On our way to this week of ministry in Greenville, NC, we stopped by Parker’s, a famous eastern BBQ restaurant. If you have never been to this part of the country, you probably have never had the likes of Eastern Carolina BBQ. Most of the team liked the BBQ, but we all liked the week of ministry even more. There is nothing like the work of the Lord!
The Lord gave us a harvest of souls during the evening rallies. We had a high night of 142 with over 180 different teens attending. There were over 40 teens who responded to the Gospel invitation. The church folks visited every home the next Saturday and found 100% of the teens home. Several came to church on Sunday.
The following is a testimony from one of the team captains that travels with the team. I believe it will encourage your heart.
Early Monday morning before school had begun, I was out in the wet and cold recruiting high-schoolers on their way to school. Two of the most enthusiastic teens I recruited were Carlos and Jimmie (16 and 15). They were so into what I was saying, I was convinced they would not only come out, but get saved. Sure enough, Wednesday night, both of the young men responded to the invitation and got saved. I told them to invite other friends, and the following night they brought out a friend of theirs named DeShawn (16). That night, DeShawn raised his hand in the invitation but did not respond. As Pastor Goode closed down the service, I could see Carlos and Jimmie speaking to DeShawn. I caught DeShawn before he left and began to speak to him about his need to be saved. Carlos and Jimmie soon came and told how that they had gotten saved last night and how their day at school had already been different. Carlos encouraged DeShawn that if he did not want to get saved right then, he should to come out tomorrow night and do so. Just before he left, I warned DeShawn that Satan was real and would certainly do everything in his power to keep him from coming out tomorrow night. DeShawn had no problem believing in Satan since he had encountered demonic activity in his home. Friday came, and I did not see DeShawn during the competitions, until late in the evening, during the testimony service (it had just begun). He told me he had come by himself and he told me that a number of things had happened to keep him from coming out. He could not sleep all night, there was a break-in at his mom’s restaurant, and at school, the next morning, he surprised himself and his class with a sudden burst of hatred. He knew he was on his way to hell. He could find no ride to the church, but he paid a cab and arrived just in time for the testimony service. I told him to listen to the testimonies, and after a good many of them, he came back and told me he wanted to be saved. We found a warm room and DeShawn prayed to trust Christ as His Savior.
Then he sat there without saying a word and I asked him what he was thinking about. He said, “My brothers.” I told him how God could use him to witness to his brothers just as Carlos had tried to explain the gospel to him last night. I also had him thank God what for He had done. Choked with emotion, he thanked God for washing his sins away and forgiving him and for eternal life. Glorious!
We were also grateful for the Lord’s working in the hearts of the Trinity Christian School students. On Friday night, several gave powerful testimonies of dealing with bitterness, clearing their consciences about hidden sin and getting right with God. It was a wonderful week!
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