So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, and see…”
John 4:28-29
Four years ago in an evangelistic campaign we arrived to another home in our neighborhood in Misiones, Argentina to share the gospel and invite our neighbors to study the Word of God. When we arrived at the home, we presented ourselves to a lady named Graciela and her daughter Yohanna. They allowed us to come and sit with them in their patio and share why we were there.
It was through that first conversation with Graciela that the Lord started planting the seed of truth in her heart. Through that conversation she shared with us that she was open to learning more about God and that she had lots of questions. She had previously been in a Catholic Church for many years, a Mormon Church, a Jehovah Witness Church, and had a lot of confusion. During the following three months through weekly visitation and discipleship Graciela gradually started to understand the Gospel and what Christ wanted to do in her life. She repented of her sins and asked Jesus to become her Lord and Saviour. We were overjoyed to see the Lord take away her spiritual blindness and give her a new life in Him.
What happened next we didn’t expect…
Little did we know that Graciela, who is only 41, is a mother to 8 children and has 12 grandchildren. Just like the Samaritan, who had a personal encounter with the Lord and went to the town and said, “Come and see”, Graciela too went to her family and said “Come and see” Through the transformation that God did in her life throughout the past three years, and our constant visitation to her and her children, all of her children heard the Gospel. Six of them and their spouses received Christ as their Saviour and 9 of her grandchildren are faithfully attending our Church. The Lord also used Graciela’s testimony so that we could share the gospel with her son-in-law who was a known drug dealer in our neighborhood, and he and his family came to know Christ as their Saviour as well.
In verse 39 of John 4 it says “Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony”.
By God’s grace, our Baptist Missionary Church in Misiones, Argentina has about 60 people faithfully attending and around 25 people are related to Graciela. Who would have thought that the transformation and testimony of a single mother could be used to reach so many? Praise the Lord for His work.
For God’s Glory,
Oto & Sarah Guanilo
