Social media outreach leads to new believer in Asia
ASIA (IMB) – When Caylen Wood moved to Asia to serve as a Journeyman, she knew a big part of her job would be helping her team connect with NextGen students. In the country where Wood serves, the majority of the population is under 30 years old.
Wood went through training that equipped her to use social media and digital advertising to engage people with meaningful access to the gospel. Then, she planned her team’s first digital engagement outreach. Her goal was to practice what she’d learned. She wasn’t necessarily expecting to make many genuine connections, but she knew this outing was a good place to start.
God had bigger plans, however. Wood had conversations with over 100 people who responded to her simple message asking “God came to help everyone, not just the rich and powerful. How can He help you?”
“I think that message resonated with people here, because poverty and corruption are big issues,” Wood said.
Out of those 100 conversations, Wood encountered some who were hostile and just wanted to argue. Others weren’t interested when she asked if they wanted to hear more about Jesus. But one young man, Esen, did want to hear more and listened as Wood shared the gospel with him.
Esen responded that he wanted to believe and follow Jesus, and he said he would pray and tell God that. He wanted to share what he’d heard with his family as well. Wood is in the process of connecting Esen with a local believer who can follow up and disciple him.
In another conversation, Wood began talking with Anu, a young woman who had recently become a Christian but didn’t have a church to connect with yet. She and Wood met in person, and she came to the local church Wood attends. Now, Wood is discipling her as she continues to grow in her faith.
“Those two conversations were beyond any expectation I had,” Wood said.
Pray for new believers Esen and Anu, that they will continue to fellowship with other believers and grow in their faith. Pray for Wood’s team as they work with local believers to plan more digital outreach events, and that these digital campaigns would bear more gospel fruit.
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Stella McMillian is a writer who lives and serves in Asia.