Nathan Shideler
Salerno, Italy
 alive in Salerno
One of those conversations was with my friend Leonardo. I met him back in September, and since then he has become one of my closest Italian friends. Although he is not a Christian, he has gradually shown interest in becoming one. At the party he had a conversation with Courtney, a Mississippi State student on the Vision Trip.
As their conversation turned towards spiritual things, Leonardo told of his relationship with me and the others and how he could see something different in us and how we have been a positive influence on his life in many ways. At this point, Courtney, overwhelmed with joy and compassion, began to cry. This touched Leonardo deeply. Afterwards as he was recounting the story to me, he said, "No one has ever cried for me for this reason. I now see that what you do is real. It makes me want to change my life." And this is coming from the same person who, when we first met him, said, "I'll hang out with you, but I don't want to talk about God." I've seen a lot of change take place in his life over the past few months. Recently he began to read C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity. And last Friday he came over to study the Bible with us. Leonardo still hasn't surrendered his life to Christ, but it's clear that God is working in his heart. Please continue to pray for his salvation. |
