Grasping for truth

Iris Mejia handed a tract to a young man who told her he didn't believe in a God. He explained he used to be religious but "life happened." Before he could continue, two girls he knew spotted him and started heckling Mejia and trying to interrupt. He tried to continue the conversation, but the girls grabbed one of his hands and started pulling him away. He reached out and grabbed Mejia's hand in a final effort to hold on.

"I am sorry they are pulling me away, but thank you so much!" he said as his hand slipped from Mejia's and he was lost in the crowd.

Mejia is one of 50 Virginia college and post-college students who spend one Saturday night a month in Adams Morgan, D.C. Headed up by street evangelism veteran Leo Anzoleaga, the group, known as the Pizza Intercession Evangelism Night, is learning to conquer their fears and proclaim the Gospel.

Using the DC evangelism Facebook group, Iris Mejia retold the story of the man who held onto her hand while being pulled away by his friends.

"The desperation and pain [in] this guy's eyes and voice almost made me cry," she wrote, "It was like holding the hand of someone who was drowning ... drowning in the emptiness of his life without Jesus. He might have slipped my fingers but I know that Jesus can hold on to him."

The Pizza Intercession Evangelism Night began with pizza and prayer at McLean Bible Church. Anzoleaga explained how to spark a conversation about Jesus with a passerby. He stressed the importance of sharing the gospel above all else. "You can count how many seeds are in an apple, but you can't count how many apples come from one seed," he said. "It's not about us. It's about the gospel."

Team leader Lindsay McAviney led a devotional centered around Matthew 9:35 -- 38 and explored the meaning of the word "compassion." The verse talks about how Jesus looked upon the crowds with compassion, and according to McAviney, compassion means having both love and pity for someone. She teared up while reminding the group that the harvest is plenty, but the workers are truly few.

"God, I don't even know what to expect tonight, but I do expect you to show up," she prayed.

The team prayed as a group before leaving, small groups prayed in the car on the way to and at the metro station, and individuals prayed silently for the people who received the tracts they would hand out. Throughout the evening, members would stop and either pray silently or together for God's blessing on the evening.

Team members kept track of those they spoke with so they could pray for them later.

The most common tract used was a million dollar bill. Teams would hand them out to passers-by and then ask, "Now that you're a millionaire, I get to ask you the million dollar question. What happens when you die?"

While many responded positively to the tracts, others were antagonistic or uninterested. Some were interested in the gospel message, but not ready to make it their own, like Johnny.

Johnny rode past us on his bike and stopped, explaining in broken English and bits of Spanish that he needed more tracts. He had passed them out to his friends and wanted some for himself. When we asked him if he knew Jesus, he told us he liked the things of God, but wasn't saved. He said he was homeless and that his family was living in Honduras. Did he want to accept Jesus?

"I'm not ready," he said, shaking his head.

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