Forgiven

A few months back in July, I was at the Pittsburgh 2011 Mennonite Convention. One afternoon, I went to a seminar about doing short-term service with Mennonite Mission Network. The seminar was very casual; just a few former service participants talking about their experiences and answering questions. One of the former participants, Rose, had done Radical Journey in Paraguay. She told a story about her host dad, Alfred, who is a pastor. His house was robbed, and in the process he was stabbed by the intruder. Later, Alfred visited the man in jail. They made amends, and the man told him that he had found Jesus and wanted to become a pastor. When I heard this story I believed I was headed for Bolivia. Plans changed, and I'm now in Paraguay. I go to the same church as pastor Alfred, and have heard the story from him now too. Today in church, the Alfred stood up and said he wanted to introduce someone very special. The man who had stabbed him came to our church for the first time today, and he brought his whole family with him. After the sermon, Alfred invited those who wanted to give their lives to Christ to come to the front and pray with him. The man and his family all came up to pray. He and Alfred embraced as they prayed together. It was a very special experience. The man was forgiven by Alfred and by God, and was transformed because of it.