Ozona Mission Trip Recap

"...And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." Acts 2:47

There really isn't any other way to describe what God did through our team in Ozona, Texas, than quoting that verse.All week long we were blessed to lead people to faith in Christ. From decisions made at the basketball camp to those made while going door to door, we saw 23 people accept Jesus as their savior. I am proud of all of our teens who went on this trip as well as the adults that helped lead them. The stories they can tell of God working in their lives are inspiring and I encourage you to approach them and ask them to share about their trip to "the biggest little town in the world."

Our week in Ozona was spent conducting a basketball camp for kids K-5 in the morning, door to door evangelism in the afternoon, and an outreach in the town square on Friday evening. It was busy but well worth every minute.



The basketball camp was a great way for us to reach the kids in the community. We had over 36 kids attend the camp and we were able to share the gospel with them every day. Our teens built relationships with the kids throughout the week as they led them through simple basketball drills, small group devotions, and scripture memorization. It was incredible how excited the kids got about memorizing their daily Bible verses. By the third day kids started approaching us asking to accept Jesus as their God and Savior. There were days when Pastor Chris and I did nothing but counsel with kids about a decision to accept God's gift of salvation. At the end of the week almost a dozen of our campers had accepted Christ and Pastor Chris followed up with their parents the same day. On the last day, one of the boys who had been attending the camp said that he had prayed and asked Jesus to forgive him, but we were not able to follow up with him before he was picked up. Pastor Chris had his contact information and planned to meet with him and his parents the next week. Fortunately, he did not have to wait. This past Sunday the young man accompanied by his parents attended church at FBC Ozona and came forward during the response time and asked Jesus into his heart. Wow!

The door to door evangelism was the most productive outreach I have ever seen in terms of people accepting God's gift of salvation. Every evening our teams would share incredible stories of divine appointments and of decisions made to accept Jesus. One night we had 7 people make decisions to follow Christ! Some of these encounters were incredible:

Two of our teens spent an hour talking with a 73 year old woman who was in tears because she thought it was too late for God to forgive her for the sinful life she had lived. After sharing the gospel with her and walking her through Scripture references about forgiveness, this woman prayed to receive Christ as her Savior. We saw her again a few days later at the party in the town square where she laughed and had a great time meeting other believers.

One team encountered a young mother with four kids. As they shared the gospel with her, she began to weep. One of the teens stopped and asked if she was alright. As she held her baby, she told the team that only days earlier the baby's twin had died after being crushed by a television. She too prayed to receive Christ and FBC Ozona will continue to minster to her and her family.

Then there is Tevin, a sixteen year old young man who works at the Sonic beside our hotel and who was active in the Catholic church. Earlier in the week some of our team members began witnessing to him. After listening to our team members, Tevin asked to speak with Pastor Chris who had already started building a relationship with him before we arrived. Pastor Chris talked with him and Tevin prayed and asked Jesus to be his Lord. Pastor Chris and his team offered Tevin a ride home from the Sonic. When he asked our team what they were about to go do, Pastor Chris explained that they were going out into the community to knock on doors and tell others about Jesus. Tevin looked at the team and said, "I'm not going home. I'm going with you." A new believer going door to door right after accepting Christ! He went out with our teams three days in a row. On the last day, his team encountered an older man who was Catholic. He argued with our teens, was rude to them, and ultimately dismissed them because of their youth. Finally, one of the team members called Pastor Chris over to talk with the man. Tevin came with him. Once the man discovered that Tevin had a Catholic background and had just placed his faith in Christ for his salvation a few days earlier, he began to attack him. He told Tevin that he was confused and was simply looking for a new fellowship. The man said that boys like Tevin are the reason he is studying to be a teacher in the Catholic church so that he can keep them from buying into the lies of other religions. Tevin, only three days old as a believer, looks at this man and tells him that all he has ever sought was the truth, that the Catholic church had only given him a bunch of rules and laws to follow which never brought him peace or understanding about his God, and that what he learned about Jesus a few days ago is the truth and he will no longer accept the lies and works based faith of the Catholic church. Incredible.

Last, I had several divine appointments of my own including sharing the gospel with four teens in the middle of the street, all of which asked Jesus to be their Savior. On the last day that we went door to door I had the chance to meet a Texas State Trooper. While I was riding my streets and checking on my team I came to a stop sign. I noticed a man working on his barn. I turned right and as I passed in front of his house I saw a State Trooper patrol car parked in the driveway. Having been a State Trooper in Georgia I thought this was an open door to share my faith with this man. I turned my truck around, parked, and approached him. After telling him who I was and about my past as a Trooper, we spent an hour talking about life, law enforcement, and ultimately salvation. This Trooper, also a retired Marine, was a believer but his work schedule made it hard for him to keep his family in church. Before leaving, I prayed for him, his wife, and his eight month old daughter who was sleeping in a baby seat near by. He choked up and with tears in his eyes thanked me for stopping. When I got back to the church and told Pastor Chris about the meeting, he said there was a strong believer in his church who is a retired TX Trooper and a former Marine and that the two of them will follow up with him. Perfect! That night I went to Subway for dinner. While at the register, I noticed the woman ringing up my purchase had a Department of Public Safety pendant on her necklace. I asked her who she knew with DPS. She told me that her husband worked for them. When I called his name she looked at me with amazement. I told her I had just met her husband and precious baby girl about an hour earlier and that I had prayed for them and for her. You can't make this stuff up!

FBC OZONA

This was one of the most fruitful and exciting trips I have ever been a part of. Pastor Chris Johnson and his people have a lot of work ahead of them as they follow up with the 23 new believers and other contacts we made throughout the week. Please pray for them as they work to reach the people of Ozona. Pray for the new believers to grow in their relationship with Jesus. Pray that Tevin will keep his passion for reaching his Jerusalem. Ask God to send others to water the seeds of the gospel that were planted. Pray that God will continue what He started and that FBC Ozona will be a powerful tool for the kingdom of God in the years to come.