The Everyday Club

2/14/11 Salvador, about 45
On this warm and sunny day I was walking down the sidewalk when I met a man named Salvador as he came out of a Walgreens. I used a million dollar gospel tract as a conversation starter, and found out that Salvador believes in God, attends his Catholic church, and prays daily, not just for himself but for others. He believes in heaven and hell, and understands that he will be held accountable to God on the Day of Judgment. Yet he knows he is far from perfect and isn't sure if he will go to heaven when he dies, wondering how anyone could if God's standard is perfection. A few more questions helped me understand what I believe is the problem - Salvador never reads the Bible for himself. Instead, he has been surrounded by many religious symbols and traditions that have distracted him from the truths of scripture. I tried to explain how and why salvation can only be found through faith in Jesus, but my limited Spanish could only take me so far. I went on to give him a copy of John's Gospel (en espanól) and spent some time emphasizing his need to read the Bible for himself. Salvador was very grateful and wanted to find out more about my church, which fortunately has some Spanish-language locations.