From Atheist to Christ Follower

When a person is introduced to Jesus for the first time, I imagine it all just seems strange. The Bible describes the gospel as foolishness to those who do not believe. What I love about the gospel, however, is that to those are willing to ask the questions, it often becomes the only logical choice. And when the truth about Jesus starts to penetrate a person’s soul, people who were once atheist believe.

Justin and Gretchen Hall serve with Josiah Venture in Albania. They are pioneers in youth ministry in a predominately Muslim country that until recently had no Christian church. After their summer season, I had a chance to talk with them about their English camp ministry. Justin shared about a young guy named Joni who attended English camp last year, youth group all year, and English camp again this summer. Finally, Joni made a decision to follow Christ. I contacted Joni and asked him some questions about how this happened for him.

What did you think about Jesus before attending your first Josiah Venture English camp?
At first, all the things that had to do with Jesus seemed impossible to me. I didn’t use to believe that he had performed all those miracles and that he had risen from the grave. I was a bit stubborn, and I didn’t accept these things.

After your first camp, what questions did you still have?
I had a lot of questions related to Jesus and his resurrection. Since I’m raised in a non-believing family these things were new to me.

What made you decide to attend youth group for a whole year?
First of all, there were my friends and I just wanted to meet them as often as possible. The other reason is that I wanted to hear more about Jesus, so I could make the right decision.

What made you want to attend English camp again?
In the last camp, I had a lot of fun and my English improved a lot. I have been in other camps too, but this camp was a lot more organized. Another reason is that I wanted to make new friends. It was a good opportunity to get used living with other people besides your family. It was a very good experience.

What process did you go through to become a believer?
Well, I had to think a lot about my decision because becoming a believer isn’t something unimportant. The only thing that didn’t bother me was the opinion my parents would have about this decision because they didn’t mind if I became a believer.

Where there any specific people who helped you in the process of becoming a believer?
My friends at the youth group helped me a lot. They made me think clearly about Jesus, so I wouldn’t have doubts.

What do you think about Jesus now?
Now I’ve accepted him as Lord and I think he has saved a lot of people and I don’t mean just saving them by letting them spend their life with God but also saving them every day of their life.

I was talking with a dear friend recently who leads a youth group. She said that when her team plans fun and exciting events, people come, for awhile, but then attendance begins to dwindle. She then explained that when they meet and talk about Jesus, people keep coming back! I am so glad that Joni kept coming back, and I’m so glad that his friends were talking to him about Jesus, because now, he believes, and God is saving him every day of his life!