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Stories & Blog
“I’m in love with Jesus.”
ITALY — Scrolling through Facebook on his phone, Antonio paused at a message offering free English lessons to anyone in his city. Why not? he thought.
He replied to the message from Crossworld worker Dane, who had offered the lessons as a way to meet new people.
The first thing Dane noticed about Antonio was the huge smile on his face. Though Antonio only knew about 10 English words, he insisted on speaking English with Dane. His infectious joy covered any awkwardness in the conversation, and Dane couldn’t help but smile, too.
They met a few times, but Antonio’s busy schedule made it hard to coordinate lessons.
Then Antonio lost his job.
Suddenly he had time to get together with Dane regularly. The more they met for conversation, the better Antonio’s English became, and the more Dane could dig into his background and spiritual life.
“Can I tell you something personal?” Antonio asked one day. “I want you to know I had a conversion experience.”
Dane was taken aback by his sincerity. “Tell me what that was like,” he said.
“I was raised in the church, but I didn’t take God seriously,” Antonio said. “I was interested in what most boys are interested in — soccer, girls, and being wild. Then I got married and it ended in divorce. That’s when I felt God calling me.”
“Do you mean you had a vision?” Dane asked.
“No, I felt it in my heart, like God was saying, ‘Come to me.’ I felt a yearning to start talking to God and to get to know Jesus personally.”
Knowing Antonio was now remarried, Dane asked, “How does your wife feel about your faith and this experience with God?”
“She’s not like me,” Antonio said. “She’s very religious, but I’m in love with Jesus.”
Dane stopped and turned to his friend. “Thank you for telling me about your life,” he said. “Your story gives me hope, because my purpose is to encourage more men in our city to be in love with Jesus, too.”
“If we find more people like us, maybe we can start a prayer group,” Antonio said. “Would you help me do that?”
Dane was only too happy to agree.
He replied to the message from Crossworld worker Dane, who had offered the lessons as a way to meet new people.
The first thing Dane noticed about Antonio was the huge smile on his face. Though Antonio only knew about 10 English words, he insisted on speaking English with Dane. His infectious joy covered any awkwardness in the conversation, and Dane couldn’t help but smile, too.
They met a few times, but Antonio’s busy schedule made it hard to coordinate lessons.
Then Antonio lost his job.
Suddenly he had time to get together with Dane regularly. The more they met for conversation, the better Antonio’s English became, and the more Dane could dig into his background and spiritual life.
“Can I tell you something personal?” Antonio asked one day. “I want you to know I had a conversion experience.”
Dane was taken aback by his sincerity. “Tell me what that was like,” he said.
“I was raised in the church, but I didn’t take God seriously,” Antonio said. “I was interested in what most boys are interested in — soccer, girls, and being wild. Then I got married and it ended in divorce. That’s when I felt God calling me.”
“Do you mean you had a vision?” Dane asked.
“No, I felt it in my heart, like God was saying, ‘Come to me.’ I felt a yearning to start talking to God and to get to know Jesus personally.”
Knowing Antonio was now remarried, Dane asked, “How does your wife feel about your faith and this experience with God?”
“She’s not like me,” Antonio said. “She’s very religious, but I’m in love with Jesus.”
Dane stopped and turned to his friend. “Thank you for telling me about your life,” he said. “Your story gives me hope, because my purpose is to encourage more men in our city to be in love with Jesus, too.”
“If we find more people like us, maybe we can start a prayer group,” Antonio said. “Would you help me do that?”
Dane was only too happy to agree.
The people in this story are real, but some names have been changed to protect their privacy.
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