ATL in Central Park

“We are only asked to do what we are told—small, strange, or simple as that may be—our orders are to obey, and in this my conscience is clear . . . having purposed in Christ to do what is pleasing to Him, I find His approval and seal in the very smallest and unlikely things.”
~Jim Elliot~

On Monday, September 29th our group spent the afternoon doing an ATL (Asking the Lord). It was an opportunity to seek the Lord’s will and ask Him what we should do in the surrounding community. My group consisted of Laura Overs, Melissa Brown, Sylvia Harvie, Caleb Spitler, and I; and our first course of action was to wait in our house and see what the Lord had for us that particular day. We started out by singing some worship songs to invite the Holy Spirit into our decision and establish that this time was specifically intended to glorify God no matter what. We prayed in between songs, but no one really felt like God was speaking to them. Therefore, we continued to seek if God had any plans for us by praying quietly among ourselves. Caleb finally suggested that he felt a calling to get some chicken from Tip Top, a local restaurant here in Granada. He admitted it was probably more his stomach speaking to him than the Holy Spirit, but since no one else really saw a vision or had anything else pressing on their heart we decided to follow Caleb’s lead. As we got up and ready to go, he also mentioned that he envisioned me preaching in the middle of the park to a crowd of people. We kind of chuckled at the thought of me trying to be like an Old Testament prophet or a bullhorn preacher, but I responded that I would be up for it if the opportunity presented itself.

As we walked to the center of town, we decided to buy a meal for someone in order to start a conversation and sit down with them. So we went to central park and found an old man sitting on a bench who looked like he was in need. We asked him if he would share a meal with us and he gladly agreed. Another man who was well-dressed sat right next to him and was intrigued into our purpose of being in Granada and why we would buy a meal for some random stranger. We told him that we were missionaries from the States and were living in Nicaragua for nine months to share the love of Christ with others. Afterwards, we decided to go get three meals to share among us and the two gentlemen.

As soon as we got back, we sat on the cobble stone ground to enjoy our time of delectable food and thought-provoking conversation. However, the elderly man we originally intended to converse with and witness to had some mental problems and did not talk too much. Nonetheless, God was still up to something and He wanted to use this opportunity to witness to others and glorify Himself.

Before I could even take a bite of chicken, a crowd started forming around us quite quickly. They were fascinated by our odd circle of gringos sitting in the middle of the park and were interested about what we were discussing. I began to tell them why we were here and that God has called us into intimate relationships not only with Himself, but with also others. I shared with them that we were here to share life together; strife, jubilation, and everything in between. They asked me what my religion was and I gladly responded that I had none. I simple told them that I had a personal relationship with an all-powerful Creator and a redeeming Savior. I pointed to the gigantic cathedral right next to us and told them that the difference between the church and me was that they believe salvation comes by what you do and I believe salvation comes by what has been done. I was able to share the gospel through a salvation bracelet, which highlighted some verses (Rom. 3:23, Rom. 6:23, Rom. 5:8, Eph. 2:8-9, and John 5:24). The people gathered around us were from all different walks of life (People of young and old age, men, women, ceramic souvenir venders, horse-drawn carriage drivers, and even a man who sold ice cream on a bicycle). You could tell they were all searching for something more meaningful than what this life had to offer. They asked what church we went to and when we met, and they were definitely intrigued by what God was doing in our lives and our purpose in Granada. We were able to hand out a few Spanish Bibles and I told them to begin with the book of John to have a fuller-understanding of the gospel and the life of Christ.

Our opportunity that afternoon in central park was an exhilarating time of seeing what the Holy Spirit can do if you open up and trust Him. We started out with an aspiration to only witness to one person, but God exceeded our initial expectation. He utilized one person as a catalyst, so that we could share the gospel with twenty people. No one gave their life to Christ that day, but I firmly believe we were another crucial link in their spiritual chain of coming to find Christ as their Savior. Some did profess that they were Christians, and they encouraged us and our ministry before we left. And just before we had to head back to the house, we prayed over a lady whose child was sick. Afterwards, her teary eyes portrayed the profound impact of this day on her. It was a day where you could feel the presence of Jesus among us and it was a glimpse to see how the gospel can come alive!