Diego from Chile: skater for Jesus

Santiago, Chile - Three years ago, Yerko and Corine Clavero started a skateboard ministry in Santiago, Chile. Together, they’re responsible for the youth ministries of OM Chile. Filled with passion for the skateboarders in this city, they bring mini-ramps to a park in Santiago in the weekends. For Yerko, this is an easy way of connecting with the skaters in the park. He makes friends with them – and talks about the Bible. Diego is one of the skaters that gave his life to Jesus last year.

‘I’m 21 years old’, Diego says. ‘And I’ve been skating for seven years now. I’ve got lots of friends among the skaters. I’m one of the best skaters of my group in Santiago. Before, I used to enjoy that status very much. I thought that this was all that I needed. Every once in a while, there was pain and sadness as well. Depressive thoughts were a part of my daily life. Sometimes, these thoughts were very heavy. At that times, I used to cut myself with a knife. I drank a lot, used marihuana and went from one party to the other. Inside, I felt empty. It was my dream to be a sponsored skateboarder and to win a lot of competitions. But this only strengthened the last letters of my name: (Di)Ego!’

One day, during the skating, he met Yerko. ‘We became friends. His passion and motivation for life intrigued me. He kept on inviting me to come to the mini-ramp. We bought something to eat and drink together and invited more friends. It was great. I loved meeting more people from different countries. We had a lot of fun together. But most of all, I met Jesus. Yerko helped me to get out of the gutter. I can say now that, through Yerko, God reached out to me. God showed me His love through Yerko, in a way that I understood the best. It was this love and acceptance, that my heart had been longing for so long. I really understand now what it is to live my life with Jesus. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Everything has been created by God and for God. So when I say that I’m a skater, it means that I’m skating for Him. On October 17th 2009, I accepted Jesus as my Saviour. I know now, that I’ll never be alone again.’

A little while later, skaters Pinky and Feliciano also gave their lives to Jesus. They attend OM Chile’s Bible studies and recently, Pinky got baptised. ‘It isn’t easy to be a Christian in the world of the skaters’, he testified in church. ‘But I made my choice: I want to live for Jesus.’ Praise God for these Christian skaters in Santiago and pray that many more skaters will be reached with the gospel through this ministry.

OM’s role in the Church is to mobilise people to share the knowledge of Jesus and His love with every generation in every nation. OM pioneers and leads initiatives to redeem lives, rebuild communities and restore hope in over 110 countries.