"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," -1 Peter 3:15

Be interruptible, and be prepared. 

Be ready to ask the Holy Spirit for the words to say.

Be loving, gentle, and respectful of all people. 

My last day in Jaco was a divine gift from the Lord.  It was sprinkled with bittersweet goodbyes, tasty food, sabbath rest at the beach with my sweet friend, adventures in the waves, abundance of laughter, beach worship wrapped in a painted sunset song, and a divine appointment in which I was asked about my testimony.

After catching some waves with my friend Kara, I walked up to the tent where I'd left my bag with our surfer friend, Joel.  I was surprised to find our friend was not there, but instead was another man whom I've never met—Andreas, the owner of the surf school. 

We got past introductions quickly, and Andreas asked why we were in Jaco.  He was fascinated by the concept of the race and our ministry.  He asked question after question.  He asked how God led me to this; so, I shared my five-minute testimony, asking Holy Spirit to take over.  Andreas was engrossed.  He asked when we would be back to the beach that day.  He asked if he could hear more about how to communicate with God on a deeper level.  He was hungry for truth and answers. 

Later that day, a friend and I went back to the tent.  I sat with Andreas, we laughed, talked about human nature, about God, about travel, and about learning and growing. 

Finally, I asked him, "So earlier, you said you wanted to know more about my faith. What do you want to know?"

Andreas wanted to know how I grew in my faith to the point of hearing from God.  He wanted to know how he could develop the same intimacy and depth of communication. 

Holy Spirit was the reason, the planner, and the voice of this interaction.  I explained how Christianity differs from other religions in that it is a relationship centered around grace, rather than a works-based idealism.  I shared deeper parts of my testimony–how Jesus repeatedly said, "Spend time with me", how the Lord loved me deeply, how he taught me to sit in His Word, how to listen and learn His voice, and how I began to hear Truth over lies.  I encouraged him to read the Bible and see for himself.  I told him to pray, ask questions, and ask God for the Truth.

He thanked me for my kindness, for taking the time to speak with him and answer his questions, and for spreading God's love.  

Thank you, Lord, for the divine opportunity and the words to say. 

Be ready, church.  Be ready to share the love of Jesus and your testimony.  Be ready to share the good news because there is power in the name of Jesus.  Be ready because there are hungry souls out there who are searching for truth. 

"Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." -2 Timothy 4:2