Fishing In the Streets

It has been such a blessing to meet fellow Christians here in the missionary language school who have a passion for evangelism!

Last week, a group of us went out on a Friday evening to do some street preaching and witnessing in historic downtown McAllen. However, when we pulled up, we realized that small towns close shop much earlier than we had anticipated; the streets were practically deserted. Our leader got up on his box anyway and shared his testimony in Spanish to the few people who trickled by. We were also able to pass out a handful of tracts. One team member even got into a one-on-one conversation with a group of people during which time he was able to share the Gospel (see above picture).

Since the little town was empty, we decided to move on to a bigger fishing hole and camped out at the nearby mall for the next 45 minutes. What a zoo it was in comparison! It was exciting to spread out, pass out tracts, and look for folks with whom we could share the Gospel...this time in English! Each of us was able to have a one-on-one conversation with at least one person that night.

Today, we tried the streets again, figuring that a Saturday around lunch time would be a better chance to catch a crowd. This time, the streets were packed with cars and we had a hard time finding a parking space! George set up his box and courageously proclaimed the truths of the Lord to those passing by while the rest of us formed a crowd or passed out tracts.

This time, we also had the blessing of one of the bilingual Bible Institute students being with us. Seeing a pair of young women sitting on an adjacent bench, he nudged me and said, "Hey, let's go talk to those girls." So we walked over to where they sat and he asked them if they spoke English or Spanish. When they said Spanish, he started up a conversation with them about eternity. I was so glad he could speak their language! While he talked, I prayed. The girls had to leave before he could finish sharing, but we pray the seeds planted will cause them to hunger after truth.

Next, we approached a pair of men who had been listening to the street preaching each time George jumped up on his box. Noel again was able to converse with the men in their language. However, it wasn't long before the squirms started and all of a sudden they had to go! They at least left with some tracts, a phone number to call with questions, and food for thought.

The rest of the team was able to pass out a number of Gospel tracts to those passing by. One of the kids on our team handed out candy and Halloween tracts too, which were gladly received by parents and children alike!

I am so excited to have found likeminded believers with whom to join forces as we seek to obey the Lord and share about Him with others! Please pray with us that the seeds planted today will be watered and bring forth fruit that remains!