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| Olympian prayer A group of volunteers affiliated with Action Ministries International gather for prayer in Salt Lake City before a day of witnessing for Christ at the Winter Olympics. Photo courtesy of Action Ministries |
SALT LAKE CITY (BP)–“You just never know what God has planned for you until it happens,” recounted Phil Harris, one of numerous volunteers in Salt Lake City witnessing to their faith in Christ at the Winter Olympics in connection with Action Ministries International based in West Point, Ga.
Harris, a member of Second Baptist Church, Springfield, Mo., recounted on the ministry’s website, www.actionministries.org, an encounter with a man named Tony while sitting in a public bus on the way to the Olympic Center.
“He was simply on his way to work. God had a seat reserved for me right next to him,” Harris said. “After some general conversation and introduction, I began to share the pin [a multi-colored evangelistic resource used in presenting the plan of salvation] with him. He quietly listened and focused on me as I spoke. Every now and then, he would glance down at the pin. After explaining the need to receive Christ, Tony simply replied, ‘How do I do this?’
“After hearing this, I was elated for I knew that no one asks that question unless God’s Spirit is moving on them in a mighty way,” Harris continued. “Tony received Christ as Lord and Savior, but upon receiving the pin, he told me, ‘I never knew it was this simple. I’ve had a half-dozen Mormons at my door at different times and I’ve always taken their material but I just never felt a desire to do anything about it. But now I know why; I’ve waited all my life to hear this.”
For further Olympic coverage, see the Baptist Press story, “Volunteers tap creativity to relay ‘More Than Gold’ at Salt Lake Olympics,” posted Feb. 11, and BPSports’ columnist Tim Ellsworth’s take on snowboarding at www.bpsports.net.
An explanation of the pin used in Harris’ witness to Tony is at www.actionministries.org/gift.html.
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(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: OLYMPIAN PRAYER.
