Bandits convert
My name is Ines, I am 14 years old and I live in Venezuela. My friend Damaris and I sell Christian books and magazines to earn our school fees. Some time ago we had a great adventure. We had visited a woman who was very interested in the Bible. She lived in a run-down neighbourhood where people were constantly being robbed and murdered. We had lost track of time while studying the Bible; it was already dark when we made our way home.
The neighbourhood was scary. We talked loudly to suppress our fear. Although we knew that Jesus was with us, we had a queasy feeling. Then we saw them in front of us - eight or nine dark figures walking straight towards us. They had knitted masks on and surrounded us. We stood still. The leader commanded: „Go!” We realised from his voice that we were dealing with young guys. The boy behind us stepped forward and pulled out a knife. „Drop the bag or I'll kill you!” he hissed. I let my book bag slide to the floor and turned to face him. „God loves you,” I said kindly. He was thunderstruck. The gang leader ordered, „Get back in line!” and the boy obeyed. I saw Damaris moving her lips in silent prayer and I prayed too. Only a miracle could save us.
Suddenly I felt the urge to tell these muggers about the love of God. They listened for a few sentences, then the leader drew his pistol. „Shut up or I'll shoot you.” I said: „Even if you kill me, I have to tell you that Jesus loves you. He wants to change your life.” - „You must be crazy!” he shouted. „I want to kill you and you keep talking anyway.” Then he lowered his gun and took a step back. His voice became quiet and soft as he asked, „And you think Jesus can help me start a new life?” I told him how much Jesus loves every single person, that he came to earth to become one of us and to take upon himself the guilt of mankind. Then the boss asked: „What should we do? What does Jesus want us to do?” Another one of the gang shouted: „What's wrong with you? You have a completely different voice! We want to kill these girls, have you forgotten all about that?” and he punched me in the face. I barely felt the pain, smiled at him and said: „Jesus loves you too. He still has great plans for you. Do you want to start a new life?” The boy thought about it, then said quietly: „Yes, I would like to.” We handed out our magazines. I gave the leader my beloved Bible. He held it in his hand as if it were a bar of gold. Then we shook hands and said goodbye. They let us go. When we turned round later, we saw them throwing their weapons into the bushes.
A few months later, we were invited to a seminar being held in a distant town. We saw a tall young man standing outside the chapel door. I said to Damaris: „I've seen him somewhere before, but where?” By now we had come close. I greeted him and said: „Hello, my name is Ines.” „And my name is Damaris,” added my friend. The young man smiled. „I think we've met before.” He pulled out a Bible and opened it. „Do you recognise her?” My breath caught in my throat. It was my old Bible that I had given to the gang leader back then! I could hardly believe it. „You said back then that Jesus would change my life. You were right. Jesus did perform a miracle.”
We listened with fascination as José talked. He had started reading the Bible that evening. He was looking for the peace and security he had seen in us. He also wanted to feel a love for God that was stronger than the fear of death. We talked for a few minutes, then he pulled us into the chapel. The other eight young men were sitting there. They had also started a new life.
After the lecture, the young men invited us to their home. We were warmly welcomed by their families. The parents and siblings of these former street robbers were happy that these boys were no longer robbing and stealing and bullying passers-by. After our encounter, the street robbers had read our magazines carefully and then requested the Bible teaching letters. They had joined the church and all nine had recently been baptised.
Today, these young men have positions of responsibility in their local churches. They were able to lead many of their relatives and friends to Jesus. We can still hardly believe it. Jesus gave us courage back then so that we could tell others about his love without fear of death.
