The Filter is the Excuse. Jesus is the Reason.
“Are you the one who has the problem with alcohol in the family?” Luke looked back at me with wide eyes, surprised at the brashness of my question, but I assured him it needed to be asked. Luke asked my question again, this time directed toward Diego and through a Spanish translator. Diego nodded yes with his eyes focused on the ground. His wife sat next to him with their 3 year old son running around at their feet. The shame was written all over his face. He had just finished telling us he didn’t have a relationship with God because there was an alcohol problem in his family. Neither him or his wife were working and were dependent on the income of their 18 year old son to live.
It was clear Diego felt he was unworthy of God’s love because of his dependance on alcohol. Luke, a senior at Indiana University continued to explain to Diego the truth found in the gospel. “Every single one of us sitting here is unworthy of God’s love. That is why Jesus died for us. He is not asking you to clean up your life before you come to him. He wants you to come to him now.” Diego hesitated, but after much reassurance of God offering him forgiveness and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), both Diego and Miriam tearfully prayed to dedicate their lives to Jesus Christ. Not only were their lives on this earth changed with access to clean water, their eternities were as well as they now taste the Living Water only Jesus can provide (John 4:13-14).
Please pray that Diego and Miriam will grow in their faith. This is only the beginning of their walk as they will be followed up by Christians in the community inviting them to get plugged in with other believers.
Praise and Prayer:
- THANK YOU so much for praying for my trip to Guatemala and helping fund it! The Lord answered ALL of my prayers. We got there and back safely, grew deep friendships among our other teammates, an entire village received clean water and an opportunity to respond to the gospel, and our Purdue students grew SO MUCH in their walk with the Lord! He hears our prayers!
- These last two months of the Spring semester are packed with activities and planning for the Fall. Please pray that my team would finish this school year strong and plan well for the 2019-2020 Fall semester.
- Please pray for me as I head to Ocean City, New Jersey for 6 weeks this summer. I will live life along side students from all over the US, teaching them how to live an outward focused life for Jesus.
Until the Whole World Hears,
Megan Rodriguez
