What was this? Onni reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pamphlet of some sort. He looked at it, puzzled. Where had it come from?
He didn’t remember putting it there. Of course, he had just been drunk and out of his senses. But this was unlike anything he’d ever seen. “God loves you,” the title read. He didn’t know much about love—mostly just that he’d had very little of it in his life—but the words sparked his curiosity. “Who is this God that loves people?” he asked silently. Whoever He was, Onni wanted to know more.Love Lost
Onni had lost his mother’s love early—she died when he was only three. For the next 10 years of his life, Onni was raised by his grandmother. She loved and cared for him and supported him in his education. But when Onni was in sixth grade, his father remarried, and Onni’s care transferred to his father and stepmother. It seemed like a good arrangement. Onni would have a new mother, and perhaps his family would begin to feel whole again. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
Instead of nurturing her new stepson, Onni’s stepmother forced him to do all the housework. If Onni made a mistake, his stepmother beat him. For two years, Onni endured the abuse. But the pain and humiliation wore away at him, and it seemed no one—not even his father—would raise a hand to help. Finally, when he was 15, Onni fled.
Alone in the City
From his small village, Onni made his way to his country’s capital. He didn’t know a single person in the big city, but surely anything would be better than his home. Yet, with no money and no lodging, Onni’s situation soon became dire. He slept on the streets. He ate nothing. When the gnawing of his stomach became too great, Onni began to beg. One day, as Onni was begging along the road, he met a man who owned a hotel in the city. The man offered him a job, and Onni accepted. Onni began serving hotel guests and washing dishes, and he made enough to provide for himself.
For a while, he did well. As time went by, however, Onni began to experiment with smoking and drinking, and he soon became a chronic alcoholic and nicotine addict. His addiction cost him his job, and Onni found himself back on the streets. He tried to get work at one of the many shops in the city, but no one would hire him. What was he to do now?
Finding Hope … in His Pocket
Eventually, at age 20, Onni decided to return home. There, he began working as a laborer and a carpenter. Sadly, he brought his addiction with him, and because his friends in the village were also addicted to alcohol, Onni saw no reason to change. As his addiction continued, Onni often became angry and violent. He fought with his father and stepmother. He fought with other villagers. And when his father tried to advise him to stop, Onni beat him. For two years, Onni’s life was wrecked by anger and turmoil. Then came the day when he found the mysterious piece of paper in his pocket.
Onni had been lying on the side of the road, senseless after a drinking spree. When he awoke, he discovered the paper. But who had put it there? Onni opened the piece of literature. “‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ —John 14:6,” it read. And then, “‘Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.’ — Acts 4:12.” The verses solidified Onni’s curiosity. He needed to know who this God was and how the paper had gotten into his pocket. He inquired of the villagers and found that a pastor and some young men had visited the area, offering literature to anyone who was interested.
Although Onni didn’t know it at the time, his pamphlet was one of many that GFA pastors and local believers eagerly offer to people they encounter. Each pamphlet contains the Good News about Jesus in the native language of the area. And because literature of any kind is valued in many African and Asian cultures like Onni’s, these little booklets are a powerful way to share hope in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach places. In Onni’s case, the little booklet offered hope of love—something his heart yearned for. So, with the information he received from the villagers, Onni sought out the pastor to learn more.
Discovering the Source of Love
In his quest for answers about the God of love, Onni couldn’t have gone to a better person than GFA pastor Aaron. Like Onni, Pastor Aaron had also gone astray as a young man. He knew what it was like to lose his joy and peace to the ways of the world. And yet, Pastor Aaron had experienced unconditional love as his parents, who were believers, never stopped loving him and praying for him, even when he broke their trust. Young Aaron had been surprised by his parents’ love and couldn’t understand the reason behind it. It wasn’t until a conversation with his own family’s pastor that Aaron had understood and embraced Christ’s love—the same love his parents had been showing him for so many years.
God’s love changed the way Aaron lived, giving him incredible peace and joy and eventually launching him on a journey to full-time pastoring and service in his community. “Drawing closer to God,” Aaron remembers, “I cherished a desire to serve Him and proclaim His love.” It was that love that had brought Pastor Aaron and some of the young men from his congregation to Onni’s village. And it was that love that had compelled one of the young men to slip a pamphlet into Onni’s pocket when the group found him senseless beside the road. So, when Onni arrived asking to know more about the God of love that the piece of literature had talked about, Pastor Aaron must have been more than happy to share with him.
Ripples of Transformation
As Onni and Pastor Aaron talked, Onni learned about Jesus for the first time. Pastor Aaron invited him to come for a church service, and Onni accepted. During the service, Onni experienced a peace he’d never felt before. What if there could be more to life—more love, more purpose, more hope—than he’d realized? As Onni continued attending church services, he began to long for change. Onni asked the pastor and other believers to pray for him, and with their support and love, he was able to stop smoking and drinking. He embraced Christ with his whole heart, rejoicing in the One who had loved him enough to come after him, even in his lowest state.
Onni’s changed life became a beacon to his family and community, showing the power of Christ’s life-transforming love. They rejoiced at the changes they saw in the young man. No longer was Onni known in the village as a drunkard and a troublemaker. Instead, he helped his father at home. He assisted Pastor Aaron in leading the youth fellowship at church. And rather than living in anger and turmoil, Onni was filled with joy and peace.
You Can Help Bring Jesus’ Love to Those Still Waiting to Hear!
Today, more than 2 billion people like Onni have yet to hear of God’s love for them. They still wait for the day when they, too, can learn the Good News of Christ. That’s why we partner with believers like Pastor Aaron and his congregation as they share Christ’s love in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach communities. One of the most fruitful and cost-effective ways for these believers to share Christ is through Gospel tracts like the one Onni received.
Printed in local languages and costing less than a penny to produce, each of these pamphlets offers one more person a chance to know that Jesus loves them. And often, the ripple effects of a Gospel tract can impact many others as people share the booklet and its message with family and friends. With one dollar, you can help provide approximately 200 Gospel tracts and help give 200 (or more!) people a chance to hear about Jesus. Together, we can help them know God loves them!