Pedro was an angry young man, and he had reason to be. When Pedro was thirteen years old, guerrillas had brutally killed his pants and his brother right before his eyes. Now at sixteen his heart burned with vengeance.
Pedro crossed the backland trails of the Andes in Columbia looking for an opportunity to even the score with those who had caused him such grief.
Somewhere in that remote area Pedro came in contact with a student from a Christian school in Armenia some distance away. This humble servant of Christ was on an evangelistic trip, preaching the gospel as he went along. When Pedro heard the truth of God’s love to unworthy sinners and of His offer of forgiveness of sins to all who trust in His Son as their Saviour, the Lord opened his heart, he repented of his sins and believed the message.
Pedro was saved—wonderfully saved—through the message of God’s Book, the Bible. The following year when the Christian school opened in Armenia, Pedro was there as a student—together with the student evangelist who had won him to Christ.
Pedro studied all that year, and when the session was over, Pedro returned to his familiar mountain trails—this time not with evil purposes but with the Word of God in his hand.
One day as he traveled on foot an army patrol suddenly broke out from its hiding place. The patrol was under orders to kill anyone without correct identification pers—and that very day Pedro had lost his!
In vain he tried to explain why he did not have his papers. The anger of the soldiers mounted. They believed he was another of the guerrillas who had been responsible for so much suffering and death. Pedro had no doubt that the soldiers’ threat to execute him were real.
His mind went to the promises of God’s faithfulness to His own, even unto death. And where were these promises? In the Bible!
Pedro took his Bible from the small bag he was carrying and began to explain to the soldiers his mission—that of urging people to find peace and salvation through Jesus Christ.
With keen interest the captain stepped forward, at the same time ordering his men to stop their harassment.
“Where did you study the Bible?” the captain asked.
“At the Christian school in Armenia,” Pedro responded, totally unaware of what that answer would do for him.
“You can go free!” exclaimed the captain. “I know what you stand for. I trained at the Army Base at Armenia and have been at that school. I know the director there. We played basketball together and I listened to the message of the Word of God.
“You can go free, and as long as you are in this territory, I will be responsible for your safety.”
Pedro resumed his journey, realizing with deep thankfulness that once again he had been saved by the message of the Book.
Today Pedro still preaches the gospel in Columbia. He is alive and serving the Lord because twice the Word of God brought salvation to him.
H.G.
—The Witness
ML-08/26/1979