"My wife, Maria, and I visited Atlanta in March 2019 so that we could worship at The Church of The Apostles. We had the opportunity to meet and speak with Dr. Michael Youssef. The day is a highlight of our spiritual walk, and we give thanks to God for this opportunity.

"I want to share how the Holy Spirit has led us since our visit. A 30-year friend of mine died on July 16th. He was 61 and had been sick with various ailments for a decade. He succumbed to a very malignant melanoma. His name was Tom, and he was raised in the Roman Catholic Church. As an adult, he strayed from the institution of the church and from regular attendance at worship services. Over the last few years, we discussed Jesus, the cross, and His saving sacrifice. I had shared information with him about Leading The Way and the joy of our trip in March.

"On Sunday, July 14, 2019, I was to be with Tom for the last time. As he lay dying at home in excruciating pain, I asked if he would like to hear one of Dr. Youssef's sermons. He nodded his head 'yes,' and I played one of the messages from the series Seven Awesome Statements from the Cross. The one I had chosen was from April 10: "The Assurance of Salvation." To listen to this sermon knowing that death was nearby and to know the impact that those words had in this context is not a scene that my words can adequately describe. I can only say that the Spirit was alive and speaking needed words of assurance to someone who would shortly close his eyes in death and immediately be with our Lord.