“I knew God was talking to me, saying, ‘Get up. Go.’”

Pauline Levert
Special to Spur Ottawa

“I got my nets all out,” says Joseph Kiirya, Pastor at River Jordan Ministries, as he shares about the youth who became Christians at his church on Christmas Day.

They came one at a time as Kiirya repeatedly made the invitation to receive Jesus. Of the six youth who turned to Christ, four are from the same single-parent family that Kiirya has ministered to for about 10 years. The mother, who is blind, goes regularly to services.

“My ministry goes beyond preaching on Sunday. The boys weren’t coming to church, so I took the church to them,” says Kiirya.

Most immigrant families have a reverence for God. Kiirya believes faith is important to them and they are more open to the gospel at Christmas and Easter.

“I use the opportunity to impact them for Christ,” Kiirya says. “Many immigrants are limited financially. The church can express the love of God by giving to the community at Christmas time.”

With their limited budget, the ministry buys gifts for children. Church members invite families to celebrate Christmas and tell them children will receive gifts. They also bless the families with food.

“The pastor asked, ‘Who wants to give their life to God?’ I knew God was talking to me.”

Paul Lukusa, 20, is the eldest of the boys who decided to follow Jesus on Christmas Day. He admits times were rough in his spiritual life.

“The pastor asked three or four times, ‘Who wants to give their life to God?’” Lukusa says. “I knew God was talking to me, saying, ‘Get up. Go.’ My little brother went. Again, the pastor asked. I went up and then two girls followed.”

Lukusa says life is easier now because he’s calmer and doesn’t get so angry. He reads his Bible and a book on faith and goes to church more.

“God is more real now. Little things happened within the family. After Christmas, my mother cleaned the house as if she could see,” Lukusa shares.

He also says God has also opened up new doors for him.

“I’ve been working five years to get my papers. This week, I’m getting my birth certificate, social insurance number, and driver’s licence. I’ll be able to live like a normal Canadian.”

His mentor tells him that when times are rough, just as when they are good, look to God.

“As a result, a dozen new people came to church, six of whom were saved.”

“The church is setting up Love Ottawa’s youth mentoring program, called ‘The CODE,’ for boys from ages 15 to 25. They will be able to connect with godly Christian men who will encourage them, give them support, and share the love of Jesus with them,” explains Kiirya.

The power of Christmas was also at work in the lives of six people who attended Église le Chemin, in Gatineau, on Christmas Eve. As Pastor Jean-Pierre Leroux preached a message of salvation, they also received Christ.

“People are thirsty,” Leroux says. “God, Himself, has put a longing and the idea of eternity in the heart of man.”

In November, Leroux approached the Metro grocery store to offer teams to sing Christmas carols before Christmas. As people left the store, they could leave a donation for Christmas baskets the church was giving out. The carollers also gave out invitations to celebrate Christmas with them.

“About 2,000 invitations were given out at the Metro,” Leroux says. “As a result, a dozen new people came to church on Christmas Eve, six of whom were saved. The owner of the Metro invited our teams to come back next year.”

While the meaning of Christmas has faded from public view, traditional Christmas and Easter celebrations are still deeply rooted. Without a doubt, these are great times to impact people’s lives with the love of God, as their hearts are more open to receive Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.