United in Prayer Blog
The Silent Language
I slipped out of the truck and made my way to my first patient, Daprina. After being accidentally shot in the foot, Daprina’s wound had become badly infected, necessitating a trip to the hospital. I shyly greeted her in Palawano, “Menungang Meriklem!”...
Setting Prisoners Free
A native of Brazil, Renato was in the middle of his first year as a missionary teacher in Thailand, and he had asked the pastor if he could preach for his birthday. “I’m far from home,” he had said. “I don’t know what to do for my birthday. Please let me preach. That is the only way I can celebrate my birthday.” But as Renato was looking over his sermon notes, he got a phone call from the headquarters of the South American Division in Brazil. It seemed that God had something else in mind for Renato’s birthday...
Late at the Right Time
My driver had come to my hotel, picked up someone claiming to be his passenger, and dropped them off at the same airport I was going to. I asked him, “So…what do we do?” He said he’d call management to see what could be done. I went back inside to wait again, wondering what in the world had just happened and whether I would still be able to catch my flight...
The Phone Bill Miracle
One day in 1998, I received an e-mail from my mom that my dad was in a coma and was not expected to live very long. We had just moved from Canada for a teaching assignment at Highland View Academy (HVA) the year before. I knew we had to withdraw all our paperwork for our Green Cards before I could leave the United States, or I could not come back again. This started a series of phone calls to our lawyers to see what could be worked out so that I could go back to the Philippines to see my dad before he died. A series of miracles happened, which are too long to explain here. Thankfully, I was able to take the earliest possible flight to Manila and another flight to where my parents lived.
From Unlucky to Loved
Chhaina grew up hating the name of Jesus Christ. Chhaina belonged to a major world religion in Cambodia, and he and his family hated Christianity. But then Chhaina’s family began to hate him. It all started when Chhaina’s grandfather died suddenly. Chhaina loved his grandfather and had spent a lot of time with him. But in their religion, if you spend a lot of time with someone, and something bad happens, you are considered responsible. Chhaina’s family wondered if the boy was unlucky.
A Jewel in Your Crown - Part 2
A few days later, Jake and Isaac returned with two girls from their team to visit Hope. They found her in the same chair they had left her in after their last visit. The two dogs gave their routine welcome. “Oh, I’m so glad you kids are back,” Hope grinned, her gums showing. “I was afraid you weren’t coming.” The four young adults gathered around Hope and listened as she once again explained her story. They asked questions about her life, and patiently listened as she repeated herself several times....
A Jewel in Your Crown - Part 1
Bruised, confused, and naked, Hope lay in a car, as her adversary drove her northward. “Where am I? Where is my husband?” she cried inwardly. The hot Louisiana sun beat down on the thin bed sheet, which alone covered Hope’s frail, ninety-four-pound body. Her physical nakedness was a fitting omen of the emotional nakedness engulfing her. Dentureless, she pleaded with the driver to take her home—to no avail...
Christian and Abouba: Friends Forever Changed in Rwanda
Weeks before, Christian had noticed a large banner stretching across the church gateway, advertising a picture of a foreign woman who was coming to talk about Bible prophecy and what it reveals about our lives today. He invited his neighbor friend to join him. Interestingly, his neighbor, Abouba, had grown up a devout Muslim, so Christianity was unfamiliar to him. He knew nothing about the Bible and he had never even heard of Jesus! Intrigued, he accepted the invitation...
The Black Cover Blessing
Matthew and another teacher went together and began the class. At the midway point, Matthew opened the box. “If you’re interested in purchasing a Bible,” he said, “we have some.” He withdrew the various copies of the Bibles that they had packed, explaining the difference between each. “The local language is the same between these two,” he explained, “but the English is very different. I would recommend the black one if you were to choose one. The students took a vote and decided that all of them wanted to buy a Bible. “Oh no!” Matthew thought. “I only brought two copies of the simpler English Bible!”...
What Do You Want? - Part 2
Maria glanced nervously at David as the man approached them in his home in a large city in southern Asia. The man’s cellphone was recording as he waited for them to answer his wife’s question about their religious beliefs. “As I already said, we are Seventh-day Adventists,” David said. “Does this mean you are Christians?” the man said. David prayed silently. He knew many people in this country were not open to Christianity because they were troubled by the reality that many Christians drank alcohol and ate unclean food, which their religion forbade....
Praying in the Storm
A fierce thunderstorm broke out on the first night that 19 South Korean teenage missionaries spent on a Philippine island. The teens, ages 14 to 17, had not signed up for a thunderstorm when they joined a one-year mission training program called Academy Missionary Movement. Part of the program required them to participate in an international mission trip, and they had come to the remote island to assist with evangelistic meetings under the guidance of a South Korean pastor, who would preach. But the storm that greeted them on their first night threatened to spoil their plans....
Miracle at the Bus Stop
The words were loud and clear. “Have you tried Ha Moruthoane?” “What?” I asked, startled by the voice, and quickly turning to see who was speaking. Right behind us was a man with dark brown eyes, looking at both my husband and me. “Have you tried Ha Moruthoane school? There is a job for you.” We were standing at a bus stop waiting for a bus to take us to Morija, a small village in Lesotho....
The Why Boy
James was a “Why Boy.” Whenever he was asked to do something at summer camp, he asked, “Why?” “Why do I have to do this?” he said. “Why do I have to do that?” James was an orphan. His father and mother had died, and he lived with relatives in a small Native village in Alaska. Those relatives sent him to summer camp. So, James got onto an airplane and flew to the city of Dillingham. Alaska doesn’t have many roads, so people often have to fly in airplanes to travel from one place to another...
Every Moment Matters!
Over and over again, I’ve seen how God can make ordinary moments turn into a single moment that really matters in someone’s life. This story is another one of those testimonies of how God led and blessed in a powerful way. It had been another long flight back across the ocean headed home. The hours ticked by slowly for me in my cramped row of seats. “God,” I repeatedly prayed, “Who on this plane do You want me to encourage or pray with?” ....
Watch and Pray!
The camp director called an emergency late-night meeting to discuss supernatural activity at Camp Polaris in Alaska. Wes, who was working as the camp’s handyman, joined other staff members in the main lodge to talk and pray. His girlfriend, Rachel, who was working as a camp counselor, told the other staff members of strange occurrences taking place in the cabin where she was caring for eight Alaska Native girls. Whenever Jesus was mentioned before bedtime — sometimes in prayers and other times in worship talks — strange things happened after the lights were turned out. The girls were scared and having bad dreams. At the end of the emergency meeting, staff members prayed together and went to their cabins for the night...
Inexhaustible!
Man can accomplish nothing without God, and God has arranged His plans so as to accomplish nothing in the restoration of the human race without the cooperation of the human with the divine. The part man is required to sustain is immeasurably...
Victory over the Enemy
I couldn’t believe it! Here I was a vegetarian, maintained a proper weight, followed what I thought was a healthy diet, drank no caffeine, didn’t snack, took lots of vitamins and probiotics, and yet I had just been diagnosed with COVID double pneumonia and was told to go to the ER immediately. I was having difficulty breathing; and from the sound of the doctor’s voice, I was in trouble. I prayed, “Jesus, please help me; You know I belong to You.”
Standing for Sabbath
Ana didn’t want to become a Seventh-day Adventist. She loved the church of her childhood in the Philippines, and she didn’t want to worship on Saturday instead of Sunday. She cried and cried. But as she studied the Bible, she grew convinced about the seventh day. She became an Adventist. Then trouble flared up at work...
Monkeys Who Kept the Sabbath
Monkeys threatened to destroy the crops of a family farm in Mozambique. António Cuchata received strict orders from his father to keep the monkeys away. However, António didn’t want to guard the farm on Sabbath. He recently had given his heart to Jesus in baptism, and he wanted to spend the Sabbath worshiping in a Seventh-day Adventist church. What would António do?...
I Want That Book!
Tim was a new missionary, and he was scared. He was selling Christian books on a predominantly non-Christian island in Southeast Asia, and he didn’t want any trouble. As he made his way down a street, Tim prayed and nervously stepped into the store of a seamstress. Ahead of him, he saw four people waiting in line. The minutes seemed to drag by. The wait was taking longer than Tim had expected. He was tempted to leave, but something stopped him...
My Brother's Conversion
A number of years ago, my heart was really breaking for my brother. He had been in the church but had drifted away. Here I was preaching the gospel to thousands and seeing many won to the Lord, and yet I realized that without a miracle my own brother would not spend eternity with the Lord and me. As a result, I began interceding on behalf of my brother. “Please Lord, I am not commanding you, I am pleading: By December this year I want my brother back to you. Please Lord, work a miracle!” From August until December, I prayed passionately every day for my brother’s salvation...
Earthquake Miracle
“Honey, what do you think about leaving Pennsylvania and going west so I can find some good work to support our family?” With that thought, Alexander Kerr’s wife agreed, so he and his family moved west. They lived in Idaho for a while before landing in Oregon. By 1902, the U.S. economy was suffering terribly, and Alexander had very little money because he could not find adequate work. The few available jobs didn’t pay well enough to meet his family’s needs, so feeding them became a challenge...
Trusting God in the Midst of a Devastating Diagnosis
In 2019, while on a mission trip to Jamaica to do some family life meetings, I started experiencing some strange symptoms. We noticed some slight slurring of my speech and difficulty getting my words out. It seemed so random; I'd always been so healthy. However, upon returning home we conferred with several doctors who urged immediate testing and an appointment with a neurologist...
A Present Help in Trouble
It had been one of those mornings where I pushed through my morning worship. Dry, distracted. I had sadness in my heart over my failures and constant struggles. Yet I pushed through. When I feel like this, it generally helps for me to take a long morning walk outside to clear my mind and focus on God through nature. It was a very cold, brisk November morning. Sun and clouds hung over the sky. It was refreshing. I had avoided walking in the beloved wooded area on my property all summer due to increased tick activity in the northeast, but at this time there was no fear of that due to the cold. So, I bundled up and took off uphill in the quiet woods behind my house...
A Voice in the Dark
Grace Babcock woke up suddenly in the middle of the night to the sound of an angry voice. “You don’t know,” the voice said. “You don’t understand.” Grace wasn’t scared. If anything, she was annoyed about being woken up in her one-bedroom apartment at the Holbrook Indian School, where she worked as a teacher. She listened. “God is using you like a puppet,” the voice said. “There is stuff that you don’t know. You are following God blindly, and God is tyrannical..."
Out of the Office and into the Front Lines
It was already past midnight on a Friday when our plane arrived in Houston, Texas. Warm, humid air greeted us as we exited the airport half-asleep. We clumsily jumped inside the van, driven by Reach the World Next Door (RWND) Coordinator Pr. Steve Toscano, that would take us to Cedar Shade Retreat. My husband, Joseph, and I were excited to arrive, prayerfully awaiting the next few days full of activities. You see, an anonymous donor had given a special gift to all of the ASAP office staff and our families to make this mission trip come true...
A Weekly Sabbath Miracle
I love miracles. I love to read, listen, and talk about them. When miracles happen to those close to me, the power of God becomes real. However, when I experience a miracle, the power and love of God become very real and personal. Last year, God reached down and incredibly performed two miracles for me related to my health. Earlier this year, God started doing another health miracle for me each week. My love and admiration for God is continuing to grow—His miraculous power is amazing...
Eternal Buddy System
Being at a summer camp in Alaska sounded exciting to Micah. He was 11 years old and living in Oregon. His Sabbath School teacher had read a mission story from Camp Polaris, a Seventh-day Adventist summer camp near Dillingham, Alaska. The story was about Alaska Native boys who were scared of ghosts until they learned that Jesus was more powerful. The story fascinated Micah. He had never thought that there were children living in the United States who were afraid of ghosts and didn’t know Jesus. When Thirteenth Sabbath arrived, he happily gave an offering to help the children at Camp Polaris. Little did Micah know that six years later...
YouTube Miracle
Is the God of the Bible really the true God? Does He really answer prayers? It was eleven o’clock one night when I finally knew in my heart that the answers to my questions were a resounding YES! It all started with a phone call, “Nelson, come quick! Something is wrong with my mom!” It was my cousin Pete on the other line. I quickly got dressed and rushed to his home on the other side of our village...
Perfect Property
Seventh-day Adventists wanted to plant a church on the Navajo Reservation in the U.S. state of Arizona. Church members from around the world contributed to the project when the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering was collected in 2011. But there was a big problem: where to open the church? The city of Page, located on the border of the Navajo Reservation, was chosen as the ideal location. However, the church couldn’t simply be constructed. City authorities had a rule that all churches had to be located on a certain street...
In My Distress, God Saved Me!
It was a time of high excitement for all, except me. We were on a bus headed to the whitewater rafting company that would be taking us into the water for a four-hour-long trip down the rapids in West Virginia. My husband and I, along with the youth pastor of our church, had planned a mission trip with 28 young people. Everyone had worked hard to raise money for this trip. We had spent the week in rural Kentucky helping those in need. We painted, built handicap ramps, and made general home improvements. The youth had worked hard. We wanted to take them camping, so we drove the group to West Virginia for the weekend.
It was Only Jesus!
It was Saturday night, and the sharp rapping of knuckles brought Pastor James to the door of his house in Page, a city located beside the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. A Native American man stood outside. “I need help for my daughter,” he said. “Her stomach hurts.” James looked beyond the man and saw the daughter and her mother in the car. “Does she need to go to the hospital?” he asked. “No, no,” the father said. “Just pray.” James invited her into the house, but the father shook his head...
Let Your Elisha Go
Marcus is an Elisha in my life. I flew into his country and met him for the first time. He had a hunger to know God personally, to call his community of faith to revival, and to disciple the new generations. He asked me lots of questions, many of which I had never thought about before. Sometimes I had to request some more time, so I could pray for wisdom. He asked me what I did in certain situations and why I did what I did...
The New Year’s Eve Prayer Meeting I will Never Forget
About twenty years ago, I did something that I had said all my life I would never do. I moved to southern California. Since I was raised as a country girl in the Ozarks of Arkansas, living in a highly populated area was never my idea of fun. Far from it. And southern California was one of those places I had said I would never live. Well, as I’ve learned over the years, it’s best never to say never...
Hope for Africa
I was truly blessed to see what the LORD accomplished through the Hope For Africa evangelistic meetings that took place September 2-16, 2023, at the Newlife SDA Church in Nairobi, Kenya. This life-changing series of Bible-based sermons, inspiring health presentations, practical family life talks, and beautiful music, was broadcast to more than 10,000 downlink locations in 11 countries across the African continent. All presentations were translated into seven languages: Kiswahili, Luganda, Kinyarwanda, Amharic, Arabic, French, and sign language. At the time of writing, more than 194,000 precious souls have been baptized and thousands more are preparing for baptism. We recognize that the results of the Hope For Africa evangelistic series were a direct blessing from God, but we also recognize that He used people to accomplish His mission of transforming lives...
Dream’s Change Father’s Life
Anush had prayed for years for Father to come to God. After Father allowed her and Mother to return to church on Sabbaths, she began to pray even more earnestly, pleading with God to reveal Himself to Father. “I don’t want to be the center of this story,” she prayed. “Speak to Father through dreams, visions, or friends. I just want his salvation.” She surrendered the matter to God. “It’s about You and him,” she said. Then Father had a dream...
Pleading for Father’s Salvation
As a university student, Anush watched a Mexican film about a little boy who prayed for the conversion of his father. In the film, the boy said, “I believe that if I pray for my father every single day, he will by all means come to God.” The boy prayed every day, and his father gave his heart to God. Inspired by the story, Anush decided to pray every single day for Father to get baptized. She started praying four years before her own baptism. Two years after her baptism, she was still praying for him. She was sure that he would come to God. But when tensions began to simmer at home, she began to wonder how much longer she would have to wait...
The Iron Gate
A few years ago, God sent my wife April and me to live in a small mountain town. The place where I was working at the time was far away in the valley, and I had a long commute. We often wondered why God would lead us to live so far away from where I worked. Then one day, we were fascinated to hear that just a mile or so away from our little cottage lived a wealthy couple who had not been in church for over forty years. We were told that they lived on a big piece of property, with a big iron gate guarding the entrance. We were also told they didn’t associate much with their neighbors. I began praying that I would have a divine appointment with the man who seemed impossible to reach...
Opening the Bamboo Curtain
Kneeling before the South Korean student, I asked if he had any prayer requests before I washed his feet during a Communion service at the Moscow International Seventh-day Adventist Church in Russia. “Pray for North Korea,” said the student, who was studying at a Moscow university. “The gospel needs to reach the North for Jesus to return.” With that prayer request in 2006, I learned about a special burden that Seventh-day Adventists from South Korea carry for their brothers and sisters in the North...
Heart Surgery Miracle
The testimony I am sharing with you is a testimony of our God, who is the Great Restorer and Healer of a bitter and broken heart. I was born into an Adventist home, and my father was a pastor. He was loved and highly respected by our church family, and all thought we were a normal, happy pastoral family. But as we all know, looks can be deceiving. No one knew the sadness and pain that existed in our home...
Choices of Destiny
When Artyom was small, about 5 years old, he went to the Seventh-day Adventist church with Father and Grandmother a few times in Uzbekistan. But then Father and Mother divorced. Artyom lived with Mother, and she forbade him from going to church. Like many people in Uzbekistan and other countries of the former Soviet Union, she viewed Adventists as members of a sect that had broken away from the Christian church. Artyom never set foot inside an Adventist church again until he was 17...
Healed Ears
Dr. Bennett was a godly man who possessed a passion for prayer. The good doctor understood that the only way he could adequately serve people was to connect with the ultimate Physician. He not only conversed with the great Healer in his prayer closet, but he also prayed with his patients to lead them to the One who could restore their health. They loved him for it. One evening he learned that a friend of his had been in a vehicle accident...
Testimony of a Pentecostal Pastor
Soman was raised in a Hindu home. His father was the president of the SNDP, a high-ranking Hindu group in Kerala, India. As a young man, Soman was an active “evangelist,” seeking to convert people to Hinduism. He was also a singer for the temple services. But as the years passed and he became a young man, he got heavily addicted to alcohol. It got so bad that his parents didn’t want him to stay at home anymore, and Soman fell into a deep depression. There was an emptiness in his life, and he decided the only way out was...
I have Connections!
When Sonya finished high school, she wanted more than anything to study medicine at a prestigious college. But to enroll at the college, she would need to pay a big bribe. Nowadays, bribes are not necessary to enter schools in Sonya’s home country of Uzbekistan. But life was different when Sonya prepared to go to college...
The Skeleton Key
Exhausted from many days of training leaders to disciple parents and their children to Jesus, I asked my Zimbabwean hosts where I was supposed to spend the night. I had just preached that night to over seven hundred students on a high school campus in Zimbabwe, and it was already well past sunset. My hosts led me to a dormitory on the edge of a university campus nearby. Once we got to my room, they handed me a long, narrow skeleton key. I stuck the key in the lock, and the door popped open. With gratitude, I said goodnight to my hosts...
Divine Relocations
“I’m praying that you move here.” Shocked, I asked the friendly stranger to repeat her words. I had retired just a few weeks prior, at least on paper, and my little schnauzer and I were on a six-week road trip. That Sabbath, I landed in northeast Washington to visit friends and attended a church in Chewelah, Washington, for the first time. Shirley, the church organist that day, turned around from her pew to ask, “Who are you?” She knew only three things about me when she spoke the words that would take me on another adventure with the Lord: 1. My name is Debi. 2. I’m from Michigan. 3. Barry and Anita are my friends...
God Help Me!
As a small girl, Alla didn’t understand what Grandmother was doing when she knelt before icons in their home in the Soviet republic of Uzbekistan. “I’m praying,” Grandmother said. “Why are you praying?” Alla asked. “Who are you praying to?” “I’m praying to the God who lives in heaven,” Grandmother said. “We need to love Him because He loves us. We need to fear Him.” Grandmother had a crucifix of Jesus on the wall, and Alla asked who was hanging on it. “That is Jesus, our God,” Grandmother said...
Charcoal and a Prayer
“Please help! Come fast!” A man came running to Deborah’s home one morning in early May. “Sayuma, Sayuma, Sayuma! (Respected Teacher! Teacher! Teacher!) Simeon has drunk poison and is dying! Please help! Come fast!” “Dear God, please show me what to do,” prayed Deborah. She remembered that her friend had sent her five packets of charcoal powder to detox the body from poisoning and to use for other treatments. Quickly she grabbed one of the packets and ran to Simeon's house. He had vomited and was lying there, unable to move...
Touching His Hem
“Auntie, Grandma has started bleeding in her fingers again.” I sensed fear and despair in the caregiver’s voice as she spoke to me over the phone. “What can we do?” I sat there motionless, without any concrete answer for the issue at hand. Two years ago, my mother suffered an ischemic stroke. This life-threatening condition had cut off blood flow to the brain, killing brain cells, and left her left leg and arm paralyzed. To minimize the risk of reoccurrence, she was put on blood thinners to keep her blood from clotting too easily...
Bring Revival Again!
Years ago, while we were conducting evangelistic meetings in the west of England, I came across an account of the great Welsh Revival of 1904. As I read, a deep longing grew in my heart that has never gone away. One story told how a truck driver approached a church with a delivery. However, the Holy Spirit’s presence was so strong that by the time he could see the church, he had tears rolling down his face. “I couldn’t help it; the Spirit of God was all around,” he said...
Asking God for Nations
While serving as a missionary in Bangkok, Thailand, I met Mr. Somchai and his wife. They were the owners of a little shop next to the Prakhanong Train Station. We met after my Thai language teacher had told me, “You must practice what you are learning every day with a Thai person!” After praying, I stopped by their little hawker shop to buy some cookies and practice the Thai that I had learned that day...
Goodbye to the Past
For Vlad, life centered on money, money, money. He made good money when the Soviet Union collapsed and Uzbekistan emerged as an independent country in the early 1990s. During the day, he ran a small factory that churned out butter. At night, he ran an illegal poker business. Vlad lived a high life with his wife, Marina, and they bought multiple apartments in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent. But then Vlad was caught and sent to prison because of his illegal business. His wife left him. Everything seemed to be falling apart...
Joy and Pain
I vividly remember the day that my husband and I found out that I was spontaneously pregnant with twins. What joy! I was fortunate to have a flawless pregnancy. No morning sickness. I felt great during the entire nine months. With excitement, we awaited the arrival of our precious twins in the very hot month of August over two decades ago...
A Legacy of Prayer
We all long to make a lasting difference! We all hope to leave a lasting legacy. However, often our lives become incredibly busy as we try to accomplish as much as possible. As a result, what then becomes of our legacy? J.N. Andrews, an Adventist Pioneer, was an incredibly busy man, but he left an amazing legacy. A major part of this was his book “History of the Sabbath and First Day of the Week.” Because Elder Andrews slept in a bed in the Review office while writing this book, he found it difficult to find a private place to pray during the day...
A Most Costly Cup of Tea
Terrance stayed up all night to finish a major assignment for a nursing class at Lowry Adventist University in India. He was off campus, studying at a friend’s house. He was addicted to tea, and he sipped the hot drink all night to stay awake. Around 4:30 a.m., Terrance went to the kitchen for another cup of tea. But there was no tea left. He wondered what to do. He was struggling to stay awake, and he just had to finish the assignment. Then he remembered that a vendor sold hot tea from a stand just down the road. He could zip over to the tea vendor on his friend’s motorcycle and then zip right back to finish his assignment...
A Wife and Son Healed in That Very Hour
Matthew 8:5-13 tells the story of a centurion who came to Christ seeking healing for his servant. Upon hearing the man’s plea for healing, Jesus responded, “I will come to your home and heal him.” Most would have been delighted at this offer, but the centurion said: “Oh Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just speak the word only and my servant will be healed.” As a result of his great faith, Christ healed his servant “in that very hour.” Did you know God still works the same miracles today?...
I will Never Marry a Pastor!
"I will never marry a pastor! Who wants that kind of life?" As a young girl, I said those words more times than I can count. I was born into a pastor’s family, and then I married a pastor who died within the first two years of pastoring. Would you believe I turned around and married a pastor again! Several years after I married Jerry, he was asked to be a conference president. I did not want that to happen. I prayed the whole day the conference Executive Committee met, begging God not to let it happen. God’s answer was No..
Instant Miracles
Since the beginning of time, God has worked instant miracles. Of course, many miracles occurred after some time had elapsed: Hezekiah waited three days before he was healed; Naaman had to wash in the Jordan River seven times before his leprosy was exchanged for robust health; God took the time to sculpt Adam before He breathed life into him...
Gospel Goosebumps
The advertising executive felt goosebumps on her arms as strains of beautiful choir music wafted into her office. It was not the first time that she had heard the music while at work behind her desk at the advertising agency that she ran in Bengaluru, India. It also was not the first time that she had felt goosebumps on her arms because of the music. But this time, she could not sit still...
A Helicopter Pilot’s Answered Prayer
A few months ago, my husband and I accepted the call to work with the Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services (PAMAS). To prepare for our transition, my husband Jared, who is a helicopter pilot, has been praying about the examinations he has to take for the pilot license conversion to the Philippines. Of course, he has passed the required FAA examinations as evidenced by his commercial helicopter license in the USA. However, it has been his prayer for four months now, that the Lord would take away the requirement for him to do the examination in the Philippines. After starting the license conversion process, he had even emailed the person in charge of the examination and asked for an exemption to the examination, but his request was refused...
Except by Fasting and Prayer
Fourteen-year-old Payel changed after a 14-year-old friend committed suicide. Once outgoing, she sat quietly in the corner. Then she began to scream, shiver, and shake for no apparent reason. Terrified, she confided that she was being visited by someone who looked like her dead friend. “Come with me,” the apparition told her. “I want to take you with me.” Twice Payel tried leap off a balcony, but her parents stopped her. In desperation, the parents called Rustam for help...
Answered Prayer in Southern Palawan
As I rode along in the small van, bouncing over a rough road in southern Palawan, my eyes took in the vivid scenes flying past outside the van’s windows. Huts and small bamboo shacks flew by, too many to count. Vivid green fields of rice paddies danced with the wind, against a backdrop of lush jungle mountains. A few muscular water buffalo trudged along the side of the road, as chickens and children scurried out of the way...
French Fry Beetles and Answered Prayer
“Would you like to try a bug?” The translator held out a shiny black beetle, oil glistening on its spindly legs. “It tastes just like French fries!” We were interviewing students at one of ASAP’s schools in Cambodia when, during a break, our translator offered to take us to visit the home of Sor Rueb, one of the school’s students. In a tiny, three-sided bamboo shack located right behind the school’s back wall we met Mr. and Mrs. Rueb, a hard-working couple with three children. Their two oldest children were students at the school, and the translator visited them often...
Two Boys, Two Prayers – Part 2
Eight months passed after the miraculous answer to prayer, and Seventh-day Adventist church members visited Father for a second time on a Sabbath in Conakry, Guinea. Fifteen people arrived with Father’s sons, Junior and Emilie, who attended an Adventist school on the church compound. “We are here to pray,” a church elder said...
Two Boys, Two Prayers – Part 1
Father was excited when he saw a new sign reading Adventist Maranatha School on a street in Conakry, capital of the West African country of Guinea. He wanted his two sons to go to a Christian school, and this might be their chance. He never dreamed that the school would change his life. Father entered the fenced compound of the newly opened school and found a teacher. “Is this a Christian school?” he asked. “Yes,” she replied. “This is a Seventh-day Adventist school.”
From Rejection to Redemption
After yet another day of returning home from school and finding his mother yelling and his father drinking, Jhon wondered to himself, “Why can’t my family be like so many other families here in Mexico—where parents give their kids hugs and tell them they love them?” By the time Jhon was a teenager, after so much abuse and neglect, he’d decided there was no hope for him. No one loved him except the many girls he’d been with, but he knew that wasn’t really love. Like his dad, Jhon drank and did drugs to escape the pain...
A Startling Voice
A voice awoke Father from an afternoon nap in India in the early 1980s. “If you were to die today, what would you do?” the voice asked. Father was startled. He didn’t think that anyone was in the house with him. He looked here. He looked there. He tried to find the person who had spoken to him. But he couldn’t find anyone in the house. Father grew worried. “Who is talking to me?” he cried out. No one replied. Father’s worries grew. He prayed, “God, I want to know who was talking to me.” But the house remained silent. Father wondered what to do...
Sabbath Ultimatum
Diogo was desperately poor, and his employer had given him an ultimatum: Work on Sabbath or get fired. What could he do? Months earlier, when Diogo had gotten married, he was so poor that he couldn’t rent a house in his homeland of Brazil. So, he and his bride moved in with an aunt who didn’t charge any rent. At the time, Diogo was working as an intern. Then he learned that his wife, Nayara, was pregnant, and he began to look for a better-paying job. His real dream, however, was to own his own business. Diogo spoke to God about his dream...
Prayer Can Move the Elephants
A colleague and I were on our way to an Adventist World Radio (AWR) youth evangelistic series held nearby India. Not long after we set out, we received word that elephants were within sight. I asked what this meant. Three nights earlier, I’d been told that approximately 175 elephants were roaming, earnestly in search of food. However, in their search, they damaged 25 houses, rice fields, and other crops! The following night, a herd of about 60-70 elephants returned again, causing great trouble to the people living in the area where we were holding the event...
Interior Designer Witness
Can an interior designer be a witness for heaven? A married couple felt so strongly that they were being called to share Jesus through interior design that they left cushy corporate careers to start a business of their own in India. The couple, Twinkle and Milind, eagerly got to work when they signed their first contract in one of India’s biggest cities, Bengaluru. Wealthy parents asked for the redesign of the bedroom of their 13-year-old son, Arnav. As Twinkle and Milind listened to the mother’s wishes for the bedroom, it seemed that she wanted more than a redesign...
That Still Small Voice
I was at the airport, early in the morning, a few weeks ago, standing at the front of the group three section for boarding. Directly in front of me, by the window, was a man in a wheelchair. He had a look of pure misery on his face. I made eye contact with him twice and smiled, but he did not return it. Instead, he just looked back down at the floor with an unhappy look. Then, the thought came to me, "Go give him one of your CD's." "No way!" I thought...
Prayer Adventures from the Wild
While expedition climbing the West Buttress on Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska I was with a group of hikers pinned down at Camp IV (14,200 elevation) for nine days by an aggressive storm. It was negative 50 degrees Fahrenheit with 60 mph winds. White out conditions persisted. Being outside invited death. I shared a three-man tent with two other guys, a Mormon and an atheist. For nine brutal days and nights we had to...
"Jesus, it is me, Josh!"
“Mom, Mom! Where are you?” Josh said as he raced into the house. “I had a fun day at school!” Nearly every day was like this when Josh got home. He was a bundle of energy, enthusiasm and happiness. However, one afternoon, when Josh was 10 years old, he didn’t come bounding in the house yelling with excitement. Instead, he quietly put his backpack on the floor and shuffled into the kitchen...
The Bible Guy and God's Miracles!
Remus is known as “the Bible Guy.” He was a nurse, and his wife was an architect. They had a comfortable life with three children in France. By all appearances, they had everything that they needed to be happy. But something was missing. Remus longed to be able to repeat the prayer of Jesus to His Father, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4, NKJV). Remus wanted to glorify God with His life. But how?
An Expensive Divine Appointment
Recently I flew to Maryland to be with dear friends for a final fellowship gathering as they are moving overseas. Since I work remotely most of the time, I also needed to take care of a few things at the office. Despite it being last-minute, with the help of some airmiles, I was able to book an inexpensive flight. One drawback to my cheap ticket was that I had a very tight connection in Atlanta. When I purchased the ticket, I wasn't sure if I could make my connecting flight, but I decided to go ahead and book it anyway...
“Lord, who is supposed to get this book?”
I was recently in Ohio and on my last day there we went door to door handing out Great Controversy books. When we finished, everyone had given away their books except for me. I had one left and could not find anyone else to give it to! I decided to save my last book, just in case I met someone in the airport the next day. I arrived at the airport bright and early the next morning. As I stood at the gate, waiting to board my next flight, the thought came to my mind, "I wonder who I will give my last book to?"
I Decided to Live for God
"Most people around me live for money, but I decided to live for God!” Asim, the goalie of his city’s soccer team in a closed country of the Middle East and North Africa Union, testifies that he plays to honor God. It’s affected his income, though. When he joined the team, he was the only Adventist in the entire region, and his request to have Sabbaths off was considered unreasonable. The managers flatly turned down his request...
Mission Path to Spain, Part 4
Luis Paiva decided to open a fruit stand in Spain. But he moved forward with fear, sensing that God was calling him to serve elsewhere. He also worried that his new business might prevent him from giving his all to God. Two short weeks after opening the fruit stand, everything seemed to fall apart. His business was failing. His partners were cheating him. He fell ill and no longer could walk. But Luis didn’t want to give up. He asked fellow Seventh-day Adventists for business advice. One of them, knowing that Luis had trained to be a pastor, reprimanded him. “You shouldn’t be engaged in worldly business but in the business of winning souls for the Lord,” he said...
Mission Path to Spain, Part 3
Pastor Luis Paiva miraculously received U.S.$1,000 to pay off a debt, leading him to believe that God’s will was for him, his wife, and their three children to leave Venezuela. But they didn’t have any savings. “Lord, how do I leave with no savings?” he prayed. At home, his wife said a pastor in the United States had called, wanting to speak with him. The pastor was looking for volunteer missionary to work for a year in an area of Mexico without a Seventh-day Adventist presence. Luis went to Mexico, and his wife and children joined him two months later...
Mission Path to Spain, Part 2
Only five families were at home when a gunmen descended on a cluster of nine houses occupied by Seventh-day Adventist pastoral families in Venezuela. Waving weapons, the attackers forced the families into a single house, where they separated the men, women, and children. Police arrived and surrounded the house, leading to a standoff that ended peacefully 10 hours later when, at 3 a.m., the gunmen fled into a forest behind the house...
Mission Path to Spain, Part 1
Luis fell ill shortly after he was baptized and enrolled as a theology student at Venezuelan Adventist University. At first, he thought it was the flu. But the symptoms worsened and he struggled to breathe, physicians suggested that he might be allergic to the pollen from the orange trees that blossomed around the university. He received many injections, but his lungs still wouldn’t allow him to breathe. Physicians advised him to quit his studies and return home, but he didn’t want to leave. He continued to get tested...
How “Standing in the Gap” changed my Life
As the pandemic surged in 2020, times were becoming more and more difficult for me and many others. I saw many suffering from depression on all sides. I’d only been an Adventist for 5 years at the time, and I longed for someone who could teach me more about God’s Word and about prayer. I also longed to have a prayer partner and an opportunity to share hope and encouragement with those around me. After a member of our Filipino community in Thailand committed suicide, I was determined to do something. And so, I began to pray, “Lord, please show me how to help lift the burdens of those who are struggling so that they will know they are not alone in this pandemic and crisis. Also send me someone to pray with so that I will not feel so alone. I need someone to lift me up in prayer when I’m tired and weary..."
Sabbath of Attacks
Sometimes, Satan attacks you with an onslaught in one day. If he cannot overcome you one way, he will try another. Sabbath morning. I woke up early to work on the sermon buzzing around in my brain throughout the week. I prayed and started organizing my verses, but I still could not figure out where it was going. It seemed I had two sermons stuck together, but I kept at it and let it be. The final sermon often does not come together for me until I stand in front of the congregation...
A Spilled Diet Coke along with a Divine Appointment
After a very full weekend at a conference, where I had met lots of amazing people and had lots of engaging conversations, my little introverted self was feeling tired and a bit “peopled out.” So on my flight home I wasn’t really trying to talk to my seat mates or anyone in particular. Instead, I opted to read a good book. I felt a little guilty not trying to reach out to those next to me, but it was obvious my companions (two woman) were traveling together, and deep in conversation, so I didn’t think too much about it...
Finding Rest in Unexpected Callings
My first encounter with this verse was in a dream. At the time, my family and I lived in Johannesburg, South Africa. We had a good life surrounded by family and friends. In the dream, we were asked to move from Johannesburg to an unknown land. As I urged upon God my reasons why we could not leave at that time, a Bible opened, and a finger pointed to Exodus 33:14...
A Miracle Song
At the end of September, I was singing for a large event in Tampa, Florida. Part of the event included a health clinic that served the homeless community with free medical services, including dental and surgeries. Thousands were served in two days. It was a fantastic experience, but a few days later I ended up sick. It was not hard to understand why, considering I had been surrounded by sickness. Thankfully it did not take me long to recover, but as often happens when I get sick, I lost my voice and ended up with a lingering cough, just in time to start our fall tour...
“Hope Amid Panic Attacks”
As a girl, Grete had panic attacks. She woke up in the dark, scared, her heart beating rapidly. Her fear was so intense that she wondered whether she might explode. She didn’t know where to find help. She didn’t tell her parents. She thought her fears were bigger than people. The world scared her, even ordinary things like school and walking on the street. She didn’t think anyone in Germany, where she lived, could help...
The Broken Boiler
The winters in the state of New York can be harsh, and the winter of 2021 was no different. It was December when Sonia's boiler stopped working. Since it was already 30°F degrees outside, she needed heat, and she needed it immediately. When she called the technician to come look at the boiler, she was told the boiler needed a part that would not be available until February of 2022. That was some alarming news for Sonia and her family...
The Little Church That Could
It seemed that the Seventh-day Adventist church on Rügen island in northern Germany would have to close. Only six people worshiped there: four elderly members of a single family, and two other older people. Membership had dwindled from seven, when the church was founded in 1940, and from its heyday of 33 members in the late 1950s. Conference leaders recommended selling the site. “No, we want to keep the church,” Gunthardt, the church’s head elder, told them. “We don’t want to sell it...”
Angels Still Work Miracles Today!
I grew up on a small island in the Caribbean. It is 18 miles long at its longest point, and at its widest point, it is 10 miles wide. The island has a total area of 133 square miles. It is very mountainous, and at the northern end of the island, there is an active volcano. The roads are narrow and winding and only wide enough for one vehicle in some parts. These narrow roads crisscross the island up the mountains and down through many lush green valleys...
Sharing Jesus in Colombia
Oscar’s first 20 years as an Adventist were spent in one church. He loved his church family, but he realized that he was too comfortable, and God was calling him to do more to reach others. God led him in a surprising way. Oscar started to have trouble with his heart. When he went to the doctor, he found out that he’d likely have to take medication for the rest of his life. This worried Oscar, and he asked the doctor what changes he could make to avoid that. The answer? Lots and lots of exercise...
Put the Plane Down Now!
“We need to land this plane NOW!” shouted Danny, my friend and pilot, as he looked frantically out the small Cessna’s rain speckled cockpit. Three of us college kids had boarded the small aircraft just hours before in southwest Michigan. It had been a cloudless sky with perfect flying conditions as we lifted off and headed south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to attend a workshop. With such great weather, nobody was concerned that our licensed pilot did not have instrument rating...
House Church Miracles
Gina Wahlen was excited to visit a house church in a country where Christians face persecution for their faithfulness to God. She had arrived to collect mission stories for Adventist Mission. The house church turned out to be a former home on the ground floor of an apartment building. The apartment had been gutted and turned into a church, with a main sanctuary on one side and a small room on the other. Gina began interviewing people in the small side room with an interpreter...
One Last Miracle for Me
In Spring 2017, Mom was still at home, exactly where she wanted to be. I did my best to honor that but I was cracking. After working a full-time job, commuting every weekend from where I lived, grocery shopping, taking her to doctor’s appointments, etc., I was physically, mentally, and spiritually weary. I was trying to control things and failing wretchedly. God was there, patiently waiting for me to let go. Finally, I started looking for a place to take care of Mom. Unbeknownst to me, God was already at work...
From Captivity to Freedom
Georgio hit upon what he thought was the perfect plan to escape communist Romania. He saw lucky people boarding trains in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, for the journey from the closed country to the French capital, Paris. As he watched, he noticed a gap between the ceiling and the roof of the passenger train cars. It was just enough space to hide a young man...
Prayer in the Dark
One night, Thavan Phat woke up abruptly to the cries of her youngest child. Feeling his burning head, she panicked for a brief moment, not knowing where to turn. She wept in the darkness bitterly, thinking she would lose her precious child forever. Then she remembered the Bible story that ASAP Church Planter Doung Bopha shared of the lady whom Jesus healed after bleeding for twelve years. As she wiped down her son’s sweaty body with a towel, she prayed, “God, I know you have the same power you showed in the Bible. Please heal my boy if it is your will.”
Christ Restores a Couple
On a Sunday, Anabelle tearfully fled her home and distraughtly wandered the streets of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Her marriage was in ruins, and there was no peace at home. Constant conflict with her husband was affecting their two daughters, and she couldn’t take it anymore. Divorce seemed to be the only way out. As Anabelle aimlessly walked up and down the streets, she suddenly remembered that she had heard somewhere that Seventh-day Adventists offer a program for spiritual healing. Her family belonged to another church, but at that moment she decided to seek help at the local Adventist church...
Miracles in the Boiler Room
During the month of December 2021, we had 48 half hour sessions of earnest prayer 24 hours a day for the whole month. By the grace of God, the Boiler Room, hosted by the 24/7 United Prayer Ministry, continues to generate power in 2022 — every half hour, every day, all day long! Why is it that people come to the Boiler Room and enjoy praying so much when most people struggle to pray for more than 5 minutes a day? It’s because of the mighty working of the Holy Spirit. Where the Holy Spirit is present you can expect to find much prayer because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of prayer...
Midnight Lessons on Trusting God
Our first pregnancy was particularly difficult. My wife’s nausea persisted right into the second trimester. A heavy traveling schedule caused many unpleasant episodes where it was hard for Judy to hold down her food. All of these factors made her lose weight, causing us, as first-time parents, to worry...
Arrested at the Airport
Two days before Carmen boarded the international flight, she knelt by her bed to ask for God’s protection. The young woman, barely out of her teens, had not prayed in years. She wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to pray just then. But she was filled with despair, and she poured her whole heart into her prayer...
Modern Day Manna Miracle
“You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst. Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell” (Neh. 9:20, 21)...
God’s Wonderful Deliverance!
It was on Thursday, February 12, 2015 that our good and merciful Father delivered me from an untimely death from armed robbers. On that fateful day, I was on my way from Idah to Okene for a three-day stewardship seminar as the Stewardship Department director of Kogi Region, in the North-Western Nigeria Union Conference. I fasted and prayed for three days prior to the program. I set out on my journey at about 11:30 a.m. on a commercial vehicle...
Take Care of My Sheep
“Mee arai hai chuay mai ka?” (Is there anything I can help you with?) I asked the Thai man and woman standing near me as I waited for my flight in the Orlando International Airport. They looked surprised that I had understood their conversation and then proceeded to share their predicament...
The Washing Machine Witness
When Adil’s wife informed him the washing machine wasn’t working, he was reminded that they were fortunate to have a washing machine at all. As refugees in a Middle Eastern country, Adil (not his real name) and his family had very little to live on. They didn’t need a broken machine...
My Angel Drove my Car
In June 2019, I cried out to God, “Lord! How can I use my talents for you? You’ve done so much for me — what can I do for you? My heart breaks for the people that are not ready to see Jesus come — what would you like me to do? Please show me and direct my path!”...
Treasure in Old Vessels
Thirteen-year-old Precious cried out in frustration as her father led her through the gates of a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school in Uganda. She wanted to study in the stately buildings of the school associated with her family’s denomination, not in the modest buildings of Katerera Primary School. “It’s not the magnificence but the academic excellence that matters, my daughter,” Father whispered into her ear. He said her preferred school had not performed well academically for the past three years...
God Delights to Answer Specific Prayers
Six months after finally surrendering to God’s persistent love, I found myself selling Christian literature in a summer student canvassing program. During these intensely difficult, refining, and glorious weeks, I learned the cornerstones of walking with Christ. I would drag my battered and exhausted body out of bed an hour early to study the Bible. Through those mornings and conversations with mentors, I grew to love studying the Bible...
“How can I have what She has, God?”
In 2012, I looked over the early-morning bustle of Jakarta, Indonesia, from the rooftop of the hotel where I was speaking at a convention. From the nearby mosque, the Imam’s call to worship soared out across the neighborhood. I listened and awaited those whom I had invited to join me...
Not by Might or by Power—but still done by His Spirit!
I was packing to catch my flight home from the Dominican Republic (DR). My teenage friends from Europe were singing songs of praise, reflecting on God’s goodness, and waiting for me to bid them farewell. As I looked into their eyes, I saw a glimmer of sadness. The blessed time together was over, and it was time to go home. I was thinking, “How can we go back to the same old ways after a high experience with God and seeing many lives, including our own, transformed?” ...
Meet Them Where They Are!
Simo Vehkavuori, a retired pastor, sensed an inner voice inviting him to keep on walking after he arrived at a lake crowded with sunbathers and swimmers in Finland. Simo followed a path past several smaller lakes. “Go farther,” the inner voice said. Simo reached a small lake and saw four young people seated on the ground. “Would you like to hear a story from the Finnish Civil War a hundred years ago?” he asked...
A Question of Trust
Being a missionary is saying ‘yes’ to being the student and letting God be the teacher. Throughout my entire mission experience, I have had to trust God. First, I had to trust that God would provide. I learned about Adventist Frontier Missions (AFM) in the middle of 2021. When I had completed the paperwork, I had two weeks to raise all the money needed to attend training...
Aspiring Artist's Gift
My 14-year-old son, Eichiro, had a special plan for his summer vacation in Japan. He loved to draw, and he decided to save money to purchase a professional tablet and software that he could use to create his art...
Garden Lessons About Faith and Prayer
I love the new life that springs forth in the spring and summer seasons. I’ve been an avid gardener for many years, and I enjoy it—despite the fact that sometimes there is little to show for it. I begin the gardening process so enthusiastically every spring. A great deal of sweat equity goes into our very large gardening plot. My husband and I work to improve the soil with nutrients, and we weed thoroughly before planting...
40 Days of Prayer and My Brother Alan
My older brother, Alan, was very wild as a young person, ending up separated from the Lord and church most of his life. His self-centered life eventually cost him his first marriage to divorce. His health care career had made him a lot of money, but then he lost most of it. Occasionally he tried to become more involved with the church, but his lifestyle and habits always drew him back into a life without the Lord. Our family, including our parents, all prayed for Alan for years to wholly give his life to Jesus...
When Children Pray, God Moves!
We were in the middle of a week of a revival at a church out in the prairies of Alberta, Canada, when my wife April and I felt impressed to call for fasting and prayer for the next morning at the church. We believed by faith that God was ready to do much, much more for His people. The next day, we drove to the church with excitement. People were coming at night, when no one expected it, so we knew God could bring His people out in the middle of the day to fast and pray for more. We arrived right before noon and saw that we were the only car in the parking lot. “Well, maybe they parked in back to make more room,” we said to ourselves...
From Ten Days of Prayer to Prayer Ministry
Six years ago, I was lost and didn’t know what I should believe. While I was familiar with the Seventh-day Adventist church because I had been taken care of in Adventist hospitals and had also studied nursing at an Adventist school, I still didn’t know what faith to choose. However, one night I prayed very simply, “Lord, please help me to know you!”...
My Dream and the Coming Storm
“Was that just a dream or did it actually happen?” I thought to myself. The colors were so vibrant and everything seemed so real! Has that ever happened to you? A few weeks ago, I had a dream that I’ve often thought about and prayed over. I share it with you in hopes that you will also be encouraged to pray and be ready for the storm that’s coming...
A Prayer for Justice
It was a cold, wet afternoon as our church friend Luz hurried to catch the bus home from work. Looking carefully before crossing the street in the pedestrian walkway and seeing that the road was clear, Luz walked briskly across. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a white sedan appeared and ploughed into her. Luz was killed on the spot. It all happened so fast that no one noticed anything unusual until she was lying in the street. The driver sped away at high speed without even stopping...
Crossing My Jordan River – Part 2
We had a “river to cross” when we moved to Canada. We came to Lacombe, Alberta, with less than one hundred dollars in cash, and that was it. Our “river to cross” was that that we needed to find a place to rent immediately. “Let’s go look for a house to rent!” I said to my wife after a few days with kind friends. April looked at me with big question marks in her eyes, “What kind of house are we looking for in the less-than-a-hundred-dollar range?” she asked...
Preparing to Cross the Jordan – Part 1
Elijah and young Elisha hiked along the trails and highways of Israel for a number of years together. Elisha watched and learned, as Elijah called the people to the faith of the Lord God. Elijah continued to confront Ahab, and later, King Ahaziah, with the truth of God. One day, Elijah asked Elisha to stay behind while he traveled to Bethel. But Elisha was a faithful disciple. He wanted to assist, learn, and grow from any and every moment possible with Elijah. Elisha responded, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you” (2 Kings 2:2). So they traveled together...
Lost at Sea, Found by Jesus!
After a great night fishing on the Mediterranean, my friends and I thought it would be refreshing to end the evening with a quick swim. We were strong, young men; nobody was thinking about risks or dangers. The sea was rougher than we’d thought. In the dark, I lost contact with the friend swimming with me. I couldn’t see the boat either. By the time I realized I was lost, I was exhausted. The frightening realization slowly dawned that I didn’t have enough strength to reach the shore, a far off shadow dotted with a few dim lights...
God's Math
How did a church with a budget consistently in the red suddenly begin meeting their financial goals – and raise tens of thousands of dollars for missions? Only one simple answer: God’s math. It all started when Bob Kruger, an elder of the Grants Pass (Oregon) Seventh-day Adventist Church with a burden for foreign missions, approached his pastor and suggested that the church be more actively involved in foreign missions. With the pastor’s approval, Bob and several others formed a committee to decide what mission projects to sponsor...
Prayer Miracles in the Midst of War!
Reese Howells was a powerful revivalist and intercessor who built a Bible College in Wales just a few years before World War II began. Once the war began, recognizing the threat of Hitler’s regime to the spread of the gospel, he immediately rallied his staff and students, about a hundred or so, to begin interceding that God would counteract the work of Hitler and the enemy. All during the war, the Wales Bible College staff and students devoted from 7 p.m. until midnight every night in prayer...
Saved by Fire and Rain
For almost 50 years, Riverside Farm Institute has been serving communities in Zambia through training schools, evangelism, health and wellness, and partnering with other organizations to maximize relief efforts in this sub-Saharan Southern Africa region. Sometimes God answers prayer after seasons of waiting and relying solely on faith. Other times, He opens the windows of heaven so fast you can’t help but see tangible evidence of His working...
Every Bicycle Needs a Bible
I wish you could meet Hussein, the security guard for the building where my wife and I live in the Middle East. From the time we first met him, we could tell he observed his faith carefully and lived with sincerity. I liked him. Hussein has visited our home many times, and he has invited us to his. We have often conversed about the simple things in life and even sometimes about spirituality. At our initiative, he has graciously joined us in prayer...
The Cat and the Colporteur
Young literature evangelist Simo Vehkavuori stopped at a well-kept house near Turku, Finland’s oldest city and former capital, in the middle of winter, and showed his books to two unmarried sisters who lived there. To his surprise, the sisters quickly ordered a copy of every book. Then they left him standing alone in the living room. He did not dare leave. Finally, one of the sister came downstairs with a big cat tucked under an arm. “Mister, aren’t you going to do anything to this cat?” she said...
Twenty-Four Hours of Prayer: 1Mind4China
As many know, in May 2021 the General Conference (GC) held an online virtual camp meeting. One of the features was a 24/7 prayer room. I was privileged to help behind the scenes with coordinating prayer leader’s schedules and the technical aspects of running a 24-hour Zoom prayer room for four days straight. While I was excited to be part of the event, I was also quite anxious on how the schedule would turn out as there were constant revisions...
Praying for a Church
Late one night, Simone stopped in the restroom of the hospital where she worked as a nurse in southern Brazil. She saw that the television was turned on in the restroom, and she started to change the channel. But then she noticed that an elderly man was speaking, and she stopped to listen to what he was saying. His words caught her attention. He was talking about health, and Simone wanted to hear more. The program was being aired on Novo Tempo, the Brazilian-language affiliate of Hope Channel International television...
How Was it Possible?
My husband, Derek, and I were making the three-hour drive from Holbrook Seventh-day Adventist Indian School to Arizona’s capital, Phoenix. I work at Holbrook as registrar and administrative assistant, while Derek is the maintenance assistant. On that Sabbath afternoon, I was driving our jeep, and Derek was taking a nap in the passenger seat...
Twin Surprises in Finland
Simo Vehkavuori, a young literature evangelist in Finland, got a surprise as he went house to house in Lapland. When he rang the doorbell at one house, a woman opened the door and, seeing him outside, exclaimed, “I want to order that set of 10 Bible stories from you!” Simo didn’t even have time to tell her that he was selling books, much less mention that he had Arthur Maxwell’s set of 10 Bible Story books for children...
The $100 Dollar Miracle
Not long ago, I read an article written by a church Stewardship director here in Michigan. He wrote about an experience he had as a boy. One Sabbath, a student from a nearby seminary delivered the sermon. The boy’s father talked with the young man after the service. Eyes widening in disbelief, the boy watched as his father opened his wallet and took out a neatly folded, crisp $50 bill and gave it to the student preacher that day...
Sabbath Victory in Malawi!
A college in Malawi created consternation among Seventh-day Adventist students by scheduling final exams on the seventh-day Sabbath. Lucy was distressed. She and other Adventist students at the state-owned Karonga Teachers Training College had received scholarships to become teachers. But now their future seemed uncertain...
Praying to Wait
Waiting is hard. Personally, I really don’t like it. I consider myself efficient and time conscious, so I hate to waste my or other people’s time. But for some reason, God tells us that we need to wait...
Bullets at the Border Crossing
It was a hot and dusty road—more than 1,200 kilometers—from Johannesburg to Livingstone. There was a war raging between Botswana, Zambia and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), but our trip back to Zambia from South Africa had so far been uneventful...
Making a Deal with God
Dmitry Bagal, a student from Russia, ran out of money several months after enrolling in the master’s in theology program at Friedensau Adventist University in Germany. His options seemed limited. He could work on-campus or in a nearby retirement home, but the income would only partially cover his tuition. As a foreigner, he could not take out a state loan like the German students. But he could apply for a scholarship, which was smaller than the loan but did not require repayment...
Angels Among Us
Lusio and his wife, Yelri, never expected to see stones thrown at them for proclaiming Jesus’ soon coming to an unreached people group in Timor-Leste. They also never expected to see angels. The Global Mission pioneers were dispatched to the mountains to minister to speakers of the Fataluku language, one of 30 languages spoken by the 1.3 million people of country. The couple had an advantage: Fataluku was Lusio’s mother tongue. Not knowing where to start, the couple embarked on daily prayer walks in the four villages of their district. After some time, they decided to offer after-school tutoring in math and English in their rented house...
I can Walk Again!
On February 21, 2021, I went for a casual morning run. It was nothing more strenuous than it had been before, but I ended up on crutches and in a wheelchair for nearly two months. My X-rays showed no issues, physical therapy didn’t help, and there was no explanation for the pain, which steadily increased. Between pain management, insurance headaches, and the inevitable emotional upheaval that comes with an unknown injury forcing me into an inactive lifestyle, I struggled to focus on my studies. This, of course, only added to the stress...
My Song of Thanksgiving!
With a heart full of thanksgiving and gratitude to the Lord, I write that, despite the many challenges we have been going through, such as the new COVID rise in Kenya and lock downs, we are more than conquerors in the Lord. We appreciate what the Lord has done for us during this very difficult time. Over a year ago, in March 2020, the emergence of COVID 19 made us stay at home. During the 100 Days of Prayer...
Preparing for Persecution!
From the time I was a little girl, I remember my parents talking to me about the trials and persecution that will come upon God’s people in the last days. I remember reading the stories of Christian martyrs like the Waldenses, John Wycliffe, Huss and Jerome, and others who faithfully stood for Jesus and paid the ultimate sacrifice in giving up their lives. Their undaunted courage and faith inspired me, and I’ve always prayed that God would give me that same courage to stand for my faith, no matter the cost. However, for most of my life here in the West, I’ve been surrounded by peace, not persecution. I never really thought about what it might look like to suffer for my faith. But in the recent months, things have begun to change. Things that have made me question my own spiritual readiness...
Miracle in a Pandemic!
Bolivia went into lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All churches were closed, and worship services and other church activities were prohibited for fear of spreading the virus. Small groups of believers began to meet in homes in El Alto, the second-largest city in Bolivia. Guillermo prayed earnestly. How could people worship amid a pandemic? As Guillermo prayed, an idea formed in his mind. Why not leave the city and hold worship services in a deserted place?
A Testimony of God’s Care
I’m a Seventh-day Adventist believer working as an expat in one of the countries in Southeast Asia. A year ago, my company took several measures to cut costs. One of these included finding a less expensive place for three of us expats to stay. It was very difficult to find a suitable one for a decent price...
Saved Just in Time!
As a Filipino, in my circle of influence, the words 'depression' and 'suicide' are not in our vocabulary. What I am about to admit is not easy for me to share. But the reality is that I battled with thoughts of suicide for three years because of my past. If you met me, you would never guess I was dying inside. I often called myself, "dead woman walking" or "walking dead." I fought this silent battle alone for a long time...
All for Christ!
Chavanh Meang* knew his decision to follow Christ would prove costly. He needed to look no further than the man who had given him Bible studies by phone, the late ASAP church planter Stephen Thid,* to know what happened to Christians in the closed country where he lives. The communist authorities had arrested and imprisoned Pastor Stephen multiple times. But Chavanh was the chief of his village. Perhaps they would treat him less harshly...
Divine Airplane Appointment
My wife, Connie, and I have been nurses for over 40 years and strive to live for Christ in all we do. However, our spiritual life was led by our human nature until February 2019, when Pastor Don MacLafferty and his daughter, Julie, held ten days of prayer and revival at our church...
More Stories from the Middle East – Part 2
Near the market in a Muslim country in North Africa, Carol was walking down the street when a university-aged woman caught her attention. Somehow Carol felt impressed by the Holy Spirit to talk to her. She walked faster to catch up. Not knowing what to say, Carol approached her and asked if she spoke English. Soon they were setting up a day so Aicha could show the Carol, who had just arrived in the country, the city center. A great friendship was born...
Prayer Stories from the Middle East - Part 1
A Waldensian student in West Asia first studied the local language in order to start a Master's program. At the beginning of the term, one of her classmates saw her class notes and asked her if it was ok to take pictures of them because they were in English. She said “sure.” Since he was taking pictures of her notes every single day, she thought she should take advantage of this and be more intentional regarding her notes...
Fear Not!
In the wee hours of March 30, 2020, I sank to my knees and cried out: "Lord, please send help." The petition was prompted by a command I had just received in a dream to "start a prayer chain." Given the time of day, and not clear when this prayer chain should start, I decided to set my own start time to later in the day. As much as I tried, I could not fall back to sleep. My mind was locked on my upcoming angiogram scheduled for 7:30 a.m. that morning. The tossing and turning went on relentlessly until it drove me to my prayer room...
Beach or Desert?
My husband, Loren, and I had our dream jobs. He had a successful counseling practice, and I worked in development at AdventHealth. We loved living the beach life in Florida. But something seemed to be missing. We began praying for God to lead us into working in full-time ministry together. In truth, however, we weren’t open to being led anywhere except to Tennessee, where our children and grandchildren lived...
Then a Miracle Happened!
More than 90 percent of Armenia’s three million citizens are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a small presence with some 834 members. It’s a challenging region, so Global Mission pioneers are helping to grow the church there by focusing their ministry on unentered areas, and the Holy Spirit is blessing their work. People are accepting the Adventist message, and new churches are being planted!...
Prayer Heals the Scars
While preaching at an evangelistic summer camp in Poland in 2018, I met a young adult named Gabriela. She attended the evangelistic presentations each morning and evening, listening attentively to the Word of God. During several conversations with Gabriela, it became apparent that she needed deep emotional healing...
Canvassing Testimonies in Answer to Prayer – Part 2
I met Jasmine at her door and she bought a cook book. When I showed her the free services we offer, including Bible studies, she teared up. She told me she was emotional because she had experienced God in the past, but isn’t living the life she knows she should be living. She told me it wasn’t an accident that I was at her door after the crazy week she had just had. She signed up for Bible studies and I studied with her the following day...
Canvassing Testimonies in Answer to Prayer – Part 1
When we go out to share books, we always pray for God’s leading. Here are a few short testimonies where we saw God work in answer to prayer! While canvassing one day, I knocked on a door and briefly shared what I was doing with the homeowner, who didn’t really want to open the door. Although she didn’t seem interested, the Holy Spirit impressed me to continue talking with her...
Bible Only for Priests
My heart longed to study the Bible, but my church leader told me that the Bible was only for priests. Let me tell you what happened. I grew up in a Christian family and always was active in my church in Kodo village, Timor-Leste. When I was 23, I began to help lead the church’s youth group. At the age of 27, I joined a mission initiative to go outside the village. Church leaders saw my enthusiasm and, when I was 31, asked me to lead one of my village’s congregations. For 12 years, I led the congregation and preached every Sunday from a book of church teachings...
God's Timing for Country Living
I lived in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. For many years, I felt God working in my heart, asking me to leave the city, but where would I go? I began to do a thorough study of country life. The more I prayed and studied the Bible and benefits of country living, the more God revealed His precious plan for my life. I became even more convinced that city life was not the best for me. One day I read the following quote from the book The Ministry of Healing, and I knew I needed to do something to activate my faith...
Praying the Promises!
Todd sat motionless in the living room as he stared out the window of his tiny apartment. It seemed like all color had suddenly drained out of his life. His father had just phoned him sharing that his mom had breast cancer. “We don’t know yet what is going to happen, but just pray son!” his father had told him with quivering voice. “You know how to pray.”
Continuing to Pray for Myanmar!
Have you worked out spiritually lately? The Lord encourages us to carry each other’s burdens, and in this way we fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). I hope that your spiritual muscles are strong enough to handle the heavy burden that I am asking you to help carry for our brothers and sisters in Myanmar (Burma). You have probably heard about the coup there that started this past February 1st, when Myanmar’s military seized power after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders. As I write this, the country remains in chaos, and innocent people are suffering daily in a multitude of ways, including losing their lives in pursuit of freedom and peace...
Baby Miracle!
We wanted a baby. After two years of marriage, I told my husband, Daryl, “We’re haven’t had a baby. Let’s ask the doctor why.” Daryl agreed, although he didn’t want to go. At the hospital, we spoke with the physician. “I’m not able to conceive,” I told her. “Can you help us?” She agreed to help us, but Daryl said, “You know, we haven’t prayed about this. True, it has been two years, but I would like to pray first and then come back”...
Finding the True Way
Many events were staged around town to celebrate a big religious holiday in Timor-Leste, and I decided to go to the horse races. To reach the horse-racing track, I had to walk past a Seventh-day Adventist church. As I passed, a Bible worker, Mariano, saw me and chased after me. “If you have time, would you like to study the Bible together?” he asked...
"You Need Power!"
A young shoe salesman from Chicago had little education, but upon hearing the good news of salvation, he couldn’t keep it to himself. With great eagerness he went to work sharing the love of Jesus with anyone that would listen. With no place to preach, he began gathering boys off the street and took them to a beach on Lake Michigan where he taught them his own Bible class...
Testimonies from the 24-Hour Prayer Room Experience
If you didn't get to attend the Global Camp meeting prayer room, you can get a taste of some of the blessings people experienced there by the following testimonies. Also, you have an opportunity to experience the 24-hour prayer room on July 3rd, 2021, as we pray for believers in India. Don't miss this special event!
The Witch Doctor who Couldn’t Heal himself! (redirect)
Bagicha Singh spent his life worshipping trees and idols in a shrine in his home in a small Indian village. He believed in the power of his gods and credited them for making him wealthy as a witch doctor. People flocked to his home in Mundrichurimra village to be healed. Bagicha had everything he needed but one thing; he lacked peace of mind...
The Witch Doctor who Couldn’t Heal himself!
Bagicha Singh spent his life worshipping trees and idols in a shrine in his home in a small Indian village. He believed in the power of his gods and credited them for making him wealthy as a witch doctor. People flocked to his home in Mundrichurimra village to be healed. Bagicha had everything he needed but one thing; he lacked peace of mind...
A Wall of Fire
I want to share an amazing story about a small group of young people who heard God calling them to reach others living in a very difficult and dangerous area. In spite of the risks, these precious young people put their trust in the Lord and said, "I Will Go!" Along the Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania lies a town of more than 8,000 inhabitants. The town is predominantly non-Christian. It is known to be a highly superstitious town, causing many people to fear the town and its people...
An F-150 and a Thunderstorm
This past August, ASAP volunteer and ambassador (ASAP stands for Advocates for the Southeast Asians and the Persecuted), Lesa Budd, my 11-year-old daughter Victoria, and I set off on a seven-state ASAP awareness tour. It all started out smoothly, God blessing amazingly. However, things took an abrupt turn when our van broke down in 100-degree heat near Yates Center, Kansas.
Miracle in Maui
Have you ever wondered why the Israelites were so stubborn? Miracle after miracle followed by complaining and complaining. Whenever I hear or read about the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Canaan, I am amazed by how quickly they forgot about the power of God...
How Specific Prayer Transformed My Church
I cannot speak for the rest of the Church, but through these 100-days of prayer, I witnessed the longest sustained revival of my entire ministry. This transpired in particular as I began to study the prayer lives of George Muller and Hudson Taylor, preaching and teaching about them. I found the key to revival in the fruitfulness of their ministry, as it directly connected to their faith in God’s willingness to answer their specific prayer requests...
You’re Not Going to Live
My parents grew up in a village deep in the interior of India. Both came from non-Christian backgrounds. After getting married, they moved to the big city of Bengaluru, where my father worked as a police officer. Mother’s first pregnancy was difficult. After the delivery by cesarean section, the physician announced that she would die...
Unexpected Power – Part III
As I entered back into the flow of normal pastoral ministry after my seminary experience, I knew I could not go back to the way things had been before. Five years later, I no longer set the clock for six hours. But I have found that, just like George Müller, I cannot leave His presence until I am truly “happy in God Himself.”...
Unexpected Power – Part II
A year and a half later, my wife and I moved across the country so that I could attend the master of divinity program at the Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. I had dreams of being radically transformed during our time there as I continued to spend time in God’s presence, but honestly, I did not expect it to come through the classes...
Unexpected Power - Part I
Feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and even jealousy overwhelmed me as I gazed around the room. The hubbub of pastors engaging in friendly banter, theological musings, and intentional networking were nothing unusual for the end of an evening at our yearly ministerial retreat. It was not that any pastor was giving me the cold shoulder. As a young pastor only six months into my first assignment, I just felt that I was lacking in all the gifts and talents necessary to succeed...
He is Full of Mercy
This past February, I woke up in Belize. I had never been on a mission trip outside of America, so I thanked God for allowing me this opportunity to serve. My husband and I were with a group of medical staff serving for ten days. It was hot. The clinic had no air-conditioning, and the lines of people were long. I felt ready for the day. I had prayed, read God’s word, and was excited to serve those in need of Jesus and His love...
Going Beyond the Bare Minimum in Prayer
Lately I have been asking God to teach our church that prayer is the work! Why you might ask? Our church has tried many different methods of outreach with minimal success. I think most people would admit that it’s easy to get discouraged when we don’t see fruit from our labor, even after several years. We may feel like giving up on the idea of evangelism...
Mystery Bible Answers Covid-19 Prayer
A Covid-19 lockdown left Sandile Khumalo on his knees in South Africa’s biggest city, Johannesburg. The national lockdown, among the most stringent in the world, shuttered the three churches where Sandile serves as pastor in the city of 5.5 million people. Tough regulations closed parks and banned jogging, dog-walking, and even the sale of cigarettes and alcohol...
When God Said “Yes!”
Every time God says “No” it is to leave room for His “Yes” to something greater. When God told me to cancel my flight home from the Philippines, I did not know how long I would be “stuck” on the campus of Adventist University of the Philippines. When God says “No,” we often have no idea why...and sometimes those answers will only come in eternity. This time, the answer came after 80 days of lockdown...
When God Said “No!”
I hugged and kissed my family goodbye and said, “I will see you in 16 days!” as I waved goodbye and caught my ride to the Calgary International Airport. It was March 10, 2020, and I was on my way to call for revival on the campus of Adventist University of the Philippines. I was also going to equip all the pastors of the new Cavite Mission to disciple the new generations for Jesus Christ. In addition, I had resources for couples who wanted stronger marriages and resources to disciple their children...
COVID Community Outreach Prayer Walk
In March 2020 everything changed in my world. Many people thought that these changes were difficult and certainly not for the better. As my wife and I started to adjust our lives to the reality of working from home, we had to rethink our daily schedule...
Prayer Lessons from a 4-Year-Old
A few years ago a friend from Oregon shared a story about his son Caleb, who was four years old at the time. While Caleb is much older now, this story continues to impact my life, and I wanted to share it again, as I know it will bless many others as it has me...
100 Days of Prayer in the SSD
“Lord, since you have called me to lead the young people in SSD, please guide me.” Kneeling in my new office before my prayer box, I said this prayer. I surrendered myself and the youth department to God and His leading. After praying, I looked forward expectantly to see what God would do. Not long after, the General Conference began promoting the 100 Days of Prayer Initiative. We began to rally the young people to register and to our surprise, several thousand young people registered to pray for 100 days...
Learning to Live by the Word
I jumped out of bed, threw on warm clothes, grabbed my Bible and a flashlight, and headed out into the starlit night into the woods and rocks near the mountain. I placed my Bible on a stump before me, knelt, and prayed. Nothing happened. I knew God had called me out to pray. For months, my wife April and I had been asking God to guide us about how we best should serve Him...
Hook-Man's Two Miracles
I worked as a hook-man on construction projects in Mongolia. When an apartment building was under construction, a tall crane used a big metal hook to lift building materials and swing them over to me, waiting on a high wall. I took the building materials off the hook. One day, I was nearly finished unhooking a load on the third floor when the hook abruptly moved. I took a big stick and tried to push the hook back into place. But the hook came back and hit me hard, knocking me off the wall. I remember hitting the ground three floors below. Then I lost consciousness...
The Ukraine Border Miracle
Robert owned a construction business in Italy and was successful in many ways when it comes to human standards. However, he had a deep hunger in his heart for a closer walk with God, and through a series of circumstances became convicted to leave his job and go into full time ministry, trusting that God would provide and lead...
How Long Should I Pray?
Have you ever wondered how long you should keep praying about something? Many people wonder about this dilemma, and, quite frankly, I have asked myself this very question a time or two. I have a prayer journal that I have kept for quite a few years. It records many answered prayers. But then there are many prayer requests I have been bombarding the throne of God with for which I have not seen any answer — yet. Should I stop praying about them?
His Way, His Will, His Time
Every new year, we often talk about making new resolutions. But have you noticed that many of our new year resolutions are focused on self-development, self-growth and mostly, selfish desires? I grew up in Adventist home, but as the years passed, I began to realize that my spiritual growth was stagnant. I went to the midweek meetings, to vespers, and to church. I was so proud of this, but I was a Seventh-day Adventist in name only. I wasn’t really practicing or living a vibrant walk with God.
My Incredible Miracle
On the first day of school, I made a friend named Mariam.* As time passed, Mariam became my closest friend at the university. She even said that I was like a sister to her. One weekend, Mariam invited me to her house. Little did I know that I was about to experience an incredible miracle...
A Mom, Her Baby, and Hope
Monica Ramirez woke up alone and confused in an unfamiliar hospital room in late July 2020. “I felt like I had been hit by a train,” she recalls. “Someone opened the shades in my room, and I could see buildings and pavilions outside the window. It all seemed so familiar.” Ramirez’s last memory was driving to a hospital in Corona, California, and being admitted on July 7. At the time, she didn’t know she had COVID-19...
Touched by His Healing Hand
This past spring my wife, Erica, had surgery to remove a large benign hemangioma, a mass of blood vessels in the liver. Two segments of her liver were removed in the process, but we praised the Lord for a successful surgery and healing. Fourteen and a half weeks later, however, Erica began experiencing moderate to severe pelvic pain with weakness. Labs revealed return of anemia and an abdominal pelvic CT scan was performed within one week. The results that came back were shocking...
Prayer Works
I know that prayer works. As a college junior at the turn of the millennium, I had a spinal injury that caused me pain and difficulty. I went to a doctor, but he couldn’t help me. All week long my spine hurt so much that I couldn’t sit or walk without limping. Each day my pain grew worse and I couldn’t work...
COVID-19, Immunity, and a Mother’s Heart
Four weeks ago, my son Nathan tested positive for COVID-19. As much as I’ve prayed, consoled, faithfully worn a mask, and stayed informed about current COVID information, I have to tell you that the reality of this virus didn’t hit home for me until it attacked someone I love. Immediately, I began asking Jesus to preserve the life of my boy and to draw the young man closer to Him...
God's Got This
Our friend, David*, is a dedicated and faithful member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We’ve known each other for most of our lives. David is also a husband, a father and a grandfather, very involved and engaged in the life of his family. Although a committed and conscientious high-powered professional, he has been mindful to strike a careful balance between work, church responsibilities and family...
Miracle Deliverance from the Fire!
On a sunny Sabbath afternoon in August 2020, my wife and I joined another church family for a sixty-mile drive into the pristine Rocky Mountain wilderness. After a wholesome picnic, we wandered into the woods and happened upon the most majestic, the most rewarding Sabbath blessing imaginable. Several moose were quietly harvesting lunch for themselves out of nearby swamps...
The Living Letters of Jesus
Donald is a retired foreigner living in a small inland town in a difficult to reach region of the world. He has been living there for almost 25 years. Donald retired after working for ADRA for many years in various parts of the world. He cares very much about people's needs and always looks for opportunities to help or ask others to help in cases he cannot personally handle...
From Prayer Walking to Prayer Zooming
I still remember the first Annual Council I attended, back in 2010, and all the prayers we had that fall council. I remember watching grown men weep, as they prayed for forgiveness for their Laodicea ways, and as they pleaded for more of the Holy Spirit. One division leader told me that he had been attending meetings at the General Conference for over 15 years, but had never experienced such tangible presence of the Holy Spirit. Truly God was moving!
Sabbath School Revival Through Much Prayer
As we confront the unprecedented reality of the coronavirus pandemic, the Holy Spirit is urging us to a greater experience in prayer. The 100 Days of Prayer initiated by the General Conference (GC) Revival and Reformation Committee this past spring gave us that opportunity. In response to this compelling call to prayer, the GC Sabbath School and Personal Ministries (SSPM) Department hosted a weekly world-wide prayer session via Zoom every Wednesday at 7:00 a.m...
The Rainbow Before the Storm
It was 5:30 a.m. on a Sabbath morning this past July. The sun was quickly rising as I settled onto my couch to begin my devotional time. My mind had been preoccupied on the dreaded "time of trouble" promised in Bible prophecy. I desperately feared that I would not stand for Jesus if I were to live through that time...
Overwhelmed but not Cast down
Working from home has been a blessing and sometimes a headache. Sometimes too many things are going on at the same time and that leads to a somewhat chaotic situation. During early September 2020 was one of those times. I was preparing for my doctoral comprehensive exam and working on the final changes to my proposal by a specific deadline. My husband’s older sister was also moving into our home after the loss of her husband...
A New Person in Jesus
When I was 15, I spent the summer training to be a boxer. One day, as I traveled home from training, the thought popped into my mind, “You’re sick.” I shrugged off the thought. At home, though, I began to feel depressed. I asked my parents to take me to a therapist. But then I realized that I might be expelled from school if people thought I was mentally ill. I didn’t go for counseling...
When God Opens the Windows of Heaven
Our Chinese church was excited when a missionary couple who had just returned from serving a few years in China joined our church. They were willing to offer free ESL classes as an outreach to teach Chinese-speaking people learn basic English. That got our whole church excited too. So, our small prayer group got together every week to pray about this outreach project. We had been praying for over a year that God would send us Chinese students for the ESL classes, but only two students enrolled. It seemed like God didn’t listen to our prayer at all. We left business cards at Chinese supermarkets, put up a banner at the front of the church, but nothing happened...
Learning to Trust God
Most of my life I have felt I wasn’t good enough. When I became a leader of retreats or spoke in public, I was consumed with fretting and worry. But one day at a prayer conference, God literally moved my thumb and started changing my heart. The story actually starts when I was coordinating a women’s retreat of almost 500 women, with 75 more on the waiting list. The room’s capacity was 450. The logistics of accommodating and feeding more women was daunting, even if a larger meeting room became available...
The Car that is God's Witness
Thirty-one-year-old Chenille heard the loud rat-tat-tat of semi-automatic gunfire during a teacher-training session in Trinidad and Tobago’s capital, Port of Spain. Teachers jumped to their feet and ran to the third-floor window. On the street, a man was fleeing on foot from a white car. The gunfire was coming from the car. A few teachers screamed in fright, and everyone ducked down for safety as the car passed by the school. For two long minutes they waited. Finally the loud rattle of gunfire stopped, and Chenille heard the scared shrieks of schoolchildren...
For the Love of Chai
My mom died at the age of 96. She had a hard life here in Laos, especially after my older brother, Chai, now 62 years old, was born. My parents rejoiced to have a son but soon realized that something was not right with him. He had a mental problem. Mom’s life wasn’t the same after that. Because Chai couldn’t walk by himself, she had to carry him everywhere until he was 10 years old...
Answered Prayers from 9/11
For John Mahony, a retired U.S. Army colonel who was managing projects for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, instinct came before analysis as he fought to stay on his feet the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. "The building jerked hard, throwing everyone off balance," remembers Mahony in the account he has written of surviving the 9/11 attacks...
These are the Children from my Dream
As the COVID-19 pandemic has circled the globe, the news of God’s love continues to spread faster than any virus ever could. In Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital city, an incredible miracle took place during the “100 Days of Prayer” held by Adventist World Radio’s (AWR) Kinshasa Station from March 27 – July 4. On the evening of May 27, as the intercessory prayer team was praying...
Answered Prayers and Divine Appointments
Last year I was volunteering at Pathways to Health. While I was working there, I began praying earnestly for some divine appointments. Not long after, someone came up to me in the lifestyle section and asked if I could talk to people in waiting line. So I went to the long line to talk with the different guests and found a couple that was interested in learning how to stop smoking. The next 20-45 minutes I spent sharing health ideas and tips to help them stop smoking. This led to my sharing how only God could help them overcome. They were visibly moved, and this led to an even more in depth conversation...
Give me Strength to Take the First Step
When Daniel Amattaeran was 11, a neighborhood boy introduced him to hip-hop dancing in Suriname’s capital, Paramarebo. Daniel had seen the dancing on television but never in real life. He was amazed at the flips, handstands, and people jumping on one hand. He noticed that girls liked to watch the dancing, and he wanted girls to watch him. He learned how to dance. Daniel loved dancing, and he won local talent shows and even a trip to the Netherlands. His popularity soared, and girls crowded around him...
You Have No Authority Over Me!
In December 2014, I traveled to a city in Portugal for a spiritual leadership retreat. My friend Samuele and I decided to explore the city. As we approached the entrance of a famous cathedral, I noticed a bewildered-looking woman being held by a worried-looking man. A nervous-looking Catholic priest stood next to them, talking on his phone. I immediately felt uncomfortable. But we were in Europe. You mind your own business and move on. We did just that.
I am a Child of God
I have experienced what seem to be mini revivals throughout my life. One such important revival happened soon after my parents’ separation. I did not have the best relationship with either of my parents leading up to this point. I had always struggled with acceptance and belonging and often...
Not by might, nor by power—but still done only by His Spirit
I was packing to catch my flight home from the Dominican Republic (DR). My teenage friends from Europe were singing songs of praise, reflecting on God’s goodness, and waiting for me to bid them farewell. As I looked into their eyes, I saw a glimmer of sadness. The blessed time together was over, and it was time to go home. I was thinking, How can we go back to the same old ways after a high experience with God and seeing many lives, including our own, transformed?
The Greatest Blessing a Person Can Have!
I was born into a Nigerian home where the primary religion was Islam. As I grew up, my father wanted me to become a great Islamic scholar and yet benefit from a western education. Therefore, I attended an Islamic school on the weekends and a Christian primary school during the week. Soon I had memorized enough verses from the Quran to pray five times a day as a Muslim, and I observed these prayer sessions faithfully.
Whatever He promises, He will do!
To give you a little background information, I am Hmong and I am the only Christian in my large family. I grew up with polygamous parents, and our religion is shamanism/animism. I was first introduced to Christianity as a refugee child through some young missionaries from Weimar College, who teamed up with the Southgate SDA Church and did outreach in my neighborhood in the early-mid 1990s.
God is not only good, He is great!
My wife lost her job on February 29th, before the coronavirus lockdown on March 24th. Then I was furloughed with the prospect of losing a portion of my income. With little hope of my wife getting another job in the current environment, we were concerned...
We Know How the Story Ends
One of the major reasons we don’t have to ever live in fear, consumed with worry and anxiety is because we know how the story ends. We know that sickness will not have the last word: Christ will. We know the coronavirus, or any other virus, natural disaster, calamity or nuclear war will not destroy all life on planet Earth. We have the promise of Jesus return. We see famines. We see earthquakes. We see distress of nations. We see the rise of a possible nuclear war. We see the potential of nuclear disaster. We see climate change. We see pestilences taking the lives of thousands.
A Virtuous Legacy
My grandfather often told us a story that is not included in A Thousand Shall Fall. While serving in Russia, far from home, his unit was assigned to search through the houses of every village that the Germans had captured on their advance into Russia. They were ordered to search for resistance fighters, who would hide inside homes and attack the advancing German troops. They were told to immediately and indiscriminately shoot every person they found hiding...
Time to Stop Worrying and Simply Trust
When my first child was born, I read everything I could set my eyes on about anything that could go wrong within the first few months of his life. After all, they say, “forewarned is forearmed,” right? He was a healthy full-term baby, with ten fingers, ten toes, and an excellent Apgar score. Yet as I looked upon his innocent face, I was suddenly struck with an unshakeable awareness of the fragility of life.
When a Storm Catches You by Surprise
We heard the tree limbs. Crash. Crack. Snap. They were literally breaking off of trees and slamming into the side of our house from the woods nearby. I looked out the other side of our cabin to see our greenhouse completely de-skinned. The entire plastic top had completely torn off. I grabbed my phone to check the weather, but the Internet was out. "Honey, should we go?" I hear Natasha saying. "Yes - let's go," I responded...
The Beauty of Brokenness
I will never forget, a number of years ago, as I was preparing to lead a prayer service for a large event, how the Holy Spirit convicted me of something specific in my life that I needed to make right with God. Overwhelmed, I sank to my knees on the floor that night as I prayed, “Oh Lord, please forgive me...”
A Time for Heart Searching
Years ago, early in my ministry, I was invited to conduct a Week of Spiritual Emphasis at a Christian elementary school. As the week progressed, it became obvious to me that two of the teachers were having a serious conflict. Their negative attitudes toward one another regularly boiled over in staff meetings. If one suggested an idea, the other opposed it. When both of them were present in a meeting, tension filled the air. It was apparent that they did not like one another at all.
Transformed by God’s Love
Mary Ann Roberts grew up in a Christian home, but as a young person she never made a personal commitment to Jesus as her Savior and Lord. After college she married, her husband joined the military, and they moved to Europe. It was there that Mary Ann abandoned all connections with church and became a self-described party animal.
The Best to Be Had
In 2001, I nearly died. The emergency doctor said that I was probably three hours away from death. I contracted falciparum malaria while doing evangelism with my students in West Africa, and the symptoms showed up just days after my return to the United States. I developed a very high fever, I was dehydrated, and I had a terrific headache. I felt so sick I thought I would simply pass out and die any minute. When the symptoms surfaced, I was away on church business. I went early to the airport to catch my return flight, begging God to allow me to make it home for what would come next. If I were to die, I preferred that it happen at home.
Angels All Around
My husband is a pastor in the U.S. state of Oregon and it was opening night of our evangelistic series, “Revelation of Hope.” I have been encouraging more prayer in our church, so I decided that I would oversee the prayer room during the series. My team consists of mostly homebound elderly friends or people praying from their homes, so I wasn’t sure how much participation I would have during the meetings. I decided to create a prayer room anyway, hoping that some church members would be willing to come in and pray periodically during the meetings...
Always Open
A few Sundays back, Suzette and I were tired of being cooped up in the house so we decided to drive down to The Landing—an outdoor shopping plaza in Renton, Washington, where we live, with stores, restaurants, services, and a multi-screen movie theater. The eyeglass store I intended to visit had a sign on the door saying that, due to COVID-19, they were closed until further notice. But that wasn’t the only one...
Come, Rest Awhile!
One beautiful morning, I realized the house was too quiet, and my three-year old daughter was missing. Her brothers were playing together, but she was nowhere to be found. I called out for her, wondering where she could be. “Tahlia, where are you?” My voice echoed through the house, but silence responded. I walked through different rooms, finding no trace of her...
An Unexpected Miracle
“Have you ever seen anything like this?” This becomes a common question when people witness something they have never seen before. No doubt the name “COVID-19” will go down in history as one of the world’s greatest pandemics. It is amazing how quickly life can change overnight. The word of God reminds us that disasters will come, and we should always be prepared and dependent upon the Lord...
What if We Looked at Sin Like We Look at COVID-19?
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I both ended up with what we thought was food poisoning and a fever. Thankfully, after 36 hours of fighting a fever, I recovered. My wife’s fever, however, didn’t go away. She developed a dry cough and body aches. After a few days, we contacted the Spectrum Health COVID-19 screening number and set up an appointment for their next screening opening...
Peace in the Midst of a Pandemic
The figures are skyrocketing. A raging pandemic, coronavirus or COVID-19, is traveling with lightening speed across the globe. But there is another plague that is racing even faster. It has infected more people than those afflicted with the coronavirus. As serious as the coronavirus is, and it is serious, there is something else that is deadlier—fear. Fear, anxiety, and worry impact our immune systems, strangle our joy, and rob us of hope.
The Gift of Tongues in Answer to Prayer
Anatoly promised God to work as a pastor after being healed of a long illness in Kazakhstan, but he didn’t have any hope of entering the seminary. He came from a poor family in an impoverished village, and he had no money. Reluctantly, Anatoly moved to Russia to work. “God what do you want from me?” he prayed daily.
From Shrine to God’s Holy Worship Room
Two pioneer missionaries ventured out into the community from their 165-square-foot home, which doubled as a house church. The prospect of sharing Jesus filled them with joy. One day a neighborhood couple, Mr. and Mrs. Guo,* invited the missionaries along with a small band of Adventists to worship in their home. The group gratefully accepted the offer and gathered for Bible study and church services in a room that had previously been used as a shrine—a place where the family worshiped and prayed for dead relatives...
Prayer Meeting in Prison
Last month I went to prison. Actually, I have been going fairly often since one of my congregations conducts prison ministry in the correctional facility in town. One day, I asked the men at our prison prayer meeting about their Christian walk. They gave some theological answers but said nothing of their experience with Christ. They shared stories of disagreements with other denominational groups and wanted to know how they could defend their beliefs. It became clear why these men were in prison...
God Heard our Prayers - Young Adult Testimonies!
This week three different young adults share how God heard and answered their prayers. God loves to hear His children pray. In Great Controversy we read, "God will grant us in answer to the prayer of faith that which He would not bestow did we not thus ask."
A Spa of Blessings
When Susan* moved to another country for a banking job, she never dreamed that she would be running a spa for wealthy women; she had no prior training for this profession. Now her clients get body scrubs and massages to the soothing strains of “Amazing Grace” ...
A Heart of Gratitude
About this time a year ago, I was struggling. Some things in my life were making me unhappy and I began telling Jesus about it. The problem was, I didn’t leave my frustrations with Him. I kept picking up the problems and carrying them with me again. As the weeks went on, instead of finding peace and contentment, I began to murmur and complain in my heart more and more. As I murmured and complained, my discontentment grew, and the murmuring and complaining increased...
Angels All Around
I'm going to share an almost unbelievable story. But it's true. It just happened a couple weeks ago. My husband is a pastor in the US state of Oregon and it was opening night of our evangelistic series, “Revelation of Hope.” I have been encouraging more prayer in our church, so I decided that I would oversee the prayer room during the series...
Praying for Father to Accept Jesus
Dominika Gaborova couldn’t wait to tell her father about Jesus. After attending the Seventh-day Adventist church, she ran through the door and greeted Father at their home in Rakúsy, a Roma settlement of 2,000 people in Slovakia. “I believe in Jesus!” the girl exclaimed. Father turned away. He didn’t want to listen...
Two Teenage Boys
I enjoy my daily morning exercise. I live on a residential compound that is provided by the hospital where I work as a nurse. I feel safe enough to run and walk in the early morning hours alone, even before daybreak. My heart is lifted as I listen to the birds singing with delight, as if they are giving praises to the Lord, their Creator. I am amazed as I look up to the sky and see the stars and the glow of the moon just before dawn. The time brings me closer in contact with God, who created all these things...
My Amazing Escape
It was Friday and I was grateful as the plane landed at the Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia, U.S.A., after visiting a division. I looked forward to the Sabbath at home and some much needed rest. As the plane taxied to the gate the flight attendant announced, “The airport is experiencing a computer failure in immigration and everyone is to stay on the plane until it is resolved.” I sighed and leaned back, praying that it wouldn’t be too long...
A Miracle in 10 Minutes
It was a tough first year at the Seventh-day Adventist college in Spain. Dante Marvin Herrmann used up the last of his savings to pay the annual tuition of about 5,000 euros. Between classes, he worked to earn another 5,000 euros to provide for his wife and two young sons. Now he faced a long summer away from home, working as a literature evangelist to raise money to pay for his second year of studies. Dante didn’t mind the hard work, but he hadn’t enrolled at Sagunto Adventist College to sell books...
Join us for 10 Days of Abundant Blessings!
Daniel and his friends had undoubtedly been living peacefully in Jerusalem when suddenly their world forever changed. The year was 605 B.C. and the forces of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar had invaded the southern kingdom of Judah, overcoming King Jehoiakim. As a result, Daniel and his friends were taken captive together with other strong and talented young people from Jerusalem. From all appearances, the world had ended for them...
How Long Should we Pray?
Have you ever wondered how long you need to pray about something? I have—many times! Here’s one thing I’ve learned: if I don’t have peace that I can stop praying, then I need to keep praying until I do. It was the first Sabbath of camp meeting. The prayer team met to pray before the meetings started. We prayed for people to be blessed, for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, and for the programming and the technical equipment to work well...
Australian Takes a Prayer Risk
Living in Australia, it's easy to take certain conveniences for granted. When you turn the tap on, water comes out. When you turn the key in your ignition, your car starts. And when you flip the light switch, the light flickers on. But Ettienne McClintock, 51, wasn't taking anything for granted in Ethiopia...
Returning my Mother's Prayers
In my youth I wandered far from God. I lived a very dark and rebellious life, but my mother was a prayer warrior on my behalf. For years she pressed her petitions to the throne of God, begging God to transform my life. God faithfully heard and answered her prayers. I gave my life to Christ and I became a NEW creature! Not only that, but the Lord opened the way for me to become active in ministry for Him...
My Discovery of True Hope
I grew up in the Apostolic Church along with my seven siblings. My father was a district Evangelist and the final authority in our household, so what he believed, we believed. From my youth I always participated in church events, rallies and camps. I wanted to be close to God. When I started studying in the university, however, I found it hard to go to church...
Saved from the Fire
One summer, a missionary family was camped with other Adventist families at a church campsite in Greece. It was a dry, hot summer, and a big forest fire broke out three or four kilometers from the campsite on a Sunday afternoon. The adults and four missionary children watched and waited to see what would happen...
Praying for Difficult People
We long to experience a happy and smooth life. We desire to be exempt from problems and difficulties. But real life often is different. Perhaps you have experienced it yourself: There are some things in life that are rather challenging and even outright awkward, and often you have to deal with people who really give you a hard time. Indeed, there are some fellow human beings who are not easy to get along with. Perhaps a schoolmate, teacher, colleague, or supervisor has it in for you...
Remembering the Reality of God's Call
Fourteen months down the road, I was still waiting for direction from God. I spent hours thinking and praying about my future— alone, with family, and with friends. God seemed to be silent on this issue, and I wondered why. I had nearly finished my civil service and had two weeks of vacation coming my way. It was early October—autumn in Europe— and my best friend Mathias and I decided...
Praying and Waiting
In this week's part 1 (of a two part story), Gerald Klingbeil, associate editor of the Adventist World, shares part of his testimony and how he began praying for God's leading in his life. We pray you are encouraged and blessed by his sharing.
Spiritually Revived Thru Mission
For a long time, I had been praying for spiritual revival because I had forgotten how to love God. I forgot about the first love experience I had four years ago when I was converted. During this trip, God answered my prayers for a revival experience. Never before have I felt so close to God. I could feel God walking with me to every house I visited. There were times when I forgot about Him and relied on myself but I could tell something was missing...
Enduring the Storms
After flying for more than fifteen years, I have learned that storms up in the air are real, frequent and unexpected. Most of the time they are frightening, especially when the pilot cannot avoid turbulence. When I left Johannesburg on my way to Mauritius Island, the weather was perfect—a sunny day and clear skies. I thanked God for the beautiful day as the plane took off. The flight was full, with passengers looking forward to the Indian Ocean’s turquoise waters. All of us were ready for a relaxing flight...
No Schooling, but He Could Read the Bible!
Joe Konyon Seeyah couldn’t read. There were no schools in his village of Seeyah, in Liberia. As a boy, he worked on the family rice farm. When he grew older, he married and had nine children and still worked on the farm. He had no reason to read. One day, a Seventh-day Adventist evangelist, Willie Helbig, arrived in the village...
Prayer Movement Grows from Ellen White Vault
It was September 2016 and I longed to do something for God. I wasn’t sure where to begin or what He wanted me to do, but I was willing. Although I am a 5th generation Adventist, up until this time, I had never worked for the Church in any official capacity. I had worked in various other Christian organizations including managing a Christian radio Station and working in Christian schools. However, I longed to do more for God and His Church...
Melting Iceland - Youth Testimonies
I came into the trip exhausted from three weeks of intense summer camp. I already knew that if I was going to survive and get anything done, I would need help from a higher place. To get anywhere, I had to ask God for strength, for words to say. God always came through. He gave me strength when I was at my weakest. He healed me when I was in pain. He brought people to me to give me a smile, and I knew He was there...
Melting Iceland - A New Approach to Missions
For decades, mission has been viewed as a largely human endeavor with three simple ingredients: come up with a plan, enter a target country, and then execute the plan. But what would mission look like as a primarily divine endeavor? What would it look like to do something so simple and yet so full of faith and trust in God that it seems radical and insane? This is exactly what the Generation. Youth. Christ’s (GYC) mission to Iceland this August was all about...
The Reality of Unanswered Prayers
I recently woke up on Sabbath morning with intense back pain. I looked at my wife and half-jokingly said, “If I can make it to the pulpit, I think I can hang on tight enough to preach.” We prayed together that God would somehow provide the help I needed to make it through my three preaching appointments that day at camp meeting. Providentially a friend shared that there was a professional sports trainer on campus who would be willing to treat me. After three days of treatments I felt much better. Looking back on that experience, my wife and I are convinced...
God is Good, Even in the Middle of the Storm!
Can we still trust God’s goodness, even in the middle of life’s storms, even when tragedy strikes? It’s easy to say yes in theory, but what about practical life when the rubber really hits the road?
Eight Years Later
Imagine praying a short prayer, without thinking much about how God would answer. That was Marli Peyerl’s experience. Before working for the South American Division as the Women’s Ministries leader, Marli and her husband worked for the Mato Grosso Conference in Midwestern Brazil. It was a Saturday morning in São José de Quatro Marcos, and Marli sat in a church pew, quietly waiting for Sabbath School to begin. A woman sat down next to her and Marli somehow felt that something extraordinary was about to happen...
The Dead will Live Again
Let me share an amazing story that happened in Vietnam not long ago. After experiencing the joy of God personally, lay pastor Hanh and his house-church members were convicted to fast and pray specifically for unreached villages in Vietnam. They began by focusing their prayers on a specific village 150 miles away, a village where not one Christian lived...
Quiet Prayers in Church
Keeping children quiet in church and especially during prayer was never easy for me. It became a real challenge when my niece, Natalie, who was struggling with drugs, gave her two young sons to my husband and me...
Safely Thru Another Week
It was Friday, July 12, 2019, and as the Sabbath hours dawned, I stopped to reflect on the events of the previous day. The words of the hymn “Safely Through Another Week” rang in my ears. This particular hymn is one I have listened to and sung all my life, but this Sabbath the words carried a different meaning. My heart became overwhelmed with gratitude to God for His mercies...
Prayers and Permits
When you move an organization across a continent, there are bound to be some challenges along the way. The challenges that come up are often nothing more than God’s way of reminding us of just what a great God He is...
Miracles in Cuba
Recently a group from Weimar Academy in the US state of California, traveled to hold evangelistic campaigns in the city of Mantua, in West Cuba. The meetings had just barely begun when an immigration official in the town came to the house church where one of the groups was preaching and vehemently declared, “You can’t be here. You can’t stay in this house; this is a house and not a church. You can’t preach here..."
Praise the Lord for Migraines
I am the only Adventist in my family. I was brought up Catholic, and my mother, sister, and her family are very involved in their faith. Conversations can sometimes be tense when we come to spiritual matters and differences in beliefs. However, I continue to pray for my family and for God to open doors for me to share. Recently He has opened some very unusual doors...
The Prayer of Deliverance
The Ndong family, who live in Libreville, capital of Gabon, love to pray. Father and Mother love talking to God so much that they named their three children after the French word for prayer, “priere.” The oldest boy is Priel; the second child, a girl, is Priella; and the youngest girl is Pricilia. Little Pricilia has prayed before bedtime every night since she was three. Sometimes she kneels in front of the bed, but usually she jumps up onto the bed and kneels on the nice, soft mattress. She folds her hands, closes her eyes, and bows her head.
I know I can Trust Him!
I lay in bed, overcome with a mental burden so heavy it felt like I could hardly breathe. My husband had just been approached to take an international service position in a challenging country and the very thought of moving filled me with dread. My heart cried, “Really, God? Is this what You want us to do? Is this call really from You?” I needed His reassurance...
In the Name of Jesus
When we arrived in the city where we currently live, we only knew one other Adventist living there: a lady married to an indigenous Muslim. In time, she shared stories with us of the many times she had tried to talk to her husband about Jesus and the Bible, and about the problems it created. He was not interested or open to hearing anything about her faith or her “Book,” the Bible...
Starting Point for Mission
A terrible moment can be transformed, by divine action, into an opportunity for a greater and deeper experience with God. That was what happened in Curitiba, Brazil, in January 2014. The starting point was a prayer. Denise Lopes, who leads Women’s Ministries for the Adventist Church in three southern Brazilian states, asked God for something. She wanted to teach the Bible to someone. The answer came in an unusual way...
Unable to Stand
Dorcas was 17 years old and in her final year of secondary school. It should have been one of the happiest times of her life—as she looked forward to adulthood and significantly expanding her social circle—but the reality of her life was very far from idyllic.
The Impossible Made Possible!
This past month, Public Campus Ministries leaders in Mongolia planned for what seemed impossible—an evangelistic series for 1,000 youth. Filled with hope, PCM leaders prayed that God would fill the venue with His angels and young people. They also prayed for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide them throughout the week. The praise team practiced one last time before the program was scheduled to begin. Leaders asked for prayer on their Facebook page, "to make impossible things possible, and for miracles to do what they had been prayerfully planning for."
The Angel who Saved the Meeting
Many years ago, hundreds of people crowded into a Latin school in the capital city of Norway. They came to listen to the preacher from America who was preaching such strange new doctrines about Jesus’ soon coming. Pastor John Matteson was very surprised to see the place bursting at its seams. As he got up to speak, he soon realized that not all of the people who had come were there to listen. Some just wanted to shout and interrupt his sermon, while others wanted to cause a riot...
Answer to Prayer for Church in Turkey
Visitors often think of the Taksim Seventh-day Adventist Church in Istanbul, Turkey, as a place with panoramic views over the Bosporus and the metropolitan area. For Adventists in Turkey, the church property, situated near the bustling center of Taksim Square, has been a symbolic place because it represents the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the country...
Jesus Overcomes Magic Spells
You may not believe the following story, but it was told to me directly, without any embellishments or dramatic additions, by the one who experienced it firsthand. The teller seemed to find this normal, as if it was expected. A Hindu lady was quite wealthy and this made her relatives jealous. They hired a sorcerer to place black magic spells on her without her knowledge...
Making Total Member Involvement Personal
In many places around the world, pastors and other leaders sometimes seem to feel that they should be exempt from the trials and responsibility of personal discipleship in their home communities, because after all, they carry the burdens of the world and larger fields on their shoulders. But of course, this is not true. If we are to be effective witnesses and leaders, we should also be involved in our home circle. With this in mind, over the last year...
And Little David Kept Praying
Nine-year-old David Lucas Dolete Druga had many questions. “Where do people come from?” he asked Father. “Why are we here? Why do you say that God created us but Teacher says we evolved from monkeys?” Father had taught David that God created people, but the boy was hearing other ideas at public school in Spain’s capital, Madrid...
Building a Church by Hand - Part 3
We had less than two weeks before we were to return to the United States. Seong Hoon and I wanted to do something more for the villagers before we left. After the amazing results of the evangelistic series, which only came because of much prayer, the people needed a place to worship. We wanted to build them a church, but the only money we had was for food and transportation for the trip home.
Little Medicine and Much Prayer - Part 2
The villagers came to us with many kinds of diseases—especially skin diseases. They didn’t have clean water and often they used the same water to bathe their cattle and their children. The only medicine we had was a mild antibiotic lotion. We felt helpless. We decided that if nothing else, we could pray for the children who were brought to us. Amazingly, every child we touched and prayed over was healed. Seeing Hoon and I couldn’t believe our eyes...
Baptized by Fire - Part I
It was during my senior year at Southern Adventist University (Collegedale, Tenn.) that I found myself sinking into the quicksand of doubt. I grew up in an Adventist home (my father and grandfather are both Adventist pastors), and practiced Adventist standards and lifestyle, but had never experienced Jesus on a personal level. My doubts multiplied until I wondered whether God existed; and if He did, whether He made a difference in anyone’s life. I was studying religion at the time, preparing to follow my father’s and grandfather’s footsteps...
Praying for Berta and Tens of Thousands like Her!
Berta is a seeker. She is open to Bible teaching and she loves the programming on Hope Channel. We at Hope Channel have been praying for Berta. Here, in her own words, is the story of her life-changing journey...
God Intervened and Saved Her Life!
During the third day of 10 Days of Prayer, I was praying from the front of our congregation when I was convicted to plead for God’s divine intervention. “Someone is in the process of committing suicide,” I prayed. “Dear Lord, please don’t allow them to succeed. Please intervene.” The next day I was shocked to find out...
I finally Found What I was Looking for!
God has completely transformed my life through the power of His Word and prayer. I grew up in a Catholic home, but as I got older I always had a deep longing to know God on a more personal level. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was looking for, but I began praying that God would help me find Him as I went from church to church checking out the many different denominations. None of the churches I visited had what I was looking for...
Welcoming Unseen Angels
A few weeks ago, we had 28 lepers show up on Sabbath morning for worship. It was an unusually high turnout. The next week, we encouraged our volunteers to pray daily for 30 lepers to come the following Sabbath. To our pleasant surprise, 32 lepers showed up the next Sabbath. We then decided to pray for 35 lepers to come the next Sabbath…and God answered our prayers. We had 35 lepers worshipping with us today! What a joy it was to see lepers coming to worship for the very first time. I can think of only one thing sadder than an abandoned, disfigured leper with missing limbs—an abandoned, disfigured leper with missing limbs who does not know Jesus...
And God held back the Rain
Everything was ready for opening night! I was to conduct a reaping campaign in the city of Malang, Indonesia. In the morning, I did evangelism for the children in our church school. The pastors and our children’s leaders had been working hard to prepare the groundwork, but on the first afternoon after lunch, the sky turned dark and soon it was pouring buckets of water down. Oh, no! Few people would come out to the evangelistic meeting in this kind of rain! There was nothing we could do, but we could pray.
Bolted Doors are no Match for Angels
The Australasian Missionary College in Australia opened in 1897. Two years later, right as the college was in the middle of a very important building project, they received bad news from the United States (US). American church members had been supporting the college with special offerings, but this assistance was suddenly cut off because of banking issues. Now the college leadership had a big problem...
Praying for Grandma
A few weeks ago, our Adventist World Radio (AWR) station in Kabwe, Zambia, aired a series of live evangelistic meetings. Mason, an Adventist young man, wanted his grandmother to listen. She was confused about the different religions and days of worship, so he devised a plan. Mason says, “I tuned in every night, and people gathered to listen to my small radio right here in our village...."
Our Heavenly Father is a Gentleman
We hope you enjoy the following testimonies from 10 Days of Prayer, written by various participants from around the world. The Bible tells us, "Ask and ye shall receive..." and each of these stories testifies to the fact that truly God does answer prayer.
My Human Angel
An announcement came over the airport loudspeaker, alerting me that our plane was delayed due to bad weather. I was returning to the United States from Bacolod, the beautiful capital city of the Negros Occidental province in the Philippines. As one hour passed, then another, I was sure I would not make my connection from Manila to Washington. My heart sank and I began praying. “Lord, you know that this connection is very important to me. Tomorrow I meet my grandson Benjamin, back in the States, to spend a long weekend with him. I’ve been looking forward to this time together! Please Lord, help me not to miss my connection home.”
Pipe Organ Revival
Financial planner Vince Waln credits the Holy Spirit and a pipe organ for transforming a declining church of 15 people into a vibrant congregation of about 85 in three years in the U.S. state of Ohio. Vince, the church’s lay pastor, expresses amazement at the remarkable change at the Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hamilton, a city of 62,500 people located 20 miles (30 kilometers) north of Cincinnati. “It’s been a miracle week after week,” he said. “God is in control..."
How Fasting and Prayer Saved a Marriage
The testimony started when I received a personal e-mail from a stranger. I will call her Laura to protect her privacy. Her e-mail was essentially a desperate plea for help. “I need someone to pray for me and advise me on how to fast and pray. Please pray for me. Our marriage has serious problems, which is leaving me emotionally broken. And because of that, I am struggling spiritually. I feel I am going deeper and deeper into things, which are not good. I can't pray, I can't read the Bible..."
A Double Answer and Sign from God
This story is about a young, energetic couple in a closed country. They are active Christians, in charge of youth activities in their church. At the time this story occurred, the wife, Kim, was pregnant. After giving birth to a precious baby boy, her joy turned to panic and fear. She couldn’t move her legs! They were totally paralyzed. They rushed her and the baby from her little rural village to the hospital. There, the doctor prescribed her some antibiotics and said that they should help with the paralysis. She was hopeful, but another problem cropped up. The medicine interfered with her milk supply and she was not able to nurse her baby. Her husband, Hinh, went to the mountains to search for beehives to harvest so he could sell the honey and have money to buy milk for his newborn. He prayed as he went, half expecting an answer...
Glowing in More Ways than One
My fiancé and I were soon to be married. Our families were already in town and preparations were in full swing. Days seemed to blend together as we hurried from one to-do list item to the next. In the midst of all this hubbub and chaos, I remembered to take some GLOW tracts along in my pocket one day, although literature distribution was one of the furthest things from my mind at the time. I soon found myself waiting at a clothing store while my wife-to-be tried on a dress or two for her bridesmaids...
The Power of My Mother's Prayers
I had been battling Dengue fever with temperatures of more than 100°F (37.7 C) every day for about two weeks. Each day I grew weaker and weaker. My mom came early in the morning and covered my body with towels dipped in ice-cold water. I was so miserable. And what hurt the most was seeing the pain in her eyes as she fought back the tears. I saw sadness in my father’s eyes too...
Miracles from 10 Days of Prayer
In a little over a week, the world church begins it’s yearly 10 Days of Prayer which runs January 9-19th. This 10 Days of Prayer is for both individuals and church groups. Here are some more beautiful testimonies from last year’s 10 Days of Prayer. We pray you are blessed and encouraged as you read how God has worked in the lives of those who pray...
Called to Sit at His Feet
I had just come home to Romania from spending a 10 month-stint in Africa, when I heard God calling, “Come aside by yourself to a deserted place and rest awhile" (Mark 6:33). Honestly, I was not happy about His invitation. I had always been a very active person. For the past five years, in fact, I had been working as a volunteer missionary in Guyana, Vanuatu, and Namibia. And I had loved it...
10 Days of Prayer Testimonies
Every year the world church hosts 10 Days of Prayer focusing on different spiritual themes to help members grow closer to God and to each other. This year the focus is on growing a deeper experience in the Lord. We pray that you are blessed by these testimonies from last year's 10 Days of Prayer and that you will join us for the coming season of prayer this January 9-19, 2019.
I am Going to Church and this is My Choice!
Our new semester recently started. We were required to attend a special series of lectures or we could not pass the semester. Unfortunately, I discovered that the lectures were all scheduled for Sabbath. The first week, I just went to church on Sabbath. Later in the day, I saw that several classmates had messaged me saying: “Where are you?! You have to be here!” I really prayed that God would help me solve my problem. I decided to visit the main professor responsible for that course...
Miracles in the US Customs Line
Two times now, yes, two times, we’ve seen God open doors at United States (US) airport customs. The first time was this past June. The situation started when one of our volunteer prayer team members, Gem Castor, (who comes from the Philippines), began having problems entering the US on his visitor’s visa. He has a ten-year visitor’s visa, so there shouldn’t be any problems, but since he comes into the US so often for prayer ministry or speaking engagements, our friendly immigration authorities at US customs decided that he’s much more than a tourist. They told him this past spring that he needs to get a religious worker’s visa (R-1 visa), and that he can’t come back into the US without one...
No Peace in Meditation
A spiritual guide led Gustavo Javier Caballero into a darkened room to communicate with dead people. “They will give some answers that you need,” the guide said. Gustavo wanted answers. He struggled to sleep at night and was meditating twice a day — an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening — to cope with stress. The activities offered peace for a while, but soon the stress returned a hundredfold...
We Serve the Great Healer
We are a pioneer team serving in Province X. With God’s blessing, we went to a village and set up a house church. We are very blessed to have 35 people in our small church every Sabbath now. Recently, three new members were baptized. Praise the Lord! I would like to share one brother’s testimony with you. I will call him “Brother B” as our real names cannot be shared. We live in a difficult region of the world where sharing the gospel can be risky...
Learning to Listen to the Still Small Voice
We often pray for the Holy Spirit, but have we tried listening for His still small voice? When I was a Bible worker, I daily committed my way unto the Lord like David admonished in Psalm 37:5, “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.” One day, when I didn’t have any appointments, I prayed, “Lord, who do you want me to visit today?” A still small voice said, “Go see Saul.”
When God Paid a Big Bill!
What does your family water bill usually cost? It varies from home to home, and of course it would be more for a church, school, or hospital. When leaders from the Amanuma Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tokyo, Japan, opened their bill and discovered that it was double what it had been the month before, it was a total shock! Church leaders contacted the water company and found out that a burst underground pipe was to blame...
4-Year-Old Boy Leads Married Couple to Baptism
Teacher made a big announcement to the children’s Sabbath School class in a church in Goroka, Papua New Guinea. “Next week, we are going to have visitors day,” she said. “I’d like each of you to bring a visitor. Four-year-old Andrew Seth listened attentively as Teacher spoke. He wondered, “Who am I going to bring to Sabbath School next week?” Walking home after church, he remembered a friend of his father named Mr. Samuel Gini. Both his father and Mr. Gini worked as teachers at the same school...
Prayer was the Key that Turned his Heart
My name is Chai Worra* and I live in a closed country in Southeast Asia with my wife and eight children. God put me here to help my people, just like He put you where you live so you can help people around you. I’m so happy to be God’s servant. God blesses me in many ways and I’d like to tell you one story about how He did that for me. A few months ago, one of my friends asked me to help him transport some firewood from his farm to his house. You see, our farms aren’t in the same place where our houses are, so we have to take things back and forth between them. You need to know that my friend is not a Christian. I’ve tried talking to him but he’s never interested. Therefore, when he asked for my help, I immediately realized that this was another chance for me to show Jesus to him...
Your People are Different from My People!
“Remember what we learned with our friends, Mom?” Kara gently prodded her mother, “Why don’t you pray?” Kara’s mom was waiting with her two daughters in the airport while a feeling of anger began building inside. Her youngest daughter knew how to push her buttons and she was at it again. But this time, instead of reacting in anger, she responded quickly to Kara’s suggestion and stopped to say a prayer. Immediately, she experienced a change of heart and a soft, subdued attitude replaced her anger. “What a miracle, she thought to herself!”
Opera Singer’s Mansion Turned into Adventist TV Studio
In early September 2018, Seventh-day Adventist leaders joined several hundred guests in rural Sweden for the opening of a new headquarters for LifeStyleTV, a supporting media ministry, and to celebrate the remarkable story of how its Adventist founder turned an opera singer’s mansion into a television studio to proclaim Jesus’ soon coming to Scandinavia. LifeStyleTV founder Claus Nybo described the new media center as a miracle from God in a stirring Sabbath morning presentation in a concert hall-turned-television studio in Brunskog, a Swedish town...
A Present Help in Time of Need
One day I called my friend Beverly to ask how she and her mom were doing. On the other side of the line was a very anxious and concerned Beverly. "My mother is being rushed to the emergency room (ER) even as we speak, and I am following the ambulance in my car," she told me breathlessly. A short while before my phone call, Beverly had gone into the room where her mother was resting in a chair. She found her mother sitting upright stiff as a board, her eyes staring out into space with a glassy haze, and she was unable to respond to any questions. Immediately Beverly called 911...
Shopkeeper Prays Way Out of Sabbath Work
Sophie Buama accepted Saturday as the biblical Sabbath when the pastor spoke about the Fourth Commandment at evangelistic meetings in October 2017. But she didn’t quit her job in New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific. Sophie worked four days a week — Tuesdays to Fridays — at a supermarket in Mebuet, a village on the tiny island of Maré. A coworker, Celine, ran the supermarket the other three days. But the sun set between 5:30 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. on Fridays, depending on the season. Sophie was supposed to lock up the supermarket at 7 p.m. Sophie felt terrible about working on Sabbath. She didn’t want to leave because jobs were hard to find, and her salary fed the whole family. She prayed for God to change her work schedule...
This is for my good—really?
Many years ago, my wife, Daniela, and I ran a very profitable business in Romania. We had a comfortable life, with all the necessary means, influence, and friends. Countless times we helped those in need, assisted the church, and carried out charitable activities, and we were “humbly” proud of it. When God called us into pastoral ministry, we gave up the business, unusually large income, and comfortable life...
The Power of a Retired Pastor’s Prayer Ministry
Many elderly Seventh-day Adventist pastors return to their native villages when they retire in Papua New Guinea and spend their last years at home and with family. Not Okanama Kevi, a veteran pastor from Ura village in the highlands of the South Pacific country. His life became even more busy in retirement as he felt called by God to start a full-time prayer ministry...
My Singing Miracle
As I travel around giving concerts, I have recognized more and more my need of Christ’s strength. In fact, lately God has been teaching me about my need of prayer each time I sing. One of those lessons is the importance of praying for specifics. Each time I sing, I pray about every aspect of performing the songs—that I will have enough breath for the longer notes; that I will remember all the words; that the sound system will work properly; that my voice will have enough strength and that I will sing with lots of expression so that the message of the song will really reach each person listening. I go through the song and tell God where all the hardest parts are and ask for extra help with those parts. God answers each specific I pray for and never fails.
Answered Prayers and the Secret to Satisfaction
I fell in love with the outdoors while working in Minnesota. Canoeing, backpacking, and cross-country skiing were added to my childhood love of hiking, swimming, and biking. I dreamed of buying the newest equipment for my hobbies, but my nursing salary didn’t allow luxuries. Then I fell in love with Mike. We married and moved to Washington State. He was pursuing a theology major, while I worked as a nurse. I looked forward to ministering together in a church. But the more involved I became...
The Lord will Provide!
I have found that whenever I put my trust in the Lord's promises and am determined to live my life according to His principles, no matter what, He always provides for my needs. He often blesses me beyond what I could have ever imagined. My wife and I had recently become Seventh-day Adventists. We had already been tithing faithfully for more than seven years. Now, determined to be a faithful Sabbath keeper also, I was prepared and fully expected to lose my job as a service manager at an auto dealership. In fact, I was ready to resign, but my pastor encouraged me at least to talk to my boss about my convictions. To my surprise, the Lord intervened...
How a Broken SUV Became a Missionary
Parking at home after a weekend camping trip, Joe Marcellino saw a trail of oil going up the street from his Isuzu Trooper SUV. “Oh-oh,” he said to his wife, Susan. “Things aren’t good.” Joe, then a 33-year-old IT manager at the Seventh-day Adventist World Church headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, called a friend for help. His friend, Eric Armer, found that the oil had spewed from the oil filter’s rubber gasket, and warned that the engine had probably sustained significant damage...
He Chose My Name
This past summer I served as a literature evangelist, going door-to-door selling books with the Youth Rush program in the US state of Michigan. Some days were good and some days were discouraging. One day I was feeling a bit down as I hadn’t sold any books. I was praying that God would help me and do something really special. It was almost time to end the day, but I went up to another door and began canvassing the young man that came to the door. I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to get any books...
"You Must Have the True, Original Bible!"
Laura understood her mission as a tentmaker even as she began the preliminary language learning program in the Middle Eastern country where she was serving. It didn’t take Laura very long to make new friends. Outgoing by nature, she soon became involved various opportunities to interact with all kinds of people, each in different stages of life, with different needs. Laura discovered that some of her new friends were skeptical, some were silently questioning, and others simply wanted to know the truth. Soon after arriving in the country, she befriended two sisters. God opened doors for her to have many spiritual conversations with them. Their grandmother was a devout and learned Muslim and one day they called her to get information to refute Laura’s claims about Christianity and Islam...
The Wind Blew, but the Fire Stood Still!
Making lunch took some work for Alejandro Gonzales Qquerar, a farmer and father of four children in Peru. First, he needed to dig a hole in the ground. Then he would place wood and stones into the hole and light a fire. When the flames caused the stones to turn red and then black, he would throw some potatoes on top of them. After that, he would cover the potatoes with dirt and cold rocks, which would put out the fire. The potatoes would bake in the hot earth and, after about 20 minutes, they would be ready to eat. Alejandro got to work, digging the hole in a small clearing in his field of barley...
The Grape Fruit Size Tumor
“You have a tumor the size of a grapefruit. It needs to come out. And to prevent the possibility of uncontrollable bleeding, we must do a hysterectomy as well,” the surgeon said. I was not happy! As a nurse, I knew the complications that can result from hysterectomies. For months in my daily morning worships, I prayed and claimed healing Bible promises. Over and over I read stories of Jesus healing people. I kept praying, “Dear God, You did it then. Please do it now.”
Prayer Cures 16-Year-Old Girl's Cancer
Sharp pain shot through Marina’s stomach, causing her to double over in agony. The next day, the stomachache grew worse. It hurt so much that the 16-year-old teenager wept in her home in the Cambodian village of O Mony. Father put Marina on his motorcycle and drove her and Mother to the hospital in Battambang, Cambodia’s second-largest city, located about 4 miles (7 kilometers) away. The physician ordered an ultrasound test to seek the cause of the pain. The initial results worried him, and he ordered a second test...
Who Gets the Book?
I recently spent some time in the US state of Ohio. On the last day of my visit, I joined a group going door to door handing out The Great Controversy, a book about the history of the Christian church and the battle for good and evil between Christ and Satan. When we finished, everyone else had given away their books, except for me. I had one book left and could not find anyone else to give it to. I decided to save it, just in case I met someone in the airport the next day. I arrived at the airport bright and early the next morning. As I stood at the gate, waiting to board my next flight...
The Trouble Makers
My dad was a pastor. Every time our family moved to a new assignment, people would warn him of “the trouble-makers.” You know about troublemakers—the ones who give constant grief on committees, in church, or at work. Dad would pay special attention to the cranky, irritable, griping ones. He’d search for the good things in each one and affirm each person for their strengths...
Praying for Rain!
Namibia is one of the most sparsely populated countries of the world, with about two people per square kilometer. One reason for this is that average rainfall is comparable to some parts of the Sahara desert. Here in this region lives a man named Neville. Neville was in charge of planning and coordinating camp meeting. As the time for the camp meeting drew near, he and his family were sitting outside on the veranda talking. As they considered the coming event, they began to get very discouraged. It was very dry. There had been no rain for quite some time. As a result, the animals were in bad shape. There was no food, and camp meeting was looming on the horizon. Speakers had already been invited. Money had already been spent to purchase the tickets. But there was no water. What were they going to do?
I Will Buy Them All!
During my colporteur work, I met Mr. Sam* - a senior, middle-aged businessman. As soon as I entered his office, I told him the purpose of my visit and presented my wonderful books. I could immediately see that he was not really interested and that there was something else in mind. "Sorry, brother," he said, "I do not want to buy any books today." I quietly prayed, asking God to help me tell him something that would reach him. At that moment he asked me: "Why are you doing this work?"...
God Miraculously Provides 4,000 Euros in Portugal
A serious dilemma unexpectedly emerged one Friday morning. The architect of our VitaSalus Wellness Center announced that we urgently needed to put up railings around several buildings. “If someone falls, you’ll be in trouble,” he warned. We knew that he was right. VitaSalus — a clinic that works in harmony with the ethical, professional and spiritual values upheld by the Seventh-day Adventist Church — is located atop a mountain near the town of Penela, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of Portugal’s capital, Lisbon. The architect put the total cost of the railings at 8,000 euros ($9,850 USD). But he said we could pay only 4,000 euros by restricting the railings to the highest places.
The Mysterious Guards in White Robes
Thirty Pathfinders and their adult friends piled into two rented trucks for a Sabbath afternoon drive from East Timor’s capital, Dili. The Pathfinders were going on a serious trip. They wanted to find three girls whose parents had forbidden them from attending church on Sabbath. An hour later, the Pathfinders arrived at the village of Remexiu, where the girls lived. The Pathfinders marched and did several drills. They passed out tracts about Jesus to the villagers. They found the three girls and prayed with them. Pastor Inaciu da Kosta, who organized the trip, prayed last.
The Miracle of Spiritual Healing
One morning, as I read the Revival and Reformation daily devotional, I clicked on the “Featured Resources” section and saw a book called Steps to Personal Revival: Being Filled with the Holy Spirit by Helmut Haubeil. I was impressed to download the free PDF file and began to read it. As I read the book, I realized that I rarely pled for the Holy Spirit in my life. Yes, I attended church, had daily devotions and even gave some Bible studies, but I felt as though my personal walk with Christ lacked depth. I felt disconnected. I saw answers to my prayers, but I wanted more...
The Five Day Visa
A few months ago, my husband Tony and I began preparing for our trip to Australia where we’ve been asked to speak in May 2018. This will be the first time for us to visit this beautiful country, and we are both eager for the blessings that God has in store for us. Of course, it was months ago that we purchased our plane tickets. We began preparing our presentations and I started thinking about things we should pack. Then I checked to make sure our passports and paperwork were in order. That’s when we discovered we needed visas to enter Australia.
Lord Help Me Pass This Exam!
It was the time of final exams, June 2016, at Tyrifjord Junior College, the Seventh-day Adventist boarding School in Norway, and the young woman was nervous – very nervous. She called her teacher—my mother—to ask for help. She called and spoke with her again and again, in fact, she called throughout the entire day. “You do not need to be worried, because you have done your best,” my mom encouraged her...
God Has a Thousand Ways!
It was the year 1994, when I had the privilege to study at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. I had finished my class work and was preparing as quickly as possible for my comprehensive exams. You see, when you major in the Old Testament, there are lot of ancient languages that you have to pass in the comprehensive finals. I was eager to take my finals as soon as possible, because ancient languages do not stay in your mind very long. As I was preparing for these comprehensives, I got a letter...
When God Closed the Mouth of Birds
Our film crew was in Africa recently to document how cell phone evangelism is spreading the gospel message like wildfire. Amazing things happened every single day while I was there, from feeling the spray of Victoria Falls, to being only 20 feet from elephants bathing and playing in the river, to floating down the Zambezi river in a dug out canoe. All of these were incredible bucket list experiences for me. But nothing compared to watching God perform a miracle right in front of us...
How Steps to Personal Revival Has Changed My Life
Last August a young man at the British Columbia camp meeting where I was preaching, gave me a book. I’d never seen the book before nor had I ever heard of the author—but the man told me there were over 600,000 copies of the book circulating the world in 29 languages. Little did I know this short book would end up dramatically changing my life—the way I pray, the way I preach, the way I relate to others—it has changed my ministry.
Young People Share Their Miracle Stories
What would you do if one of your friends was depressed and struggling in their devotions? What do you do if you are about to run out of gas and there is no gas station for miles around? How would you pray if you were going to study with a friend that has never heard of Jesus? The following testimonies, are first-hand accounts written by young adults, that share the answers to these very questions...
Jesus Calms the Storm
Armi Arjuna Palandeng, a 21-year-old university student, had a heavy heart after arriving on Buru, the third-largest island in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. He and a fellow student missionary had been assigned to work for one year in a village where no Seventh-day Adventists lived. But he wasn’t sure how to start. One evening, two villagers invited him to go fishing, and he eagerly accepted. They looked at the sky and saw that the weather was good. They hoped to catch many fish.
Lord, Please Bless the Person Who Finds this Money
I don’t usually carry much cash but this was a special assignment. I was on my way to the store to send $500 via Western Union to help fund a series of evangelistic meetings in Kenya. I was impressed by the dedication of both the pastor and the church members in that region of Kenya. They were sacrificing in significant ways to share the Gospel message in an un-entered region, and it was my desire to encourage them in their labors...
From Friendship, Prayer, to Baptism
Sunny and Salma met during orientation for first-year students at a university in the Middle East. Sunny, who is from Asia, is a Waldensian student — a young Seventh-day Adventist living, studying, and serving at a secular university in the Adventist Church’s Middle East and North Africa Union. Salma is a local student who grew up in a non-Christian family. The two young women instantly became friends. They shared the same major and lived in the same city neighborhood. “We were glad to have a friend to ride with on the bus everyday,” Sunny said. Salma soon learned that her new friend was an Adventist Christian. She had been taught to be wary of Christians...
Two Testimonies by Young People Who Prayed
How does a girl witness to her unbelieving father during his surgery? How does a young man see God open the door in answer to his plea to sell books and find someone interested in signing up for Bible studies? Read these two testimonies by young people to hear how God answered their prayers...
They Couldn't Be Poisoned!
Eighteen-year-old Desi Natalia Ango was thrilled when she and a fellow female student were assigned to spend a year as missionaries in Limbong in the south of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. It was a long trip by car and motorcycle, plus eight hours walking to get to the mountain village, and when the young missionaries finally arrived, the villagers welcomed them with a traditional ceremony. “We didn’t speak their dialect and didn’t know what they were saying,” Ango said. “We didn’t know what to do.” More important, she had no idea how to share her love for Jesus. She and her friend fasted and prayed for two days.
The Mysterious Phone Call
We were happily married with two small children when my husband felt convicted to leave his excellent paying job to train for pastoral ministry. It was a call that he had felt as a schoolboy years earlier, but had never followed. After four years of theology training, graduation was finally approaching, and we were excited to launch into full-time ministry for the Lord. As it turned out, my husband’s graduating class was so large that there were not enough positions available to provide for all the new graduates. There was no future job on the horizon for us.
The Book that Glowed in the Dark
Villagers sang and danced when the mission airplane arrived in the Indonesian province of Papua. The plane had brought in two new student missionaries. The joyful celebration stretched on for more than an hour in Yabosorem, one of the remotest villages on the island, with no school, clinic, or anything else from the outside world. Perched on a mountainside, the village is only accessible by air. Darron Boyd, another missionary who had helped arrange the placement of the student missionaries, watched with amazement and turned to the interpreter who had accompanied them all on the flight. “What are they saying?” Darron asked.
The Strange Cure to an Indonesian Man's Blindness
The mission plane dropped off my friend and me at the foot of a mountain in Papua, Indonesia. We went into town to do some last-minute shopping before climbing high into the mountains to start our year of student missionary work. We didn’t have much money, but we saw one thing that we wanted at the main market: a bag of green limes. We loved limes, and we knew that we wouldn’t find any on the mountain.
A Flood Gate of Blessings!
Last school year I served as a student missionary in Southeast Asia. As I prepared to return to Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Mich.) to complete my undergraduate degree, I prayed that God would help me find a part-time job where the staff are focused on ministry and intentional about prayer...
Lightning in Answer to Prayer!
Inaciu looked at the star-lit sky and wondered what to do. He still had to walk 15 miles (25 kilometers) through a thick jungle and up a mountain to reach the village. He was hungry because he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. He also hadn’t brought a flashlight. Then it started to rain. Inaciu opened his umbrella and said to himself, “If I go back home, I’ll have to walk 15 miles, and if I go forward, I’ll also have to walk 15 miles.”
Interruptions that Turn out to be Answers to Prayer
As I raced down the hill in our little white Suzuki, I was surprised to see a somewhat familiar woman step out into the road in front of me. Feeling a sense of embarrassment for speeding, I slowed down and prepared to drive around her, but as I neared, she stepped directly in front of the car. I couldn’t avoid her, so I stopped.
Reaching the World Next Door Miracles
Miracles are necessary when starting a missionary training center by faith. And miracles are exactly what God gave us as we set out on this journey. We praise God for Advocates for Southeast Asia and the Persecuted (ASAP) Ministries and the support of the Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (United States). Because of their passion for the unreached, the vision for Reach the World Next Door Training Center was birthed. God led us to purchase 26 acres on the outskirts of the city of Houston, the fifth largest metro area in the United States and home to many unreached people groups. God miraculously brought together a multinational training staff with experience among Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Native Americans.
Saved by the Man in White
Recently an Adventist businessman stopped coming to church. He needed money, so he started working on Sabbath. One day he was involved in a terrible accident on a bridge. He fell off the bridge into the river below. Rescuers sent him to the hospital where he remained unconscious for three days. As he began to come to, he could hear people talking and was shocked to find himself in a hospital. He asked what had happened to him...
Prayer Lessons from Daniel and His Three Friends
Daniel and his friends lived in Jerusalem, undoubtedly peacefully, when suddenly their world forever changed. The year was 605 B.C. and the forces of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar had invaded the southern kingdom of Judah, overcoming King Jehoiakim. Daniel and his friends were taken captive together with other strong and talented young people from Jerusalem. From all appearances, the world had ended for them. Like many other captives, they probably asked God: “Why has this happened? What will become of our future?”
How Prayer and a Rented Car Paid the Bill!
Choomba Simillah was studying for a bachelor’s degree at the public university while teaching at Rusangu Secondary School, a Seventh-day Adventist boarding academy in Zambia. One university teacher refused to give him a passing grade and another teacher failed him when he repeated the course. As a result, he was informed that he would be expelled. Choomba couldn’t understand why he was being failed, and he rushed to the teacher for an explanation...
He Didn't Give Up Praying for His Father
Samuel Saw, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Southern Asia-Pacific Division, grew up without a relationship with his father. The two never spent time together in their home country of Myanmar. They didn’t talk about things. “He never hugged me,” Saw said. “I was a boy without a father.” Saw, who was raised by his grandparents, went on to study in an Adventist school and graduate as a pastor from the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary in Myaungmya, a city of 280,000 people located about 140 miles (225 kilometers) west of Myanmar’s capital, Yangon.
The Prayer of a Servant
One day in college in Bucharest, Romania, the dean came to me and said, “You are missing school every Saturday. We know you are an Adventist, but in this country there is no God. The next Saturday that you miss school will be your last day in college. You will be expelled..."
Set Free by the Power of the Word
It was my senior year in high school. My father had recently committed suicide, and I was coping by consuming violent video games, pornography, and even dabbling in drugs and witchcraft. Abuse from my past was a burden I constantly carried. My footprints wore a pathway across the floor as I mentally wrestled with the problems in my life. I was raised in a home that professed Christianity, and I knew that God was real and powerful. Why wasn’t I feeling His power in these times of darkness? Needing something to calm my mind, I grabbed my Bible and...
Indian Young People Move Forward by Prayer
Youth in India are hungry for God. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and I’ve been privileged to watch God work on their behalf. Not long ago, a dedicated group of young professionals decided to leave their high paying jobs and go into full time ministry. They made this choice because they had a passion for other young people in India to come to know Jesus. As they prayed and sought God’s will, this small group felt God leading them to start an Indian Youth Congress where youth from all over the country could come together, learning about the truths of the Gospel. When I met this group, I realized that...
Miracle School Dedicated to God in Myanmar
Connections are essential in Myanmar. It’s not who you are or what you have. It’s who you know that counts in this Southeast Asian country. But connections didn’t seem to be working for local Seventh-day Adventist leaders who needed authorization to build a larger school in Myanmar’s capital, Yangon. Enrollment had reached 650 children in two small buildings used since 1975, and teachers had no choice but to turn away new students...
I'm Standing Because of Your Prayers
Last year one of the featured United in Prayer requests was to pray for the Secretary of the Trans-European Division, whose husband was killed in a work-related accident. I was the woman you prayed for, and today I can testify that your prayers have been answered.
A Gold Mine Rescue
A house-church in a closed country had not experienced much growth, so the district leader visited the members and encouraged them to fast and pray for souls. In this communist country church members encounter interrogations, fines, and harassment by police if they are caught witnessing, hence their hesitation to engage in active public evangelism. But they came together and prayed for the Holy Spirit, for a love for people, and for courage to go out and share their faith. The next Sabbath afternoon they blanketed an area with sermon DVDs. Diu* stopped to talk to a lady selling meat beside the road...
Lessons on Prayer from Martin Luther
Martin Luther is probably one of the most well known Christian reformers from the last 500 years. He is recognized as the leader of what is known as the Protestant Reformation in the 1500’s. Against all odds, Luther and his comrades succeeded in turning the church and world upside down. But this wasn't just through strong preaching or by exposing the errors of the church. This was accomplished through fervent prayer. What did this prayer look like? Read more to find out.
So Many Answered Prayers
“I'm yelling at the top of my lungs, I'm so full of answered prayers” (Psalm 13:6 – The Message). Have you ever felt that way? I know I have. I distinctly remember the first time God answered my prayer. I was in first grade and my parents had given me some Hot Wheels toy cars, which I loved. They gave me permission to take some of them to school with the stern warning not to lose any of them. I took six of them to school the next day and during that first recess I and my friends had so much fun making dirt roads for the cars. When the bell rang to go in, I quickly grabbed the cars but only found five of them. My heart almost stopped as I imagined telling my parents I had lost one. I told my friends and we knelt down in the playground and prayed that God would help us find my one lost car. When we opened our eyes...
She Prayed for Five Years to See if God was Real
Viona Boro first realized in the third grade that she wanted to sing. Viona lived with her grandparents on the island of Ronglap, a patch of land covered with coconut trees and breadfruit trees in the Marshall Islands. She loved listening to her grandfather sing about Jesus in the Marshallese and English languages. Grandfather would sit under a breadfruit tree beside their home and, playing his ukulele, sing “Jesus Loves Me,” and “God Is So Good.” Sometimes at night, Viona would lie on the ground outside and look up at millions of glittering stars as Grandfather sang, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”
God sent an Angel and his Brother!
There I was, standing outside my apartment building, facing the stark reality of a massive project in front of me. I looked to the skies and prayed that it wouldn’t rain. I had just received a shipment of heavy boxes, but the delivery man informed me that it was not his responsibility to take the items to my unit. The delivery weighed one thousand seven hundred (1,700) pounds. What was I to do?
Would You Pray for My Husband?
“Would you please pray for my husband?” Abigail* asked our prayer group one day. “I want George to be the spiritual leader in our home and go to camp meeting. He brought me into the church, but he doesn’t want to go to church. I don’t want to go to camp meeting without him.” We prayed for this request for many months, and yet George refused to go to camp meeting. After camp meeting, we decided to ask God how we should pray for him. We prayed together for God to show us, then we waited in silence...
Saved by the Master Editor
The deadline was fast approaching. In just a few more days, the project would be complete. The Jesus Understands book would go to the printers and then into the hands of countless children and families around the world who have suffered violence or abuse, showing them that Jesus, too, was hurt and abused, and He understands our trials and pains. There were just a few changes that needed to be made to the manuscript before publishing, and I volunteered to make those changes...
God will Make a Way!
As she finished high school, Jo-Anna Clayton devised a perfect plan for college. For the first year, she would enroll in a community college in her home state of West Virginia. This way she could take basic classes at reduced tuition costs and stay with her parents and three younger sisters for one more year. After that, she would transfer to a Seventh-day Adventist school to study nursing. To make sure this plan would work, she...
Praying for a Fence around My Tomatoes
I love planting vegetables and watching them grow. Last fall, I planted a garden full of Pak Choi, or Chinese cabbage. The plants (about 50) grew quickly, healthy and beautiful. I live in Nassau, Bahamas, in an area where there is a large population of rats. One day I noticed a rat in the garden, so I hurried to scare it away. It disappeared in the nearby bushes, but within an hour came back, accompanied by more rats. I threw rocks to frighten them, but when I returned a few hours later, there were five or six eating my plants. The situation seemed hopeless. The plants attracted the rats in a way I have never seen...
Circle of Prayer Comes Full Circle
A couple of years ago, a lady in our church began mentioning her daughter needing special prayer for safety and making wise choices, and her grandchildren who were being affected by their mother's lack of wisdom. I love prayer and prayer ministry, and as a pastor's wife, I always try to pray for the needs brought to my attention. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the many requests though, so one thing that I’ve tried to put into practice is offering to say a quick prayer right then, when the need is expressed, rather than walking away with the platitude of "I'll pray for you." However, I’ve also been convicted...
Mongolian Boy Finds God Answers Prayers
When Iveel Namjildorj was 5 years old, he moved from his home in Mongolia to the Philippines. His father, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, needed to further his pastoral studies at an Adventist university in the Philippines, and he took the family with him. Iveel also needed to study, so his parents enrolled him in first grade. School turned out to be difficult for Iveel, who didn’t speak English and struggled to communicate in class...
How 4 Pans of Lasagna Fed 100 People at My Church
For a friend’s funeral dinner, I had been told other people were bringing lasagna and additional items and I was to bring only cookies. Of course I double-checked with my husband, Pastor Nicholas Osborn, and he confirmed — only cookies. When we arrived at the church, I found three other women in the kitchen: Jean Shaver, Valena Stulzman and Lois Roggow. Lois had made three 9x13 pans of lasagna, plus one 9x9 pan. There were plenty of desserts and some bread, but that was it. It didn’t take long to realize there had been a miscommunication...
The Miracle Money in my Wallet
Listen in as Andy Martinez shares how God convicted him to change his travel plans and then worked a miracle to reward his faith and trust...
Prayer Brings Church back to Life in Romania
The new pastor was shocked when he showed up at the Bucharest International Seventh-day Adventist Church — the only English-speaking church in Romania’s capital — and found only three people present. All three were Romanians. “They pretty much told me that was it, that was the whole group,” said the pastor, Benjamin Stan. Three weeks later, Benjamin learned that one of the three people, a 21-year-old woman, no longer planned to attend. The woman’s mother came to the church on Sabbath to break the news that here daughter, after being part of the group for two years, had decided to move on...
Modern Day Miracles in the Middle East
What does it feel like to be gripped in the power of God’s calling? Just ask Paul. On the road to Damascus, he was literally thrown off his horse when a sudden flash of light from heaven left him blind for three days. Talk about an instant life-changing event. Or ask Lazarus what it felt like to be awoken by the sound of Jesus’ voice calling him to leave the tomb. He must have wondered what had happened to him. Why was he lying in a dark place all alone?
"So Elder Wilson, How do You Pray?"
What does it mean to pray without ceasing? And how might one stay close to God when constantly loaded down with heavy church responsibilities, or with the spiritual needs of others? How could one stay closely connected to God and their spouse in the midst of work and ministry? Listen in as one young man asked Elder Wilson how he prays...
Two Impossible Prayer Requests Lead to Wife
One of the most perplexing questions that people ask is how to choose the right spouse. For Mario Brito, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Inter-European Division, it was simple to find the perfect match: He asked God to answer two seemingly impossible prayer requests...
The Almost-Closed Church
As Pastor Peni Leo began his work on the Island of Upolu, Samoa, he was confronted with tremendous challenges. The church in the village of Siumu was not accepted by the people there, and he was not allowed to walk through the village for visitation or any other missionary activity. The church sat on land owned by the Tafu family. They became immersed in legal problems with the chief—an extended relative—who wanted to remove them from their land and close the church for good...
"In the Dream I saw Two Ministers"
Liz was busy working in her home in Houston, Texas, when suddenly something told her to be still for a moment. Just then, she heard a knock at the door. When she opened the door, however, she didn’t see anyone. David Pano had already left her porch and was swiftly walking to the next house. Seeing his retreating figure, Liz called out to let him know she was there. David heard her call and returned to her home. He smiled and handed her a GLOW tract...
How an Adventist Pioneer to Mongolia has Learned to Pray
When we arrived in Mongolia in 1991, I felt that God was calling me to be a prayer warrior. But I said to God, “I pray all the time. How am I not a prayer warrior?” I argued with God. After my husband died, and I remarried, we moved to China for a while. I sensed God calling me again to be a prayer warrior. I relented and said, “OK, I’ll put ‘pray three times a day’ on the schedule.” Miracles began to happen as my husband...
Though I Walk thru the Valley
A few years ago, I got married, looking forward to happily ever after. Soon after marriage, I discovered that my husband was battling with severe depression. In time he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and marriage became more and more difficult. It wasn’t long and we began to struggle financially because my husband wasn’t able to hold down a job. In the midst of all this, our son Josiah was born, and within a few weeks came down with meningitis, battling for his life at Children's Hospital...
The Lost Bible on the Tea Table
George*, one of my Egyptian students at Middle East University, asked one day if he could talk to me privately. As we sat in my office, he began to share with me some of his personal struggles, as well as his desire for God’s help. “My father moved to Kuwait to support my family, and I’ve only seen him six times in my life. He is coming to Egypt in April. I want to go see him during Spring break, but I don’t have the money...”
Prayer Walking Miracles from Taiwan's Butterfly Church
Have you ever wondered what God might do if you and fellow church members started walking through your home communities praying for people, and praying for the salvation of souls? This week on United in Prayer we have a special treat as we learn what God did through a small group of church members in Tawain.
Praying for Courage to go Door to Door - by Susy Solomon
Going door-to-door and witnessing has never been easy for me. I keep praying that God will use me and give me courage to share for Him and I believe God is answering my prayers! For the past five weeks, my friends and I have invited people to evangelistic meetings we are having at our church. We also have gone out on Sabbath, sharing books like Steps to Christ, The Great Controversy and health books. As we have done this, we have felt God’s power giving us boldness. We know this is a direct answer to prayer. One particular Sabbath, feeling even more eager for God’s blessing...
Pastor's Prayers lead to Baptism in Prison
Amina is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in one of the countries of the East-Central Africa Division. She was arrested on her way to India, where she and others had planned to blow up a huge facility. Amina had been indoctrinated by her Muslim leaders who taught that if she eliminated evil, she would attain righteousness and live in paradise...
God Cares about Green Beans - By Kelly Wheeler
It was winter in the Northwest, many years ago, when my dear friend Debbie, who lived several hours away in the countryside of rural Oregon, invited me to come for a weekend visit. Before leaving home, I called and asked Debbie, “Is there anything that you want me to bring?” “No, I have everything I need. Just come!” she responded cheerfully. When I walked into Debbie’s home, a few hours later, it looked like she was running a full-scale restaurant. Recipes and dishes of food were everywhere. She smiled to welcome me, but then sighed sadly, “I forgot that I need fresh green beans for one of these recipes.”
How Two Sunday-Keeping Pastors Became SDA
One day, two literature evangelists and I were going door to door in a town called Palyari near South Korea’s capital, Seoul. As we walked down a street, we saw a large banner advertising a retreat for seminary students. We decided to see what was going on. The address printed on the banner led us to the home of a married couple who both served as pastors for one of South Korea’s largest Sunday-keeping denominations. But we did not know that when they opened the door.
When a Muslim Rescheduled an Adventist’s Sabbath Exam
Camila dreamed about becoming a missionary doctor. She studied medicine for seven years and, shortly after graduating with her medical degree, moved with her husband, Mateo, to the Middle East. But finding work proved difficult. Obstacle after obstacle kept popping up, preventing her from being hired by a public hospital. This situation seemed impossible...
Praying for Missing Sheep - by Lloyd Perrin
Recently, we started going through our membership records at the Milton Seventh-day Adventist Church in Milton-Freewater, Oregon. We hope to determine the whereabouts of inactive members, reconnect with them, and invite them back. Inevitably, however, we will end up with a list of members who have simply disappeared. After this list is compiled, I will distribute the list of these missing members to each church officer. We will pray daily for each missing member by name and ask God to help us reconnect with them...
God Sent a Messenger - By Jacob Gibbs
I had 25 minutes to spare before my next Bible study. While considering ways to pass the time, I received a distinct impression: “Take the next left, fourth house on the left.” As I wrestled between doubt and the possibility that God was guiding me, I quickly came to a few conclusions. I had previously thought about knocking on some doors before my study and prayed for guidance to the right homes. The worst thing that could happen was that no one would be home.
We Just Kept Praying with Him! - By Doris Bevins
As our church sorted through the Quiet Hour prayer requests that had come in, one request was given to my husband and me, since the person who had asked for prayers lived near us. Not long after we went knocking on the stranger’s door. The man that opened the door eyed us cautiously...
God Cares about the Details – By Karmaine Millington
My husband and I with our 14-month-old son drove about 800 miles so that I could attend a conference in my medical specialty. I had prayerfully reserved an economical hotel room well in advance at our favorite hotel chain. I had also asked for a room on street level because of a wrist fracture I had experienced...
He Needs The Great Controversy - By Kamil Metz
Helen Johnston abruptly realized as she walked down a street in Battle Creek, in the U.S. state of Michigan, that she had not prayed. So the student literature evangelist paused to seek God’s guidance. It was summer 2015, and she was raising money for school. As Helen headed to the next door, she heard a voice say, “A man will open the door, and he needs ‘The Great Controversy.’” Moments later, the house door opened...
You Look Like One – By Raquel Arrais
Leaving the airport parking lot, I was about to pay the parking fee when the man behind the gate’s window look at me and asked, “Are you from India?” I said no. Then he looked at me again and said, “But you look like one.” I thought it was a very nice compliment due to my love for India. India is one of the places you will never forget—the colors, the food, the beautiful dresses, the jasmine flowers on the streets, the smell of curry and chapatti, the languages, the music and the amazing architecture.
Thriving Prayer at Zaoksky Theological Seminary – By Boris G. Protasevich
Like most Adventist schools, we’ve always had prayer meeting at Zaoksky. However, God knew something was missing from our weekly meeting and that we needed a spiritual revival on our campus. So last fall God sent Pastor Don McLafferty, from Clovis California, to lead us in a special week of prayer. Not only did Pastor Don share many inspiring messages about prayer, but every day he lead a early morning prayer time, which many of our staff, faculty and students attended.
The Prayers Behind Romania’s Church Growth – By Melody Mason
This February many church members, along with myself and others from the General Conference, had the privilege of taking part in the Total Member Involvement (TMI) initiative that is occuring across Europe this year. My assignment was the Cuza Voda Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bucharest, Romania. Here I saw first hand the power of a praying church.
Surprising Outcome from One Man’s Wreck – By Don Jacobsen
A few weeks ago, Virgil was headed to the office one morning when he was broadsided by a truck. The crash totaled his car. Then the truck drove off. Victim of a hit-and-run collision, and now sitting in a car that wouldn’t run, he wondered what to do next. As he was gathering his thoughts he was surprised to look up and see the same truck come back and then pull up behind him.
One Man’s Private Struggle with Lust – By Santiago Dominguez
My service as a church officer in a South American field went well until I fell to the temptation of pornography. The problem had started during my youth, but God had helped me overcome for some time. But then the problem started again, especially during work trips, when staying alone at night in hotel rooms. It was very awkward to fall asleep during the sessions of the division executive committee the next day knowing that I had stayed up late the previous night watching pornography on the TV or computer.