New life and a New Beginning!
I have such a WONDERFUL testimony to share with you! It all began back in March when Yader decided to give his life to Jesus. Another brother in the fellowship here in Managua who got born again last year brought Yader over to our home to hear the Gospel because Yader had seen this brother’s life transform and our brother was telling Yader that the Lord could do the same for him if he would give his life to the Lord. So Yader came over that evening broken over his sin, especially his recent unfaithfulness to the mother of his son, and was looking for answers for the sin he knew was in his life. That night Yader died to himself and gave all to the Lord; he began living for Christ and walking in freedom from sin and self. Right away Yader began attending meetings at our home and going on outreaches in the community to learn how to heal the sick and share the Gospel. Yader was so obviously hungry to learn more about the spiritual realities of this life and live as the new man that had come up out of that water that night. Adriana, still reeling from Yader’s infidelity, doubted that this change in him she was witnessing was really genuine or not. Thankfully Adriana did not kick Yader out of the house as she really loved him, but she struggled to forgive him and find hope in a future together. Over the next 6 months though the transformed life Yader was living would prove to be too powerful for Adriana to deny! At the beginning of that six month period of bearing witness to Yader’s transformation Adriana heard the Gospel a few times, but her pain was too recent and the wound was still fresh from what Yader had done; she wasn’t ready to be vulnerable with the Lord yet. Yader wanted to marry Adriana and bring their relationship right before God, but Adriana still had too much fear about what the future would bring if they were to marry. Many times Yader would ask her about marriage but she would always push away the idea away; too fearful about the future and too resentful about the past to give it much thought. Not too long ago though, the day came when Yader felt conviction and the leading of the Lord to formally ask Adriana to be his wife; he could no longer go on in their relationship living together in what he knew was a relationship that was not fully right in God’s sight. So he bought the rings and asked her to marry him and she said YES!
PRAISE GOD!
From that moment on our fellowship began believing for their wedding to be between two children of God; so that meant we began interceding and believing for Adriana’s heart to soften and for the Lord to continue tilling the soil until she would surrender her life and will to Him! Praise God it only took a few months for the Lord to bring to pass what only He can do! Just a few weeks ago we went on an outreach in the community surrounding Yader and Adriana’s home to heal the sick and share the Gospel and Adriana once again heard the Gospel as we shared it with another one of her family members. All this time since the 1st time she heard the Gospel up until the last time, the Holy Spirit was working on her and it was more and more evident that the Lord was calling her to Himself. Adriana finally could take it no more and after some sleepless nights battling with herself and her sin she knew that the only answer for her was to give all to JESUS! Yader sent me a message about a week ago telling me that Adriana told him she was ready to be baptized and washed of her sin and that she was ready to surrender to the Lord her will and her future. The following day Jessica and I sat down with Adriana and once again asked the Holy Spirit to help make clear for her the decision she was making and to give us confirmation that she indeed understood and was ready to die in Jesus Christ. It was a beautiful moment indeed and being a part of it in any small way was such a joy and honor for Jessica and me!
So this past weekend we got bear witness to Yader and Adriana coming together before the Lord as one flesh and of one accord together as new creations in Jesus Christ! WOW! Only the Lord can orchestrate such beautiful moments! Amidst so much pain and loss going on in the world right now the Lord is still making beauty out of ashes and diamonds out of mounds of coal! This is yet another relationship in our fellowship ( 1 of 8 over the past year and a half1) in which the Lord has done his handiwork and brought both lost souls to Christ and then brought them together in a holy and sanctified union that puts His goodness and power on display for all the world to see! Praise you Lord for you are worth!
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
