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Trail of Death
Joel Sandoval
Joel Sandoval grew up in an Adventist home, but his life was not transformed by God's grace. As a teen he resented the restrictions that the church represented. At age 15 he dropped out of church and joined a gang. He quickly became involved in organized crime, drugs, and spiritism. He had his body tattooed with symbols of the devil and began smoking marijuana. Soon he moved to hard drugs, such as cocaine.
Joel's parents allowed him to live at home, hoping that he would see the error of his ways. But when he was high on drugs, he often destroyed things in the house and terrified his mother. When the drugs wore off, Joel became depressed. One time he even tried to commit suicide. In spite of his parents' constant prayers and offers of help, Joel was convinced that no one loved him.
He made fun of his parents and others who invited him to church. Joel hated them for what they stood for; he hated the church; he hated God. In spite of his abuse, his parents and church members continued to pray for him and remind him of God's unfailing love. His mother was convinced that someday he would return to God and the church.
One night Joel was supposed to join his gang in a battle with another gang. A voice seemed to warn him to not go out that night. He remained home. Later he learned that his best friend had been killed during the fight. Joel realized that the warning voice he had heard was the voice of God. It had saved his life.
As he thought about the past few months, Joel realized that God had been speaking to him, telling him that the life he was leading was wrong. He began to cry, for he saw no way out of his drug-infested life. He began attending church again, but when members welcomed him, he thought they were staring at him. He felt like an outsider and stopped attending.
Joel decided to leave the country. When he told his mother, she cried. Before he left she pressed a small book into his hand. "Please, take this," she begged. It was a New Testament. And in spite of his feelings about religion, Joel asked her to pray for him.
Joel and five other young men left Honduras, heading for Mexico. They passed through Guatemala and crossed into Mexico. But early one morning they found themselves surrounded by an angry mob who were brandishing knives and guns. The youth realized that these men intended to kill them. The previous day someone had stolen merchandise from a local business, and the mob was convinced that the six youths were the thieves. Spewing death threats, the locals locked the youth in a house, then circled the house with their guns and knives in hand.
Frightened, the boys watched as the locals prepared a noose to hang them. Some swore; others sobbed. Joel thought about how he had disappointed his family and God. He pulled out the New Testament that his mother had given him and began reading.
Joel realized it was Sabbath. His parents would be in church, praying for him. In the midst of the chaos in the house and outside, Joel knelt in a corner and prayed. He was sure that death was near. He opened the New Testament to the book of Psalms and began reading. Joel again prayed, "Lord, You rescued David from his enemies. If you get me out of this situation alive, I will give my life to You and tell others what You have done for me. Please save me, God!"
One of the locals saw Joel kneeling in the corner, praying and reading his little book. He thought Joel was performing some sort of witchcraft and became frightened. Meanwhile, the youth searched for a way to convince their captors that they were not guilty. One of them remembered the name of the man on whose property they had slept the night before. He told the guard at the door the man's name. "Please find him! He will tell you where we were last night!" Soon the men returned with the man who could verify their story. Within minutes the youth were set free.
One man told Joel, "We would have killed you hours ago, but when we saw you kneeling in the corner doing magic, we became afraid." For a moment Joel was confused. Then he realized that God had used his tears of repentance and his Bible reading to strike fear in the men's hearts and eventually set them free.
The youth left the village, but they were later caught by Mexican authorities and returned to the border of Guatemala. When Joel arrived home, he told his parents what had happened. He learned that on the day he was captured, his mother had sensed a special need and had spent the day in earnest prayer for him.
That night Joel lay awake thinking about everything. He couldn't believe that he had survived. Then he remembered all the other times he should have died but had been rescued. He knew that God had been by his side, even when he rejected God's influence in his life.
Joel kept his promise to God and returned to church. He shared his testimony with the church and asked the members for forgiveness. A few months later he was baptized.
Although he didn't go back to his gang, he did meet some gang members from time to time. When they commented on how he had changed, Joel shared how Christ had saved his life and set him free from drugs, hatred, and Satan's hold. Now he leads a small group in his church and serves as a deacon. He loves to give Bible studies and to share his testimony.
"One thing I wish I could change," Joel says. "I wish I could take off the tattoos that mark my body. But when Jesus comes, He will make my body new and pure and clean. I regret the years I wasted honoring Satan instead of Christ. I want to spend the rest of my life redeeming that time and influencing others to turn to Jesus, who saved my life more than once. He turned my life around, totally around."
Joel Sandoval lives with his parents in northern Honduras. He works in a clothing factory and spends his free time sharing his faith with others.
Joel Sandoval
Joel Sandoval grew up in an Adventist home, but his life was not transformed by God's grace. As a teen he resented the restrictions that the church represented. At age 15 he dropped out of church and joined a gang. He quickly became involved in organized crime, drugs, and spiritism. He had his body tattooed with symbols of the devil and began smoking marijuana. Soon he moved to hard drugs, such as cocaine.
Joel's parents allowed him to live at home, hoping that he would see the error of his ways. But when he was high on drugs, he often destroyed things in the house and terrified his mother. When the drugs wore off, Joel became depressed. One time he even tried to commit suicide. In spite of his parents' constant prayers and offers of help, Joel was convinced that no one loved him.
He made fun of his parents and others who invited him to church. Joel hated them for what they stood for; he hated the church; he hated God. In spite of his abuse, his parents and church members continued to pray for him and remind him of God's unfailing love. His mother was convinced that someday he would return to God and the church.
One night Joel was supposed to join his gang in a battle with another gang. A voice seemed to warn him to not go out that night. He remained home. Later he learned that his best friend had been killed during the fight. Joel realized that the warning voice he had heard was the voice of God. It had saved his life.
As he thought about the past few months, Joel realized that God had been speaking to him, telling him that the life he was leading was wrong. He began to cry, for he saw no way out of his drug-infested life. He began attending church again, but when members welcomed him, he thought they were staring at him. He felt like an outsider and stopped attending.
Joel decided to leave the country. When he told his mother, she cried. Before he left she pressed a small book into his hand. "Please, take this," she begged. It was a New Testament. And in spite of his feelings about religion, Joel asked her to pray for him.
Joel and five other young men left Honduras, heading for Mexico. They passed through Guatemala and crossed into Mexico. But early one morning they found themselves surrounded by an angry mob who were brandishing knives and guns. The youth realized that these men intended to kill them. The previous day someone had stolen merchandise from a local business, and the mob was convinced that the six youths were the thieves. Spewing death threats, the locals locked the youth in a house, then circled the house with their guns and knives in hand.
Frightened, the boys watched as the locals prepared a noose to hang them. Some swore; others sobbed. Joel thought about how he had disappointed his family and God. He pulled out the New Testament that his mother had given him and began reading.
Joel realized it was Sabbath. His parents would be in church, praying for him. In the midst of the chaos in the house and outside, Joel knelt in a corner and prayed. He was sure that death was near. He opened the New Testament to the book of Psalms and began reading. Joel again prayed, "Lord, You rescued David from his enemies. If you get me out of this situation alive, I will give my life to You and tell others what You have done for me. Please save me, God!"
One of the locals saw Joel kneeling in the corner, praying and reading his little book. He thought Joel was performing some sort of witchcraft and became frightened. Meanwhile, the youth searched for a way to convince their captors that they were not guilty. One of them remembered the name of the man on whose property they had slept the night before. He told the guard at the door the man's name. "Please find him! He will tell you where we were last night!" Soon the men returned with the man who could verify their story. Within minutes the youth were set free.
One man told Joel, "We would have killed you hours ago, but when we saw you kneeling in the corner doing magic, we became afraid." For a moment Joel was confused. Then he realized that God had used his tears of repentance and his Bible reading to strike fear in the men's hearts and eventually set them free.
The youth left the village, but they were later caught by Mexican authorities and returned to the border of Guatemala. When Joel arrived home, he told his parents what had happened. He learned that on the day he was captured, his mother had sensed a special need and had spent the day in earnest prayer for him.
That night Joel lay awake thinking about everything. He couldn't believe that he had survived. Then he remembered all the other times he should have died but had been rescued. He knew that God had been by his side, even when he rejected God's influence in his life.
Joel kept his promise to God and returned to church. He shared his testimony with the church and asked the members for forgiveness. A few months later he was baptized.
Although he didn't go back to his gang, he did meet some gang members from time to time. When they commented on how he had changed, Joel shared how Christ had saved his life and set him free from drugs, hatred, and Satan's hold. Now he leads a small group in his church and serves as a deacon. He loves to give Bible studies and to share his testimony.
"One thing I wish I could change," Joel says. "I wish I could take off the tattoos that mark my body. But when Jesus comes, He will make my body new and pure and clean. I regret the years I wasted honoring Satan instead of Christ. I want to spend the rest of my life redeeming that time and influencing others to turn to Jesus, who saved my life more than once. He turned my life around, totally around."
Joel Sandoval lives with his parents in northern Honduras. He works in a clothing factory and spends his free time sharing his faith with others.