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What People Really Want to Talk About

I wouldn't say that doing evangelism is ever easy, but certainly the development of such tools as Soularium (above) is making it easier and more fluid.

iwitness from chris

• 6/09: My Rocky Mountain Adventure
• 6/13: Lessons from an Impasse
• 6/17: Present and Accounted For
• 6/17: Present and Accounted For
• 6/20: Our 3-Day Hike
• 6/20: Our 3-Day Hike
• 6/21: Carnivals & Cul-de-sacs
• 6/21: Carnivals & Cul-de-sacs
• 6/23: Daredevilry on the High Ropes
• 6/23: Daredevilry on the High Ropes
• 7/06: What People Really Want to Talk About
• 7/06: What People Really Want to Talk About
• 7/21: Final Challenge: Longs Peak Summit
• 7/21: Final Challenge: Longs Peak Summit

Sunday, July 6 

Striking up a conversation with a girl named Amina, it seemed evident that God was working in her life.

 She said she came from a Muslim background, was checking into Buddhism, but was also open to Christianity. She was especially interested when my friend Laura and I began telling her about how God wants to have a relationship with her.

"How exactly does that happen?" she asked us.

What ensued was an incredible spiritual conversation that lasted for more than an hour.

We encountered Amina in Estes Park, Colorado, on Friday -- Independence Day. Our group of staff and students were there to do some evangelism, to talk to random people about their spiritual backgrounds and tell them how to have a relationship with Jesus.

Pairing up in groups of 2, we fanned the city to talk to the various tourists and locals.

A Routine Full of Surprises

We have been doing this every Saturday, and last weekend included talking to several passersby at a large beer festival in downtown Fort Collins. The people we talked to in Estes seemed more open, though a student and I were able to explain the gospel to 2 Naval Academy students who were waiting in line to go to the beer festival.

In Estes, Laura and I were able to talk with more than 10 different people, including a guy named Rob who had recently been divorced. He said he was trying to find himself, though he had no desire to know God. I left this particular conversation very sad for him.

Other conversations were much more encouraging.

Moving Conversations Toward Christ

Our group used 2 different methods of evangelism. Both proved to be very effective in helping people to talk about spiritual things.

One tool included a series of questions that really pinpoints where a person is at, spiritually. The method is very conversational and gives a person a chance to tell their story, instead of just talking at someone with a bunch of spiritual facts.

The second tool, Soularium, was created by Campus Crusade for Christ and uses a series of 50 different pictures -- anything from a beautiful mountain scene or an artsy photo of a guy trapped in a locker -- to help a person talk about their life and where they are at spirituality. People especially seemed to like this method.

In total, that day our group talked with 45 different people and 3 of them prayed and indicated they began a relationship with Jesus. It was pretty incredible.

Although Amina didn't pray to receive Christ that day, it was evident by the questions she asked that God used us to get her thinking.

People Really Do Want to Talk about Their Spiritual Life

For me, I loved the opportunity to meet new people and talk to them about Jesus in a very relational way.

I am reminded that people actually do want to talk about their spiritual life -- debunking the fear that usually keeps me from stepping out. I wouldn't say that doing evangelism is ever easy, but certainly the development of such tools as Soularium is making it easier and more fluid.

After we did evangelism for several hours, we gathered to watch fireworks under the mountainous skyline of Rocky Mountain National Park. Friday was a good day.