A Mexican-born medical student volunteered in Israel shares the story of a life-changing encounter with a mysterious man at the Holy Grave Church. Rogerio Quintero of Guadalajara, Mexico traveled to Israel to volunteer in June 2022 Magen David Adomfrequently visited Israeli emergency services systems and sites in and around Jerusalem.
The Catholic Quintero was struggling mentally.
“At that moment in my life, I was very far from God,” he told the Crosswalk headline. “I was just thinking about parties, women, and all of this kind of things. That's not the way God wants us to live.”
Quintero frequently visited the church of St. Sepulcher. Jesus He was crucified and buried. There, Quintero often prayed to God.
“I liked going to church at the Holy Tomb. Just to ask him, “Who are you? What do you want from me?”
On one of his final days in Israel, Quintero walked to the church after his shift, sitting quietly behind for 3-4 hours, watching tourists come and go.
“And in the middle of my stay at the church, I saw this guy enter the main door of the church. He was wearing a white tunic, long white hair and a long white beard. He was barefoot, with a stick and a wooden stick. [only] one time. ”
The two didn't talk at first. However, after the church was closed, Quintero sat on the stairs and met a man. The man approached Quintero.
“He asked me in Spanish. Like the very fluent Spanish, very indigenous Spanish, “Why are you so far from God?” – that was the first thing he said to me. ”
Quintero recalls how he felt shocked, not knowing how the man knew personal details about his life.
When they engaged in the conversation, Quintero admitted that he was far from God. Soon the man asked the medical student a second question: “Why did you come to Israel?” Quinterr responded that he felt that God had led him to Israel.
Before their conversation was over, the man told Quintero with confidence, “You have a mission in Israel, so you have to come again.”
The man then said something even more surprising.
“He told me he knew the priest and the church I live in. I live in a small town in Guadalajara,” Quintero said.
They chatted for another 15-20 minutes before the man said goodbye and finished the conversation.
The man was barefoot and barefoot, and he was not homeless, Quintero said.
“He was very beautiful. He was very beautiful.”
“I made him a promise to develop a very close relationship with God, but that wasn't easy,” Quintero said.
The encounter was life-changing for Quintero, who later earned a medical degree. He has plans to return to Israel this year.
“He shouldn't have known,” he said there are such details about Rogerio's life.
“This is very personal,” he said.
Quintero spoke to the pastor about meeting him.
“He said to me – “He was an angel or a man God sent to you.”
“I think it was an angel,” Quintero said.
God sent a mysterious person “to change my life,” Quintero said. He considers encounters to be a miracle.
“What happened to me was the moment God said, 'I'm real. Follow me. This is the right way.' ”
Photo credit: ©Wikimedia Commons/Gerd Eichmann
Michael Foot For 20 years, I have covered the intersection of faith and news. His stories appear in the Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Leaf, Toronto Star, Knoxville News Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's podcast! He is the host of Cross Walk Talka podcast where he talks to Christian movie stars, musicians, directors and more. Listen to famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian films, books, television and other entertainment. You can find Cross Walk Talk Above lifeaudio.comor subscribe apple or Spotify So you won't miss an interview that will surely encourage your faith.
It was originally published on April 9, 2025.
