore. The lady in front of us turned around and said, "I love that book!" I prayed and was reminded of the power of asking questions. Thank you, Pastors Trey, Shohei and Tim for teaching that great class on Evangelism, such a great reminder, and so timely!

It was time to buckle our seatbelts and we settled into reading our books. Mine was on Evangelism, and as I read, I prayed, asking for direction. The Lord put it on my heart to give him one of the New Testaments I carry with me. I felt the engines pull back, so I put my book away and noticed that he was not reading but pondering with disappointment. I asked him how his book was; he said, it was just a lot of people telling their stories. Then I offered him a book I had with a lot of stories in it. He asked who the author was, and I said "God'.



The conversation opened as he told me he had a book of Psalms by his bed and that his father was a Methodist minister. He said, "I don't know why, but I have this turmoil in my heart." Then came a boldness that is unusual for me, and I said, "that is Satan trying to keep you from Jesus". I proceeded to share the Gospel with him and as his eyes became wide like saucers, I knew he had heard the Gospel in the depths of his heart.

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At my baptism, I shared my testimony with The Orchard Barrington, and I am so excited to share a bit about my journey leading up to this moment. In middle school, I decided to come to faith at the Orchard Winter retreat. During worship service, I became so overwhelmed by the love for Jesus I felt by everyone around me and made the decision to commit my life to him. Since then, having gone through the majority of my time in High school, it has been hard balancing my faith and desire for Jesus, with the worldly ideas and attitudes I often feel so surrounded by. I have been challenged by the comparison, loneliness, and jealousy that can often seem to overshadow God's presence in my heart.

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January 10, 2025
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