Standing At The Gate

The following is a testimony from the 2013 Ecuador International Scripture Blitz which took place in June.

On Friday, June 7th, I was distributing New Testaments at the main gate of a large Catholic school together with the local Gideons in Ecuador.

My fellow international Gideon from Germany, was distributing Scriptures at another smaller gate about 100 meters away. The siren for the start of school sounded and the gates closed and locked. The students who were still arriving began to congregate at the closed smaller gate. We then walked over to the smaller gate to distribute to the late arrivals now crowding around Uwe. There was a man guarding the gate, presumably a school employee.

Through a translator, Uwe began a conversation with the man. “This is just like the gates of heaven closing to those who waited too late to invite Jesus into their heart,” Uwe said. “Do you have Jesus in your heart?”

The man shook his head indicating he did not.

“Would you like to have Jesus in your heart,” Uwe asked him.

The man nodded his head, “Yes.”

Uwe then pushed a New Testament through the bars of the gate into the man’s hand. “Would you like me to pray for you?” he asked.

“Yes,” the man replied.

So Uwe put his hand through the gate and placed it on the man’s shoulder. He led him in a prayer of confession and repentance as the man invited the Lord into his heart.

As the man began to cry, the crowd of children grew quiet. He then opened the gate and the children entered.

—John Kirby