Published Mon, Feb 09, 26.
Written by Jared Duran.

Max's Story

 

Hey everyone! This update is going to be a little bit different! I just wanted to share with you a testimony from someone who is a part of the church here! Max recently had a really beautiful encounter with Jesus that has completely changed his life. His parents say he is like a totally different kid. Max and I have been spending lots of time together lately, and our discipleship meet-ups consist mostly of reading the bible and playing chess while we talk about following Jesus.

The thing that makes Max's story here extra powerful and encouraging is the fact that Max is one of the people that our church has been praying for by name for the last few months. It's so exciting to see how powerfully God moves when we ask, even though we may see nothing at first. I'm reminded of how Jesus ends the parable of the widow and the unjust judge:

 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

I love that Jesus tells us that when we ask, God won't be slow in answering the fervent prayers of His people.

Just a few days ago, I asked Max if he wanted to share with the people in the United States who are praying for us and our church. So we sat down together at a coffee shop and wrote it out. Everything in the story below is Max's words and what he wanted to share. I hope it's as encouraging for you as it is to me! 

 

“Hi, my name is Max, I’m 15 and I’m from Austin Texas and now live in Mendoza Argentina. When I was younger I knew about God, but I didn’t have a real relationship with Him, or know that I could really talk to Him and know Him. About a year ago I started hanging out with the wrong crowd and felt pressured into smoking and using drugs. I started struggling with school and skipping classes. At the same time I began struggling with pornography. During all this I felt like I was a disappointment to my family because of my grades, I felt empty and I stopped caring about my future.

Then one night when I was planning to go buy some weed, my mom forced me to go to a prayer/ministry night with the Vineyard church and a pastor from out of town. After the pastor started praying I felt guilt and conviction for all the things I was doing. I started crying and then everyone started praying over me. When they were praying I started feeling the mercy of Jesus and how patient he had been with me. My guilt that I had felt suddenly turned into joy. I felt really loved by God for the first time

The next day all of my desire for the bad things that I was doing before was almost gone, and for the first time in a long time I felt happy! I started wanting to read the Bible more than ever before and I started learning that God is always talking to me if I stop and listen. 

That same week when I was praying I felt like God said that one of my friends was having a hard time and that I should talk to him about it. I asked him and he told me that he was having a hard time with his church (his family is Jehovah's witness). I told him it isn’t about just going to church but really getting to know God and asked if I could pray for him and he said yes. Later that day I asked if he wanted to pray and then he prayed for us too even though I had never heard him pray before that! 

Now I’m excited for the future and what God is teaching me. I’m praying and reading the Bible almost everyday now and I feel like I’m a little baby again and that I just get to hold God’s hand and grow up with Him.”

 

Please keep praying with us for more people to experience Jesus like this! This is the beautiful fruit of your prayers and the prayers of our small community here! Thank you!!

 

 

A few more quick updates and things to pray with us for: 

Our English service "soft launched" (basically just our most committed people) two weeks ago. Our first public service where we invite everyone is set to start Febuary 22nd

Max and his parents are becoming more and more our core team here at the church. Please take some time to bless what God is already doing in their family!

This week the whole Vineyard Argentina Partnership (4 churches from the States will be represented, along with the pastors of 3 churches and 1 other ministry here in Argentina) is gathering in Buenos Aires for prayer fellowship and dreaming about the future of what God is doing here. Please be praying for God to bless this time and that he would continue to lead us.

Thank you all so much again for being a part of this with us. I'm so excited to share how it all goes in the next update!