How to convert your boss

How to convert your boss

Henry Castellón

Henry Castellón is a faithful follower of Jesus. He is also a worship leader in the San Rafael church. Because of his trade as a welder, Henry must travel to the province of Guanacaste, and stay there for two or three weeks in a row. About two years ago, Henry was working there, in a construction site, where he began to build a friendship with his foreman, Yader Aguilera. This friendship evolved to the point of Yader becoming a regular visitor at Heredia, and then being baptized on March 15 of this year. We can learn from Henry that, converting your boss to the Lord, takes bearing the fruit of the Spirit, not being ashamed of your faith, and being able to guide others in the knowledge of the redeeming power of Jesus.

First, Henry's commitment to the Lord goes beyond faithful attendance to all activities. He is

Yader Aguilera

someone in whom the fruit of the Spirit is evident. His meekness and self-control have helped him in his dealings with friends and coworkers. When his boss Yader Aguilera, checked on him, he would treat Henry very harshly, as the coarse and rough man that he was. He noticed that Henry's response was always polite and respectful, very different from the way other workers responded. This was a sign in Henry’s behavior that made Yader take interest in him.

Another reason why Yader took interest in Henry’s behavior was the fact that Henry was not ashamed of his faith. He noticed that during lunch time, Henry would be the only worker under him who would bow in prayer asking for the blessing of his food. Not long after this, Yader began to ask Henry why he was so different from his coworkers. He wanted to know about the church he was a member of. Henry’s answer was that the Lord Jesus has made wonderful changes in his life, and the way he felt towards others.

After a while, Yader, whose heart was touched by Henry's example of spirituality, began to ask Henry

to share God’s Word with him. Therefore, Henry got him involved in Bible study in the evenings,

while both men lived in the construction camp, in Guanacaste. Yader was struggling from the

Yader's baptism

consequences of his sinful past. Henry shared with Yader about God’s redeeming power through Jesus. When they made it back to Heredia, Yader began to attend services faithfully along with Henry. During the following two years, Yader, Henry and I would get together on different occasions, to help him decide for Jesus, because there were issues in his life that he needed to take care of. Finally, on March 15 of this year, Yader decided to give his life to Jesus!

It can be concluded from Henry’s experience that converting another person to the Lord takes bearing the fruit of the Spirit, not being ashamed of your faith, and being able to impart the knowledge of the redeeming power of Jesus. Yader Aguilera was converted thanks to the work of God in Henry’s life which made this brother a light of the world. Besides, Yader is today a new creation in Christ, someone who treats others under him with respect, someone who has peace in Christ. He is no longer the rough and harsh man he used to be.

Victor Araya, tireless fisher of men

Victor Araya, tireless fisher of men

After extending our hand of fellowship to Victor Araya six years ago, we were blessed as a church because along with him came his friends and others he evangelized, and I was blessed personally because he became a close friend in whom I can rely for spiritual advice and encouragement.

Victor and Aura

Firstly, Victor became a Christian 23 years ago, when he joined the movement of the International Churches of Christ in San José, Costa Rica. He did this when he was 37, while trying to succeed as a journalist and recovering from painful divorce. Once he was in the movement, he married Aura, 53, hair stylist from Nicaragua, and it turned out to be a great decision in the Lord, as their marriage has lasted for the last 17 years and it is always a joy to see them functioning as a happy couple. Eventually, the leadership within the ICOC congregation changed and they could not handle Victor’s intense love for lost souls, which led to Victor seeking membership in nearby churches of Christ. The churches he sought did not think that his ICOC baptism was scriptural, so he ended up accepting the invitation of Didier Rojas, from the same movement, who had earlier placed membership with us. Thankfully the Heredia church did not question his baptism and we all extended our hand of fellowship to Victor and Aura, which proved to be a great blessing for the ministry.

Secondly, the church has been blessed in many ways through Victor and Aura. The first blessing was Mauricio, 36, a young man Victor had evangelized at the ICOC, who followed Victor and joined this congregation. Mauricio lived with his mother and sisters because his parents had gotten divorced. Victor’s work with Mauricio led to him evangelizing Suzy, Mauricio’s mother. By the time Suzy was

Eugenio and Susy

baptized, Mauricio’s father got interested, so Victor undertook the task of evangelizing this man, whose name is Eugenio. Eugenio was then baptized and remarried Suzy! So, Eugenio, Suzy, and Mauricio are today a joyful family in the Lord. Victor has continued to evangelize and encourage spiritual growth in Heredia. He leads a Bible study group that meets near the church building. Results from his tireless work as a fisher of men include the conversion of Marcela and Sonia who were baptized at the end of 2019. Geovanny, the man who owns the home where the Bible study is held has also become a member of the Heredia church.

Finally, I have been blessed personally, as Victor has become a close friend in whom I can rely for spiritual advice and encouragement. Therefore, Victor and I meet regularly to have what we call a “power lunch” or a “power coffee.” Consequently, in these meetings we have learned to tell each other the things we

Eugenio's baptism

struggle with, and then pray for one another. Apart from this, Victor is no longer doing journalism, because of the technological changes that have affected the publication of newspapers. Thus, he is selling hair salon products, and to make ends meet, he has had to do coffee picking, a back breaking job that only immigrants do in Costa Rica. However, Victor is always sharing the gospel. Hence, he has had Bible study groups with the immigrants who are his coffee picking partners!

In conclusion, the fact that other churches in the area did not welcome Victor as a brother turned out to be a blessing for the church in Heredia, because through him others have become members of this congregation, and also a personal blessing for this missionary who has found in Victor a true friend with whom I find support in the form of prayer and spiritual encouragement.

Didier, Mauricio, and Victor