Beauty for Ashes

by Ken Eagleton

The call came early on a June Saturday, long before the sun dawned. Information was incomplete and confusing, but one thing was sure—there had been a terrible accident.

In the months before that life-changing call, the young people at São José Free Will Baptist Church in Campinas, Brazil, had been experiencing revival. Teens and young adults who had grown up in church were committing their lives to Christ, some for the first time. Others were recommitting to decisions made as children. Teens who had only recently started attending church were saved.

The revival began when the church’s new pastor, Nilvio, started paying special attention to the young people and their needs. Most were from broken homes. Some were involved in drug use. One new convert, 21-year-old Sandy, had been spiraling downward into drug addiction since age 13. Her live-in boyfriend, an abusive criminal, left her when she became pregnant. Her grief increased when she lost the baby four months later. That’s when she told Roselaine, a São José church member, she was ready to go to church. Roselaine had faithfully invited her to church and prayed for her. Sandy attended a youth camp the church hosted during Carnaval (South American equivalent to Mardi Gras) and was saved. As a result, her life changed radically.

Danilo, a 19-year-old young man I had discipled while serving as interim pastor of the São José church a few years earlier, proved instrumental in helping Sandy through the difficult transition to a drug-free Christian lifestyle. Danilo was one of the spiritual leaders of the youth revival. His spiritual passion and desire to live for the Lord were contagious.

Miquéias was only 13 years old. His Christian parents quit attending church because of unpleasant circumstances in their former congregation. Through the influence of friends, Miquéias started attending São José church. He soon got his heart right with the Lord and his parents back in church—the Free Will Baptist church. His mother, Roselaine, was the one who invited Sandy to church.

Rodrigo, though only 14, was known at school for bragging about his sexual exploits. Danilo and Miquéias lived in the same apartment complex as Rodrigo and invited him to attend the youth meetings and church. Before long, Rodrigo gave his life to the Lord and became a new creature with a new lifestyle. A couple of months later he told Pastor Nilvio that a rumor had begun circulating at school that he had become a homosexual because he quit chasing girls.

One Friday night in early June, a group of young people piled into four cars and drove to a hill in the countryside to spend the night praying. As they returned to the city around three on Saturday morning, the driver of the last car, filled with five teens, lost control on a tight curve, rolled over, and hit a concrete rail. He was speeding in an effort to keep up with the others. Danilo, Miquéias, and Rodrigo were killed instantly.

That’s when the call came…

Why, Lord? Why these fine, Christian young men? Young men who were making a difference in the lives of others? Just a week earlier, two of them had been accepted for an upcoming mission trip to Uruguay. How could so many other teens with sin-filled lifestyles not suffer any consequences while these three God-fearing young men lost their lives in such a tragic way? These were the questions people were asking—parents, church members, and friends. I didn’t have answers for them regarding God’s purposes.

Isaiah 61:2-3 details the prophecy of how the Servant of the Lord (Jesus Christ) would come “to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness….”

I saw Christ fulfill that prophecy in Campinas. In spite of the questions, in spite of tremendous heartbreak and loss, the Lord provided the families of these teens amazing comfort and helped them display grace and forgiveness for the young car driver who survived the crash. The funeral service was a garment of praise—a celebration of three young men who brought glory to God with their changed lives. The church came together as a family. Community and schools were deeply affected.

Immediately after the tragedy, 30 new young people began attending church. Though not all of them continued, many came to faith in Christ. The superintendent of the apartment complex where the boys lived invited the church to hold services on the premises. As many as 200 people attended the weekly services. People were saved, and others who had been out of church rededicated their lives.

A year later, the youth revival continues, and it has spread to the whole church. The São José Church reported 120 salvation decisions, 87 people in discipleship classes, and 37 baptisms last year. The average attendance of 260 is nearly double the previous year.

How many of these men, women, and children are Christ-followers because of the faithfulness of three teens and because of their deaths? We will only know in eternity. But in the here and now, we can find comfort in seeing God’s promises fulfilled and His faithfulness demonstrated. Once again, He has given beauty for ashes.

About the Writer: Dr. Kenneth Eagleton and his wife Rejane have been missionaries since 1984, first in Cotê d’Ivoire, West Africa, and in Brazil since 2003. Learn more at www.fwbgo.com.