Lesson 29 – Your Testimony Part 2: Coming to Faith
Unit 3: Compartiendo la Fe | Unit Overview | Course Home
Review Flash
(5 minutes — say the Spanish before looking)
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| before | antes de |
| I used to feel | sentía |
| I was looking for | buscaba |
| something was missing | me faltaba algo |
| emptiness | el vacío |
Lesson Goals
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Share how you heard the gospel and came to faith
- Use the preterite tense for specific, completed past events
- Contrast the imperfect (background) with the preterite (turning point)
- Tell the moment of conversion in simple, clear Spanish
New Vocabulary: Conversion Language
| Spanish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| entonces | ehn-TOHN-sehs | then / at that point |
| un día | oon DEE-ah | one day |
| cuando tenía ___ años | when I was ___ years old | |
| alguien me habló de Dios | someone told me about God | |
| escuché el evangelio | I heard the gospel | |
| la buena noticia | the good news | |
| entendí | ehn-tehn-DEE | I understood |
| sentí | sehn-TEE | I felt |
| decidí | deh-see-DEE | I decided |
| acepté a Cristo | ahk-sep-TEH ah KREES-toh | I accepted Christ |
| recibí a Jesús | rreh-see-BEE ah heh-SOOS | I received Jesus |
| le entregué mi vida | I gave him my life | |
| oré por primera vez | I prayed for the first time | |
| pedí perdón | I asked for forgiveness | |
| confesé mis pecados | I confessed my sins | |
| nací de nuevo | I was born again | |
| me convertí | I converted / I was converted | |
| dije sí a Dios | I said yes to God | |
| fue un momento | it was a moment | |
| cambió todo | everything changed |
Grammar Focus: Preterite for Specific Past Events
In Lesson 28 you used the imperfect for ongoing background states (yo vivía, yo sentía). Now use the preterite for specific, completed events — the turning point moments.
Regular -AR preterite (yo form): -é
- decidir → decidí (I decided)
- aceptar → acepté (I accepted)
- confesar → confesé (I confessed)
- orar → oré (I prayed)
- escuchar → escuché (I heard / listened)
- cambiar → cambié (I changed)
Regular -ER/-IR preterite (yo form): -í
- entender → entendí (I understood)
- sentir → sentí (I felt)
- decidir → decidí (I decided)
- recibir → recibí (I received)
Key irregulars (yo form):
- ser/ir → fui (I was / I went)
- tener → tuve (I had)
- hacer → hice (I did / made)
- venir → vine (I came)
The Imperfect + Preterite Contrast in Testimony
The classic storytelling pattern:
- Imperfect = the backdrop (what was happening, how things were)
- Preterite = the action that happened against that backdrop
| Imperfect (background) | Preterite (turning point) |
|---|---|
| Buscaba el propósito… | …entonces escuché el evangelio. |
| No tenía paz… | …pero ese día, todo cambió. |
| Vivía sin Dios… | …hasta que alguien me invitó a la iglesia. |
Sample Testimony Part 2
“Un día, un amigo me invitó a una reunión en su iglesia. Yo no quería ir, pero fui de todas formas. Esa noche, el pastor habló sobre el amor de Dios — cómo Dios mandó a su Hijo Jesús para morir por mis pecados. Escuché esas palabras y algo en mi corazón se movió.
Entendí que necesitaba a Dios. Al final del servicio, el pastor invitó a las personas que querían recibir a Cristo. Yo levanté la mano. Oré una oración sencilla — pedí perdón por mis pecados y recibí a Jesús como mi Señor y Salvador. En ese momento, sentí una paz que nunca antes había sentido. Fue el día más importante de mi vida.”
(One day, a friend invited me to a meeting at his church. I didn’t want to go, but I went anyway. That night, the pastor spoke about God’s love — how God sent his Son Jesus to die for my sins. I heard those words and something in my heart moved. I understood that I needed God. At the end of the service, the pastor invited anyone who wanted to receive Christ. I raised my hand. I prayed a simple prayer — I asked for forgiveness for my sins and received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. In that moment, I felt a peace I had never felt before. It was the most important day of my life.)
Comprehension Check:
- ¿A dónde fue la persona por primera vez? (Where did the person go for the first time?)
- ¿De qué habló el pastor? (What did the pastor talk about?)
- ¿Qué hizo la persona al final del servicio? (What did the person do at the end of the service?)
Vocabulary for Different Conversion Stories
| If your story was… | Spanish phrase |
|---|---|
| At a young age | Cuando tenía ocho años, acepté a Cristo. |
| As an adult | Ya de adulto, entendí que necesitaba a Dios. |
| Through a difficult time | En medio de una crisis, clamé a Dios. |
| Through a friend | Un amigo/una amiga me habló de Jesús. |
| Through reading the Bible | Leyendo la Biblia, encontré la verdad. |
| Through a mission trip! | En un viaje misionero, vi el amor de Dios. |
| Gradually | Poco a poco, Dios fue cambiando mi corazón. |
¡Practícalo! (Speaking Practice)
Write your own Part 2 in Spanish. Use 4–6 sentences. Then speak it aloud until natural.
Structure:
- The turning point event: Un día… / Cuando tenía ___ años…
- What happened: Escuché el evangelio… / Alguien me habló de…
- My response: Decidí / Acepté / Recibí / Oré…
- The result: Sentí… / Todo cambió… / Nací de nuevo.
Time yourself — Part 2 should take 45–60 seconds.
Now practice Parts 1 and 2 back-to-back. Your testimony is taking shape.
Cultural Note
The altar call (el llamado): In many Latin American evangelical services, the pastor ends with a public invitation for people to come forward or raise a hand to accept Christ. This is a normal and expected part of the service format. If you are sharing your testimony and the Spirit is moving, be open to a spontaneous invitation at the end. It doesn’t have to be formal. ¿Quisieras orar conmigo ahora mismo? (Would you like to pray with me right now?) is often all it takes.
Oración
“Porque todo aquel que invocare el nombre del Señor, será salvo.” (For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.) — Romanos 10:13
Invoqué su nombre. I called on his name. Your Part 2 is that moment.
← Lesson 28 | Next Lesson → Lesson 30: Your Testimony Part 3