Ethan Jasso roots his friendships in prayer rather than pressure, because of someone who got alongside him back in the States.

No pressure!

I met Jason in my second year at university. The summer before, God had opened my eyes to the reality that everyone I knew was going to spend eternity with Jesus or apart from him.

Right away, I started to make plans of how I would share the gospel with friends, family and new classmates.

The downside of this newfound passion was that I often felt guilty if I hadn’t talked about Jesus with someone and I was afraid of getting it wrong. Talk about pressure!

Jason steered me to Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:37–38:

‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’

Jason pointed out that the harvest is the Lord’s, not mine. What a relief!

Praying first

Jason also showed me that Jesus’ first response isn’t to send his disciples straight into action but to pray.

Over the next year, we prayed together for my lost friends and many opportunities naturally opened up, often from them asking me a question about Jesus or faith out of the blue.

This was more than 10 years ago and I’ve carried these valuable lessons everywhere I’ve been. When I moved to Glasgow, I joined a gym and started to make friends. I prayed for them on the journey there. God has opened many doors for deep connection and spiritual conversation with these friends.

At the pub, one of these friends asked, ‘So what is the gospel anyway?’ I shared the good news and our friendship has grown stronger since. A single mum started to ask me about church and faith and she recently gave her life to Jesus! She’s now plugged into a church and is figuring out what it means to follow Jesus while she raises her daughter.

I’ve been having honest, deep conversations with a couple of guys about dating and break-ups. I've had the opportunity to share with another about how Jesus helps me with my mental and emotional health. And I’ve had the chance to help another guy think about what’s next for him after university.

Playing my part

I know that my time in Glasgow is limited, as I am moving to Dublin next year. I can start to feel pressure to see all these friends come to faith before I leave, but the Holy Spirit gently reminds me that the harvest is his and he’ll continue working in their lives. I’m thankful for the small part he’s allowed me to play over the last year. Pray with me that God would send more labourers into the lives of my friends.