Imagine strolling down a dust-covered brick sidewalk in a rural village in eastern Bolivia. You hear a coarse chuckle and glance in the half-door of a local bar. There you see five men, dark faces roughened by the tropical sun and tongues loosened by the contents of the now-empty beer bottles on the hand-hewn table. They explode in laughter as they share exaggerated stories of past hunting expeditions. In their midst is one lone, pale, seemingly incongruous “pastor” white-knuckling his “beer of choice” (Coca-cola). You wonder if you are witnessing spiritual compromise. No! Instead you have been granted a ringside seat on an evangelistic moment.

The Rest of the Story...

On one such occasion, I was sitting with five men when the conversation abruptly turned to God. “Hey, Timoteo,” yelled Jorge, loudly enough for the entire bar to hear. “What does it mean when you say that salvation is based on faith alone? Does this mean I can do whatever I want as long as I just believe in Jesus?”

Conversation in the bar stopped immediately. Even the music was turned down. Everyone knew that Jorge was the biggest liar, exaggerator, inventor of exploits, and name dropper in town. His nickname was “Garganta Lata”…an expression that carries the connotation of someone who is nothing more than an empty, echoing vocal cord.

I had witnessed to Jorge many times and could not penetrate his arrogant, self-justified pomposity. I knew that he really did not want an answer from me; he was baiting me to put me on the spot. With a quick prayer for wisdom, I yelled back to him, “Hey, Jorge…if I died tonight with this Coca-Cola in my hand, I know I would be in heaven with Jesus. How about you? Have you ever accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? What guarantee do you have?”

He laughed and shouted back, “I have faith in you, Don Timoteo. Pray for my salvation.”

I assured him that if his salvation depended on me, he was doomed. Needless to say, no one accepted the Lord that night. But, again, a seed had been planted.

In 2004, Jorge was awarded the contract to build the new school in the Ayoré village of Zapocó. I met Jorge there that summer and again had the opportunity to witness to him. Onesimo and Elodia, LATCOM’s national missionaries, also shared the Gospel with him as he worked on the school house. Yet he remained the same self-righteous, mocking man he had always been.

In the summer of 2005 I met Jorge again. “Don Timoteo,” he said, “I’m a changed man. Jesus is my Savior and all I want to do is serve Him.” I thought this was another of his jokes and expected him to burst into uproarious laughter as he had so many times previously. But he didn’t. Not this time.

He related to me that in 2004 he had developed a severe case of hepatitis which threatened to take his life. His weight dropped to 90 pounds and his strength ebbed.

As he lay in bed one night, he recalled the conversations he had had with Christians. He later said, “I knew that if I died that night, I would not be with Jesus.” So he let go and, like the thief on the cross, with nothing to offer; he gave his life to Christ. Jorge told me, “Jesus gave me a second chance.” In a few days, Jorge began to improve physically. At the same time, his mind and soul were healed.

I could hardly believe the man I met in 2005. Instead of haughty eyes, he wept and asked for forgiveness for the ridicule he had subjected me to on previous occasions. He reported that he was now faithfully attending church and helping to evangelize his neighbors. There was no make-believe, no bigger-than-life stories, no names dropped other than Jesus.

Jorge was indeed a changed man. For the next three years, he fulfilled his promise to live for God. At 60 years, he was diagnosed with terminal esophageal cancer. I visited him, expecting to encourage him. Instead, he encouraged me with his loving, graceful spirit.

God had taken an arrogant man and made him a gentle servant. Jorge knew where he was going to spend eternity. With the Savior he had decided to trust with his life.•