Oscar and Ada Rivera constantly give of themselves to others. Many in Nicaragua suffer from a lack of food and health care. Ingrained bad habits cause damage. During Covid, the pandemic did not hit hard there, and there were no restrictions other than wearing a mask. They decided to resume their Bible study again and learned that the people were anxiously waiting for the Scriptures.

“We had no place to meet because the previous location was closed. We prayed to God to provide us a place and He directed us to the home of a woman who was recently divorced. She was going through many difficulties. The group has become a great blessing to her, and she has been a blessing to us as well. The group is growing with new people, and we are worried that this place is going to be too small in the future.

“Hodera is the name of a Rehab Center. Hodera has become our sanctuary where we go, week after week to praise and honor God by reaching out to all the people there. It is amazing to hear from them about how they expect us to come twice a week. They say they count the days waiting for us, and that gives us joy. These men are hungry for Jesus. The Word says that the truth will make them free, and it is true. In our case, we see these people being transformed in unimaginable ways.

“One man always dressed in white pants, and he came to visit Hodera. He was there eight years ago and when he comes to visit, tears flow from his eyes when he sees us. He hugs us. He used to be gay and now he is a straight man, and he travels, giving talks about how to be triumphant in life with Jesus.

“One man became our friend. Every Thursday we have a Bible study in Hodera and the day he came to the center, God gave me the study of the demon possessed man. When I started mentioning what was happening to this man, he said to me: ‘We all have a demon spirit,’ and my answer to him was, ‘if I had a demon spirit, I wouldn’t be standing here speaking about Jesus.’ Then, at the end, he asked to speak to me. ‘Are you a pastor?’ he said. I told him: ‘No! I am a missionary,’ He said: ‘I need to talk to you.’ I responded, ‘Go ahead, tell me.’ He began telling me that he had made a pact with Satan and needed to know how to be free from that.

“I told him: ‘You only need to believe in Jesus.’ He replied, ‘I do believe.’ Then I prayed for him. Since then, his life has changed. Every time we came to the center, he wanted to spend time with us and talk about the Bible. He told us he was in prison almost all his life, so he didn’t know anything but being in jail.

“The other day one man gave us a surprise when we started the Bible study. He said: ‘I am leaving the center tomorrow. Would your husband do what he does on Saturdays?’ He meant the altar call. Then Oscar asked him if he wanted to accept Christ, and his answer was ‘Yes.’  After he accepted Christ, he told us he liked to read books about anything from Joseph Stalin and Hitler, or about aliens and witchcraft. At that moment, we realized he was an atheist. ‘But this little couple,’ he said, (talking about Oscar and me) has convinced me that without Christ in my heart, I am lost. Now,’ he said, ‘I go in peace because I wanted to get to Heaven, and they showed me the way. ‘”

These testimonies, and many more like them, are the reward God gives Oscar and Ada. They feel the joy of His presence, and they watch the changes taking place in the lives of many men and women in Honduras and Nicaragua.