“Moments later, I was leading Nelson in the prayer of salvation and explaining the commitment he was making to God through Jesus. ”
Nelson’s Story
One Sows and Another Reaps
Have you ever wondered whether your efforts will bear fruit? As Christians, we pray for people, look for chances to share Christ’s love, and when we can, boldly evangelize. Still, there are moments when it feels like we’re sowing seed into rocky ground and nothing seems to grow.
I’d like to share a testimony that beautifully illustrates a simple truth Jesus taught in John 4:37: “One sows and another reaps.” Often, the seeds you plant are harvested by someone else.
In 2024, I was in Madrid, Spain, spending several days ministering in a large town square called Puerta del Sol. We saw a lot of fruit there. If you’ve ever been part of a fruitful evangelism outreach, you know how success only increases your desire to reach even more people.
One day, we moved to a smaller square connected to Sol and began some quiet praise and worship among ourselves. As we sang, I noticed a man standing nearby with a beer in his hand, softly mumbling the words along with us.
I walked over and introduced myself. His name was Nelson. When I asked if he knew the Lord, he said he knew about Him, but that he needed to be born again. Just like that. Moments later, I was leading Nelson in the prayer of salvation and explaining the commitment he was making to God through Jesus. Less than an hour later, he returned so we could pray for him to be delivered from alcoholism and baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Puerta del Sol, Madrid, Spain
Puerta del Sol, Madrid, Spain
In 2024, I was in Madrid, Spain, spending several days ministering in a large town square called Puerta del Sol. We saw a lot of fruit there. If you’ve ever been part of a fruitful evangelism outreach, you know how success only increases your desire to reach even more people.
One day, we moved to a smaller square connected to Sol and began some quiet praise and worship among ourselves. As we sang, I noticed a man standing nearby with a beer in his hand, softly mumbling the words along with us.
I walked over and introduced myself. His name was Nelson. When I asked if he knew the Lord, he said he knew about Him, but that he needed to be born again. Just like that. Moments later, I was leading Nelson in the prayer of salvation and explaining the commitment he was making to God through Jesus. Less than an hour later, he returned so we could pray for him to be delivered from alcoholism and baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Now, don’t be mistaken. Most evangelism involves long conversations, patience, rejection, and disappointment. Rarely is someone immediately ready to take the next step. But that’s the point. Nelson didn’t arrive at that moment by accident. Seeds of faith had already been planted in his heart by his church and by other faithful workers the Lord had sent before me. The people who ministered to Nelson before me likely wrestled with the disappointment of watching him continue in alcoholism and turn away from the Lord again and again. My hope is that they held onto Jesus’ words in John 4:37 and trusted that a day would come when someone else, perhaps someone like me, would reap the harvest from the seeds they faithfully sowed.
If you’re out there sowing seeds, take heart. Even when you don’t immediately see salvation or deliverance, every seed of faith you plant will bear fruit in time, and someone will see the harvest.
Adam Phillips, Great Oak Missions
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