Monday, January 14, 2013

A Sweatshirt Opens A Door to Conversation

By Terri Mehrguth
Director, e3 Legacy

The work in Cambodia was off to a fast start. As we fly over the Pacific Ocean, a Korean teenager was wearing a sweatshirt from my high school’s alma mater in Southern California. It turns out that Harry (his American name) had moved with his mother four months earlier from Korea to Orange County to attend high school. He admitted that he had no religious background and had no idea what would happen to him when he died. He wanted to hear the story of God’s love. He was taking a religion class at the high school and just learning about Christianity, but he had yet to hear the gospel.

I began with the Creation story, answering his many questions. When he asked if Adam and Eve were Jesus’ parents, it was time to back up and provide more explanation. The term sin was also new to Harry, but once the definition was provided, he recognized that he was a sinner. At times, Harry’s eyes would light up when he realized I was sharing something that He’d heard a little about in his religion class, like the Trinity. After nearly an hour and a half conversation, I asked if he wanted to put His faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of his sin. His response was “Of course.” I must admit that I almost didn’t ask him if he wanted to be a follower of Jesus, thinking that he needed more time to ponder these truths that he was hearing about for the first time. It was a reminder to me that we don’t know what’s in someone’s heart unless we ask.

As I explained how to invite Christ into his life through prayer, I asked if he’d ever prayed before and did he understand what it was, and again, he did not. After explaining what prayer was, Harry bowed his head as we jetted above the clouds and gave his life to Christ!

• Learn more about e3 Legacy HERE.
• Ready to GO on mission?  Find upcoming e3 Legacy trip HERE.
• Do you have questions?  Email Terri HERE.

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