I stepped out multiple times alone before the story I’m going to tell. None of those outreaches were fruitful. I was scared and scary to the people. The first lady I approached became nervous and said “no, thank you,” leaving me without telling any of my intentions.

A year passed by after my first attempts to approach people. No success.

One day after listening to a teaching on prayer and fasting and the power of it, I decided to give it a go. I wanted to get boldness and wisdom concerning my “outreaches”.

I’ve never fasted before. It was a scary experience because I wasn’t sure if I can do this and stay alive. Well, at least that’s what kind of thoughts I heard in my head.

To put more excitement into the story: the day I fasted for the very first time was also a day before an exam at my university. I planned to eat only after the exam. Unfortunately, I had to eat something small before I left the house. I felt exhausted I could barely think.

I ate a piece of cake and immediately felt an energy rush.

The exam was another piece of cake. I finished it with ease. Then I met up with my classmate to go have lunch together as we always did after the lectures in the morning.

We were crossing the main avenue of the city when I heard a man shouting.

“Do you know where you’re going after death?!” He asked with a loud voice looking at us.

“Of course, I know!” I thought to myself and didn’t stop to answer. However, I felt that it would be impolite to ignore a servant of God and walk away.

“Yes, sir!” I told him, hoping that this answer will satisfy and we can go to eat.

It wasn’t enough. I was interrogated why I have such confidence. Sadly, I didn’t answer most of the questions in the desired way. The preacher wasn’t happy about it and he explained the Gospel to me like an axeman would teach a tree to lay down.

It’s funny now, but it wasn’t back then. I felt condemned and ashamed of myself. It was not the message that the man shared. I knew and believed it. The manner of preaching was the reason for my feelings.

“Do you share the Gospel with people?” The man asked when I thought he was done scolding me.

“No,” I squeaked and my heart sunk down under my knees.

He declared that only those who share the Gospel are worthy to call themselves Christians. I stood speechless. No argument I had was good enough.

Even my friend left me seeing that things are not going well.

When I asked if I can go, the hard preacher didn’t greet me. He joined to walk with me! Thankfully, together we caught up with my classmate and walk in silence the rest of the way.

At the shopping mall entrance, the man who preached the Gospel met up with another man from his church and only then said goodbye to us. The other man looked calm and friendly. He was on outreach as well. I wondered why I didn’t run into him…

Back on the feet

We had an interesting lunch, to say the least. My heart was breaking but I didn’t want to show my emotions to my friend. He wasn’t a believer. He wouldn’t understand.

We didn’t speak about the encounter. We discussed the exam and some questions in the Bible. After that, we separated and I went back home.

I don’t know how to express it. God had healed my heart and restored everything that was broken. I only remember feeling completely broken inside. There was an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.

I fasted and prayed to have a victory, but it seemed that everything was lost. The preacher’s words sliced my heart as a watermelon in the Fruit Ninja video game. I sat on the floor and cried.

If not the Holy Spirit, I don’t know where I would be today. He was comforting me and trying to put me back on my feet. He was slow but persistent. I started to hear Him clearer and stronger.

“If you go out to the street now, I’ll give you the victory!” He whispered in a voice full of care and compassion.

The park of peace

I stood up. I still had a lot of sadness but the spark of hope did its job. I fixed myself up and left my home.

I felt a desire to go to the park. People are not hurrying there and they must have time to speak.

That particular park was called The Park of Peace and was dedicated to the martyrs who gave their lives for the country and its freedom.

When I reached the park, I found a bench and sat down to think. To be honest, I wasn’t out because I had a lot of faith in the words of the Spirit. I didn’t have faith in myself but there was a small hope that He will do something.

I tried to call a couple of friends wishing I could meet with them and speak about what had happened to me today. Nobody responded.

Having nothing to do, I started walking in the park. All of a sudden, the Holy Spirit drew my attention to someone in the distance.

Twenty meters away I saw a man sitting on a bench. His sat with his back turned to me and head bowed low. Next to the bench was a bicycle carelessly thrown on the grass.

There was something not right about this sight.

I felt an encouraging voice of the Spirit asking me to go to the man. I was scared. Luckily, I couldn’t forget what the hard-hearted preacher told me. I wanted to prove him wrong!

I stepped forward while my mind was trying to stop me in any way possible. It was desperate to turn me away as if I was about to jump down from a skyscraper and kill myself.

I knew I can’t win the arguments, so I decided to put my one feet in front of another physically ignoring every thought in my head. As I got closer, I was thinking about what to say to the guy.

“Hey! Do you have a lighter?!” The man shouted to me before I could say anything. He looked bitter and angry.

“Sorry, I don’t smoke,” I answered, realizing that my boldness now turned into smoke when I saw his attitude. Then I thought to myself that I went too far to back down and added, “but do you know that Jesus loves you?”

“What?” The guy asked letting me know that he couldn’t hear me.

“Great!” I thought, “I need to do it again…”

“Do you know that Jesus loves you?” I repeated louder wondering if it was even worth saying to an angry man.

As I was looking into his eyes, I could see the anger and frustration leave in a moment. His attitude towards me changed in a second.

The man started to share that his wife kicked him out of the house. He didn’t know what to do now. He came to the park to think about everything and decide what to do next.

I’m grateful to God that I was able to listen to his story, encourage him and pray for him. In the end, he admitted that prayer brought him peace.

This experience was a game-changer to me. I was encouraged and lit on fire to speak to someone else. I was no longer a disappointed follower of Christ but a warrior who is able to reach people for the Kingdom.

The epilogue

I never met the guy again. I’m sure, though, that it was a Godly appointment and He will do the rest.

The hard preacher?

I met him a few months after. He’d completely forgotten that he spoke to me. I didn’t. I remembered every right answer to every question he asked and with confidence gave all the answers he wanted to hear. We even exchanged phone numbers to go out to the streets together. However, my life took a turn and that became impossible to do.

I pray for him that he could encounter God’s love personally. His zeal is an example but the hardness of heart and hatred needed to go.

All said and done, I want to point out that nobody starts high. We all start from zero and work our way up. I was very shy and scared to approach people but now I grew to a place where it’s not even a problem.

If you can relate to this story, be of good courage! There is sure hope for everyone. If your heart wants to reach out, you’re in the best place possible. Allow God to lead you in the small steps and be patient while you grow.