Make the Most of Every Opportunity

Stuck in elevator, student shares faith with S. African airline pilot

OMAHA, Neb. (BP)--Jenny Bressel really didn't know what to expect at her first evangelism conference as she headed to Omaha for a couple of days with her youth group from First Southern Baptist Church of Salina, Kan.The unexpected happened, however, at the host hotel. Trapped in an elevator for almost 90 minutes, Bressel turned to her FAITH. Standing by a South African airline pilot she began to share what God had done for her."I've grown up more [spiritually] in these two days than I thought," said the high school senior.Bressel was among 1,200-plus youth and adults who gathered for annual "In. D.E.P.T.H." evangelism training at Omaha's Doubletree Hotel Dec. 28-29.The pilot's name was Alex is all Jenny remembers. But what she will never forget is that Alex prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior.Georgia Hickman, one of the group's sponsors, also was confined to the stuck elevator with two other members of the youth group, Ashley Pound and Jessica Davis."There we were with about 10 people in the elevator. Jenny just asked the man the transition question," said Hickman, 79, a veteran of youth mission trips. "He said, 'I do not have any idea what it means to be saved.' So we started sharing with him."He had never heard the story about Jesus' birth and death. Whenever he had a question, Ashley and Jessica would help show him a Bible verse."It was Hickman who asked the airline pilot if he would like to pray to accept Jesus Christ. "I led him in the sinner's prayer. I also prayed that God would get us out of the elevator and about that time the doors opened," Hickman recounted.