Diego noticed me when I was about 30 feet from his taxi. I asked him if he spoke English, and he nodded his head yes.
“Hi, I’m Luis*,” I said. “I’m Diego*,” he responded.
I began making small talk with him, telling him where I was from and how much I was enjoying my time in Colombia. I told him why I was visiting and how Jesus had saved my life. He listened intently the whole time. Then I asked Diego about his life.
Without hesitation he said, “I need to confess something, I had a child out of wedlock.”
It was in that moment that I realized he trusted me. He was willing to share something with me that clearly made him uncomfortable. He felt connected to me, and I felt it too. I could practically see God working in his heart.
I shared the gospel with him and explained to him that God forgives us when we repent.
Diego started crying. “There’s still hope for me,” he said.
I fought back tears of joy, seeing him come to know Christ right there, sitting in his taxi. We kept talking for a while. I taught him a tool to help him share the gospel with others and encouraged him to do so, and then I had to leave.
As I walked away, one of the translators who’d been working with some of the other people on our trip stopped me. His name was Oscar* and he had overheard a lot of the conversation I’d just had with Diego.
“That was amazing. How long have you been doing ministry for?” he asked.
I was surprised by the question. This was only the fourth day in my entire life that I was sharing the Gospel with people, but I’d already seen so many come to know Christ. It just reminded me that this was all the work of the Holy Spirit. God was speaking through me, pointing people to himself and giving them a newfound hope. What a gracious, powerful God we serve!
Oscar and I continued walking down the street together, making plans to go to a nearby neighborhood to seek out more gospel sharing opportunities, and as we walked, I kept thinking about Diego. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see him again, but I knew I’d always remember him and the conversation we had that day. Little did I know I’d be seeing him again very soon…
*Pseudonyms