By Chris Suarez

According to one of the most well known scholars of our day, dictionary.com, one definition for the word contagious is “spreading from one to another”. I tell you this for this reason. I just recently got back from my very first missions trip and it was amazing! Before I left for the Dominican Republic I was well aware of all the viruses and sicknesses that were contagious (thanks to the Lord, I was able to avoid them). However, for the first time in a really long time, I was reminded that Christianity done right is very contagious. So contagious in fact, that I could not avoid this “bug”.

Standing outside of a small, crowded church, I felt compelled to share the gospel with someone. By now it was day four on our trip and truth be told I was a little discouraged. I was discouraged because I had not really been able to share my faith with anyone and it was mostly my fault. I’m not a very bold person and at it’s difficult for me to go up to random people and start a conversation about the Lord. However, all throughout the week I had seen many of my peers do this very thing. I watched teenagers and adults alike walk up to people and boldly talk share the good news of Jesus Christ to them.

Because of the encouragement I had received from others sharing their faith, I made a decision that I was going to walk over to the next approachable group of people I saw and tell them about Christ. I had to do this. A few minutes later I saw a group of three teenage boys crossing the street in front of the church. I grabbed one of our Spanish speaking interpreters and engaged in a conversation with them. Then I did my best to explain to them the gospel. While they did not immediately accept Christ into their life, they left knowing who Christ was, what He did for them on the cross, and how they could personally accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. That night a seed was sown and my prayer is that someday that seed finds it way into the soil and sprouts into an amazingly beautiful tree!

As I grow in my relationship with the Lord and learn how to become a better leader I realize this. It is imperative that my relationship with Christ is lived out in such a way that it compels and encourages others to do the same and live a life that is fully devoted to the Lord. So stay away from me people, because I’m contagious!