November 24, 2009
At General Council 2007, John and Lisa Sappia publicly declared that they were following God’s call to serve Him in Paraguay. Because of the faithful giving of the Alliance family, John and Lisa are now reaching out to Paraguayans who need Christ. Read about how John and his national coworkers, Rodrigo and Adrian, part-time C&MA pastors in the Asunción area, shared God’s truth with middle and high school students.
In September and October, we were invited into the local public high school to teach a school-wide assembly on “Saving Sex for Marriage” as well as four classes on “Your Identity in Christ.” We had an amazing ministry, and the students really seemed to pay attention; the principal was astonished with how well they listened and learned.
Truth and Consequences
We presented our talk on sexual purity to a total of 250 students, ranging from age 12 to 20. We started the presentation with a moving skit about the consequences of not protecting God’s gift of sexuality. Then I (John) shared about how the Bible tells us that sex is a gift from God to be enjoyed within the protection of marriage.
Rodrigo shared a powerful testimony about how he guarded his purity until his wedding night. Teresa, a volunteer for a Christian organization that ministers to AIDS patients, talked about the negative consequences of premarital sex, including single parenthood and AIDS.
During four weeks of our ministry in the school, we were asked to address a “rough to teach” seventh grade class on how they can find their true identity in God. We spoke about how Jesus has provided for our “real” identity.
Jars of Clay
Using clay jars, Rodrigo explained that because of our sin, we are broken and cannot be what we were intended to be. He also talked about how God has provided a well of pure Living Water through Jesus Christ and that each of the students could enjoy this Water. Surrendering our lives to Jesus is the only way to truly become all that we were created to be.
Rodrigo took time to pray with the students. As he moved around the room, we blessed each one. Finally, we handed out fake $1 million bills, each with the gospel clearly written all over it. Thank you to the many who have been praying! These opportunities are a direct response to your prayers.
Learn More
Check out our Alliance work in Paraguay.
What You Can Do
Praise the Lord for this incredible opportunity to share His truth. Pray that all those who heard the life-changing message of the gospel will receive Him as Savior.
Help keep Alliance workers such as John and Lisa on the field. Donate now to Alliance Great Commission Ministries.