How often do you use transport apps such as Uber or Lyft? Have you considered the possibility of turning this moment into an evangelistic opportunity?
The transport application market in Brazil is booming due to price, practicality, and speed, according to a survey by Mobile Time.
Everton Neves has been a transport app driver for two years and has made a living from this job. On Sunday, September 20, he received a different job proposal.
“It was unusual for me because the person I took wanted the ride, but also that I stayed at the event where they wanted to go,” Neves says. “At first, I didn't really understand what she was asking, until she said that there would be four people, including me.”
When he arrived at the destination, Neves felt it was not just any program. He realized that it was a service promoted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in a drive-in format. The event, which lasted approximately 90 minutes, enchanted him through the message of the speaker, Pastor Rafael Rossi, communication director of the Adventist Church for eight South American countries, and the musical participation of Sérgio Saas and the duo Dílson and Debora.
Opportunities to share hope
“Until a few hours before, I didn't know what was going to happen,” Neves says. “As far as I knew, I was just going to work, doing my driving job. But when I got there, it was an encounter with God.”
The person who hired Neves' service was Zeli Ferreira, an Adventist for 28 years, who met him through a friend.
Ferreira points out that the event reached everyone in the car, including the driver.
“I felt that Everton was touched by the entire service,” she says. “He had a Pathfinder scarf, and we had the opportunity to talk a little about the activities they do, since he has a son in this age group.”
Next session
When the drive-in ended, Neves thought about his family, wishing they could also experience what he had, but ended up not sharing that desire with anyone. However, he was surprised by a new invitation.
“When it was time to leave, without my asking, a young man from the church passed an invitation through the car window, in case I wanted to bring someone to the afternoon session,” Neves says. “I said, 'Glory to God, I hadn’t thought of that!’ So I went home and got my family and brought them back to the afternoon service.”
This story came to the event administrators, who presented the driver's son with a one-year subscription to Revista do Nosso Amiguinho (Our Little Friend magazine).
Ferreira was very happy with the result, but understood that her part should not stop there.
"I have already invited him to attend the next drive-in with his family, which will be held on October 24 at a site in Gravataí,” she says.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site