Two vanloads of young men and women pulled up to an out of the way flea market. Rachel (from Awe Star) and I climbed out with Jose', our translator, to the appetizing aroma of a nearby taco stand. We searched the narrow streets of this bustling gathering place for a spot to do our drama. We were not making much headway as all of the spaces were very small, and we needed a large space.

As we worked our way between clothing displays and other wares, we came upon a dirt lot that had just enough frontage for us to do the drama. The problem was, it was a mechanic shop, and we would interrupt their ability to do business. We approached the dusty shop, and stepped over several empty beer bottles along the way. It was operated by a father and son. Inside the shop was a poster too often found inside similar shops anywhere.

They were quick to give us their consent. We set up our equipment and sent the team out to tell those in the market about the drama. They had learned just enough Spanish to say "we are doing a drama, it's free, please come. "

As the crowd gathered, there was a sense of anticipation among the locals. One frustrated vendor packed her items into her car and left because people were sitting on her car to watch, and blocking her income source.

Children and adults alike were fascinated at what they saw. Many of the shoppers who passed by during the drama stopped for the duration. At the conclusion, the students dispersed into ministry teams of three. The Spirit of God descended upon this market, and into many hearts, as person after person surrendered to Christ.

At the Lord's prompting (through Rachel), I grabbed Jose' and we went to talk to the shop owner. He had disappeared, but his son was still there, standing in the doorway, waiting to talk. In fact, if you go to www.awestar.org and go to 'trip updates', and into the picture section of 'Memorial Baptist/Nowata', you can see the three of us standing in the doorway talking.

Gerardo, the son, had watched the drama completely, and stared deeply into my eyes as I shared with him. It was one of those moments that would have been uncomfortable for any other reason, but the Lord showed me he was seeking the Truth, and he wanted to know if what I was sharing was real to me. I was momentarily choked up as this realization became apparent.

The three of us discussed laying down alcohol, drugs, pornography, etc. as these would not bring the fulfillment he was seeking. The strewn empty bottles, and poster of a woman betrayed him. His thirst for the Truth won out, as he willingly gave his heart to Jesus. He was moved as he prayed for the first time.

We said goodbye, and sent the students to back to the vans. As we were walking away, Gerardo and his father called us back. Jose' and I returned, and he asked us to pray for their business as it was not doing very well. We did so. His desire to talk to God became clear, as after I would say a line of prayer, and Jose' would interpret, Gerardo would then repeat, just as he had when he asked Jesus into his life! How incredible to see a man in his 30's or 40's surrender so completely!
Upon on our leaving, we were told that this was our home anytime we wanted to return to do the drama.

A good friend of mine says "A changed life, changes lives." Praise God for His changing the lives of so many!

dad