While on a youth group trip to Nicaragua, Taylor Escott‘s team had the opportunity to share the Gospel with a group of men. When four of them accepted Christ, it was so exciting!
But then something even more amazing happened.
On our third day in Nicaragua, we went to a village to do Vacation Bible School. At the same time, a doctor from our host ministry held a medical clinic.
While my teammates prayed with adults waiting to see the doctor, a group of us taught the kids about Noah’s Ark. After everyone was prayed for and the VBS had ended, we just hung out and played with the kids. There was also a group of boys around the ages of 18-25, so a few of us went over to talk with them.
At first we were all just joking around and having fun, taking pictures and videos of each other, but then the conversation began to get serious. We started talking about God and how He has impacted our lives, asking them if they were interested in accepting Christ as their Savior.
Slowly, the group dwindled, until only those who were interested remained.
After a long conversation about the pros and cons of making this life decision, four of the boys came to Christ and are now in our family of believers!
It wasn’t an easy decision for them, though.
These young men were the leaders of their group and will soon be leaders of their village. They were already in with drugs and alcohol, making them more hesitant about the decision to follow Jesus.
But they were willing and chose to give their lives to Christ.
We had the chance to pray with them a sinner’s prayer. It was so neat to see them change and then start talking about sharing their decision with the younger boys!
But they didn’t just talk about it.
They went and talked with their younger friends who looked up them—and seven more boys came to Christ that day!
I didn’t get the chance to pray with the seven boys, but I did get to pray with the four boys and that impacted me the most. Seeing God move in their lives and just using us as His tools was incredible.
I learned if you follow God’s will and listen to what He has to say, He will use us to make a difference because we are following His will and not being selfish.
God was already here in Nicaragua. He just let us come here and encourage the Christians already here and to show love to those who didn’t know Him—yet.
*Photos by Carly Marin, Christina Kehres, and Brittany Davis
Taylor’s team didn’t do anything special; they just took an opportunity to share God’s love with a group of young men who were hungry for the Gospel.
This summer, we are sending three youth group trips to Nicaragua to serve at all all-boys school through sports ministry, Vacation Bible School, and community outreach. CLICK HERE for more information!
We’re also sending an adult team to Nicaragua for women’s ministry, Vacation Bible School, and community outreach. CLICK HERE to see how you can join!
