This is the real life story of Zacarias, a 40-year-old man that I recently hired as a day laborer, to help with the construction of our church sanctuary. The first day that I met him, I began to witness to him. He quickly told me that his 86-year-old father is pastor of an Apostolic church and still very actively preaching. He told me that even though he grew up in church and knows many of the Bible stories, that he did not agree with much of what he saw and heard from the pulpit. Thus, he had never made a profession of faith. He is a gifted musician that has played occasionally in church, but more often in worldly bands to this day. He said he was the prodigal son, the “black sheep” of the family who had refused to accept God’s gift of salvation, having chosen to live an ungodly life.
The second day that I witnessed to him, he began to tell me how empty and miserable his life had been and also that he knew that he was condemned to an eternal hell. The third day was on a Monday. He had promised to be in church on Sunday and didn’t show up. All day he was very quiet (unusual) and we both went home after work exhausted.
At 12:40 am in the morning our phone rang and it was him. He stuttered around apologizing several times for calling at that hour. His voice cracked as he told me how he had been listening to and thinking about what I had been saying to him and that he couldn’t sleep that night because he knew God was dealing with him. He said, “I can’t go on living like this anymore. I want to be saved, but I don’t know how to do that. Will you help me?" I quickly, but carefully began to explain the Plan of Salvation to him over the phone. I could hear cracking in his voice as he responded to my explanation and invitation to be saved. “I want to be saved now. Please help me do that”.
I did help him and he did pray tearfully, asking God to forgive him, to save him and to take control of his life. He was not on drugs, nor drunk. He was under the heavy conviction of the Holy Spirit that finally broke this man and saved him.
Daniel Camacho, USLG