Have You Seen God Answer Prayer?
The 2023 Impact Report has been mailed! In this year’s report of God’s many works, you will read stories like this one about Eugene:
The call from the CO team in the Philippines said, “Please pray that men will be interested in conversations with us! That we will have opportunities to share the gospel with them. Pray that men will come to the Father!” And so we prayed.
Manila universities were among the last to open after the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Chris Drinkard, a CO staff member in the Philippines, was glad to be back on campus and began spending time with the University of the Philippines fútbol team. He met a gentleman named Ivan and was able to share the gospel with him over breakfast. He suggested they do an evangelistic Bible study once a week while Ivan ate after football training. Ivan agreed and brought a few friends with him; one was Eugene. They spent their time together sharing the gospel using stories and diagrams and discussing the joy found in a relationship with Jesus. There seemed to be no movement in anyone’s life toward Christ, and Chris was discouraged.
Another semester passed, and the Drinkards visited the United States to take their daughter to college. While stateside, Chris received the message from Eugene, “I want to start reading the Bible. Where should I start?“ Chris directed him towards John and made himself available to answer any questions. After a couple of weeks, Eugene reached out and asked what to read next. Chris directed him toward Matthew and then to Luke a couple of weeks later.
When Chris returned to Manila, he met Eugene and learned he’d had surgery during the summer. His life had taken a turn and was not looking like he had planned. Eugene referenced the breakfast meetings and the things Chris shared there. “I wasn’t getting that great joy,“ he shared. Now, the change in his life is evident, and Eugene is hungry and growing. Eugene is also facing opposition from teammates because of the changes in his life, and he’s discouraged by the persistent pain post-surgery. Continue to pray for Eugene.