On the Boardwalk...

While in Wildwood, NJ last summer with a group of 43 other college students I went out on the boardwalk frequently to share the Good News of Christ. Our purpose in going out on the boardwalk was to get into deep spiritual conversations with others, share our testimonies with them, and hopefully lead them to Jesus. We started our conversations by asking if the person would be interested in taking a spiritual survey. Some days I would have no one that wanted to start a conversation with me, other days I would get into really deep conversations with people. Some of the questions we asked ranged from “What do you believe happens after death” to “What three words would you use to describe your life?” My faith was tested a lot on the boardwalk. I am a new Christian, and I have studied a lot in the past three years, but there are still many more years of studying I need to do. Throughout the summer I did not personally lead anyone to Christ through our conversation, but I did plant seeds in people. There’s one conversation I can remember vividly.

I went out sharing with a guy in my group named Spencer. Before approaching anyone we prayed that God would guide our steps and our conversations with people. We had approached a couple people who were not interested in what we had to say at all. I came to these two girls that were sitting on a bench and I felt the need to ask if I could talk to them. One of the girls’ names was Miranda, and I don’t remember the other girl’s name. Spencer and I started talking to them and asking them about where they were from. Miranda was really open to talking, whereas her friend did not really want to talk.  Spencer ended up talking to the other girl and I had a chance to interact with Miranda one-on-one. I asked her a couple of questions from the quest survey and then I just really felt God telling me to share my testimony with her. While I shared my testimony with her, I went through a “Would You Like to Know God Personally" booklet. This booklet gives essential information on the Gospel, the four spiritual laws, and how to make Jesus the center of your life. I could tell that Miranda was being “sold for Jesus.” There is a prayer in the end of the booklet that one prays if they wish to accept Jesus into their heart and life. I let Miranda read through the prayer and asked her if it expressed what she wanted in her life. Miranda looked at me and said, “Yes!” I asked her if she would like to pray the prayer out loud and she said she did. (PRAISE GOD!) Miranda said the first three words of the prayer and she started balling her eyes out. I didn't know what to do so I just gave her a hug and told her that God loved her. The fact that she wanted to pray the prayer was encouraging to me. I knew something was holding her back, but prayers for her would be the best thing to do. We exchanged names and numbers so that we could keep in contact through texting and facebook.

I have had this amazing opportunity to be in contact with Miranda. She has shared with me her testimony and explained why she broke down on the boardwalk. God is really moving in her life. Almost every time I talk to her she thanks me for approaching her on the boardwalk. I was able to plant a seed in her, and not only plant the seed, but to watch it flourish. After we met she wanted to start a program with her youth group where they went out and shared their faith. I’m not sure if this program was ever started, but for her to have the heart to want to start a program like that really encouraged me. One day I was talking to her on facebook and she told me that she had done an outreach the day before to the homeless people at a park. This put me to tears to hear that she reached out to homeless people. It put me to tears because I do not have a place to call “home.” You can read my previous blog, “My Life Journey To Jesus” to read more about that. Around the beginning of December Miranda was selected as one of a few people from her church youth group to go to North Carolina to help with the Samaritans Purse ministry. Miranda had me praying for her trip as soon as she found out about it. Miranda and I have both had the ability to pray for each other with different things going on in each other’s lives. We have been praying for each other since the day we met. I’m really excited for the things that God is doing in Miranda’s life. Please pray for Miranda. Pray that she would come to a deeper understanding of who Christ is. Pray that God would protect her in all that she does. Pray that God’s Will would be done in her life.

In Christ,

Brandi :)