House Church Miracles

By Andrew McChesney

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.

The people were earnest and kind. But they didn’t seem to have any special stories, speaking instead about the technical aspects of a house church.

As time passed, Gina grew desperate. This was the only place where she had planned to collect stories in the country. “Dear Lord, please help me to find someone who has an inspiring story,” she prayed. “I don’t know how to find anyone because I don’t speak the language, and I don’t think that the interpreter can help. So, Lord, would you please send someone?”

Shortly afterward, a woman in her 30s stepped into the room. She had sung in the church choir and was putting away her choir robe. Gina felt impressed to speak with her and struck up a conversation through the interpreter. “Have you been coming to this church for long?” Gina asked.

No, the woman hadn’t. She had been coming for only a few months.

Gina asked how she had learned about Seventh-day Adventists.

The woman said that she had been walking with her two young children to the market on a Saturday. As they walked along the sidewalk, two neatly dressed men approached. “The seventh day is the Sabbath,” said one. “To learn more, look on the Internet,” said the other. Then the men kept walking.

The woman went home and searched online. Somehow, she found a series of Adventist presentations by a U.S. evangelist that had been dubbed into her language. She watched many programs and was greatly blessed.

Then, she somehow found the house church. She showed up, prepared for baptism, and was baptized shortly before Gina’s arrival. Gina was thrilled. “I was amazed when I heard her story and was so delighted that God answered my prayer in such a beautiful way,” Gina says.

Gina Wahlen served as Mission quarterlies editor at Adventist Mission for three years. Currently, she works as editor and project manager for the Office of the General Conference President. Story written up by Andrew McChesney, current editor of Adventist Mission.

World Church Prayer Requests

November 4 - 10, 2022

• Pray for our church members in Brazil, and for the country of Brazil. Pray for peace in the midst of political turmoil.
• Pray for our church family in Eastern Europe, Russia and Ukraine. Pray that God will continue to protect and give peace to His people.
• Pray for the newly elected GC leaders. Pray for the new directors and associates coming to the GC. For some there have been delays on getting their Visas.
• Pray for the children of newly elected church leaders who are transitioning to a new school and adjusting to a different culture.
• Pray for the ReNewed Hope Food Pantry in Overland Park, Kansas. They are sharing food, encouragement, and hope with about 600 families (over 7,000 people) each month and have shared more than 2,000 Bible studies and Steps to Christ books.

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