Oikos Church, San Antonio

There is a cook in a popular restaurant in downtown San Antonio. A self-avowed atheist, he had been cool to conversations before. For months our church has focused on building relationships and praying for God’s glory to be known in an area known for its cultural, ethnic and moral diversity. When his mother’s house was badly damaged in a fire we immediately drove to her home to see what we could do. We found his mother talking with the Red Cross in her pajamas with no shoes. We gave her a coat and prayed for the family. When we put the word out about this family that had lost everything, believers began to respond. His mother was amazed at the outpouring of love, gift-cards, and of clothes. When she asked, “Why are you doing this?” we were able to tell her about the love and grace of Jesus Christ. His mother prayed to give her life to Jesus. That same afternoon she forgave her husband of 44 years who had mistreated her and who had died several years ago. A mission’s team from Louisiana cleaned out her burned yard, and a local builder organized materials and expert labor to rebuild her home. Again, his mother was dumbfounded by the grace she saw. Currently a group meets in his mother's rental house for weekly Bible study. She has started to read her Bible and journal. Recently at a gathering of different small groups from our home network his mother stated, “When I had a home I didn’t have peace. Now I am homeless, but I have peace for the first time.” She smiled and said, “Now I have the family of God.”