At first her pastor was worried when Anda told him she was going to preach the Word of God in Bado Marin, El Salvador — an area known for gang activity. “But I know the same God who allowed me to work in other places preaching His Word is the same one who will go with me,” Anda says.
A church planter trained by a Bible League Canada joint ministry partner, Anda holds Bible studies in her home. She also gets to know people in the community and visits their homes. At first people were resistant to the message — so Anda prayed, sometimes for an entire day. “I prayed for the people of this community, asking God to turn their hearts toward Him.”
The first answer to her prayers came when 16-year-old Flora gave her life to Christ.
“Before knowing God, I felt an emptiness I couldn’t fill,” says Flora. She sensed something changing when Anda began to teach her and others in her village about God. Flora adds, “Now I feel a sense of happiness that I cannot explain” I talk to my friends about God and also to my dad who is not yet a Christian.”
Flora’s walk in this new Christian life is not easy – sometimes she feels judged, or even persecuted, for choosing a different path. But she says with a smile, “I believe God is the only one who can save. I can’t give up.”
Anda is discipling Flora along with others in the young church. It is a joy for her to see Flora grow in the ways of God.