On May 5, a group of boys were talking together on a table at the campus of Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California. A principal approached and demanded that they remove their bandanas and turn their T-shirts inside out so the symbols did not show. They refused and were sent to the principal`s office where they were told that the American flag bandanas and Stars and Stripes T-shirts were "incendiary" and would cause fights on the campus. They continued to refuse the order and were sent home.

What was the problem? The day, May 5, (Cinco de Mayo) is when Mexicans celebrate their "Mexican Heritage Day." School authorities were concerned that their Mexican students would be offended by this bold display of U.S. patriotism. In fact, one Mexican student told a reporter, "We don`t deserve to get disrespected like that."

This small incident illustrates the growing tension over the issue of immigration. Some argue that immigrants in this country without proper documents should be arrested and deported. Others say we should welcome them into our economy to do the grunt work that others don`t want.

For the soul winner, these arguments are beside the point. These are souls who need the truth of the gospel. Most of them are in, or have come out of, the stultifying superstitions of Roman Catholicism. They have fled from the grinding poverty and rampant corruption caused by this false "church." Countries south of the U.S. border were explored and settled at the same time as the U.S. but never flourished economically because of the bondage of their religion.

In the U.S., freedom of religion and respect for the law has created the most prosperous nation the world has ever seen. The plenty that we take for granted is supreme luxury to most of the rest of the world. Our nation not only sends more missionaries abroad than all other countries combined, but has drawn millions to our shores speaking every language under the sun.

Bible-believers must realize our responsibility to all who know not our Lord, legal and illegal. But, there is another problem with our southern neighbor where soul winners can also help. Because of the huge U.S. market for illegal drugs, drug "cartels" have taken over whole towns along the border. Anyone, including the police or government troops, who defies them, can end up dead. Thousands of good people have fled and hundreds of businesses have closed.

What has this to do with soul winning? Simply this: drug users in this country are fueling this illegal and dangerous business. As our churches reduced their concern for soul winning, lost people not reached with gospel fall into the drug culture becoming customers for the cartels.

As you can see, there is no lack of opportunity to carry out the Great Commission. For the tens of millions here who speak Spanish, Chick Publications releases all new tracts in both Spanish and English. For the dozens of languages spoken by others who have immigrated here, Chick has at least one tract in over 100 languages.

Granted, immigration and the drug trade are huge problems but the real solution is bringing one person at a time into the Kingdom.

If the millions of Christians in this country would win just one person a month to Christ, these problems would soon dry up and America could again be the "city on a hill" shining the message of the Son of Rightousness to the rest of the planet.

Soul winners, we need to redouble our efforts and recruit others to help us.