Reaching Hearts in the 10/40 Window

Mr. N didn’t believe in miracles until . . .

Mr. N is a new member at our church plant. Before his baptism, he was a skeptical man who found it difficult to believe the miracles of the New Testament. He thought it was just too incredible that Jesus could heal people and cast out demons. We kept praying for Mr. N and showing him God’s love.

Mr. N’s wife had suffered from back pain for years. When we visited Mr. N, we would spend time talking with Mrs. N and telling her Bible stories. She loved to hear the stories, but whenever we invited her to church, she declined. We kept talking with Mrs. N and praying for her, and eventually, her interest in God grew.

One day, she asked us, “If I pray for my health, is Jesus willing to heal me?” We told her that God will listen and answer our prayers according to His perfect will. And we encouraged her to pray and trust His love.

Mrs. N began to pray about her situation, and she did it in an unusual way. Instead of asking that her pain go away, she asked that her husband would trust God and pray for her health. She asked him to pray for her many times, but he always refused. Mrs. N’s pain worsened, and eventually she had to be hospitalized. Finally, she told Mr. N, “If you love me, you have to pray for my health. I know Jesus will heal me. I want to walk, and I want to work for Him!”

Mr. N knelt down and prayed for his wife. A few days later, he helped her stand up. And now, she can walk! Mr. N now fully believes that Jesus can heal people.

We were so happy when Mr. N chose to be baptized. We are now giving Bible studies to his wife, and we believe that she will be baptized soon, too.

Our church planting work is very difficult here, but we have faith that God is at work and will use us for His glory. Please pray for our church planting team as we continue to reach out to our community.

A new life for Sister L

Brother Z had recently suffered a minor stroke when we met him. He had almost lost control of half of his body. We taught him some health principles, and he tried to apply them faithfully. Finally, he made a remarkable recovery. We studied the Bible with him, and he became a member of our church plant.

Brother Z asked his wife to attend church with him. She had been deeply moved by his conversion and also gave her heart to Jesus. They both joined our pioneer team in sharing Jesus with our community.

Brother Z takes a special interest in anyone who has experienced a stroke. He visits them in their homes to encourage them and share how Jesus can help them through this difficult time.

In one home, the couple met a stroke victim who had been bedridden for two years. They call her Sister L. She didn’t trust them at first because she thought they wanted to steal her money. The Zs looked after her every Sabbath for more than a year, and Sister L began to trust them. Soon they became close friends.

Brother Z shared his testimony with Sister L. He told her that there is a God who is real and loving and who knows everyone’s challenges and weaknesses. He gave her a Bible and encouraged her to read it every day. Sister L now reads the Bible daily and has also started praying. One of her prayers was that God would help her walk again. After praying, she tried to stand, and with the help of a cane, she was able to walk! She praised God for His mercy and, more importantly, for saving her and giving her eternal life. Sister L has decided to be baptized soon. We praise the Lord!

We must meet secretly . . .

There are so many people who have never heard of Jesus in our country. We were recently assigned to work in a city with a population of four million people and not one single Adventist. We were passionate about reaching them and thought that a health food store might be a good way to do so.

We spent a month trying to find a location for the store, and God led us to a place that could work well with some renovations. Unfortunately, the landlord was asking much more for rent than we could afford. We asked God that if it was His will, the landlord would settle for a lesser price, and he did!

We renovated quickly, advertised in the community, and opened our doors. In just the first two weeks of operation, we were able to reach six people and start Bible studies and worship services in our apartment!

Recently, we received a phone call from a woman who told us that she was a Christian and that she wanted to visit our church group. At first, we had doubts about her motives. We were afraid she might be an undercover agent, so we met her in a park.

Happily, our concerns were put to rest. We realized that Mrs. C really wanted to understand the Bible, especially the Sabbath truth. We started to give her Bible studies, and now Mrs. C worships with our church plant every Sabbath and joins our weekly Bible study group. We pray that the Holy Spirit will help Mrs. C and other seekers understand more about the truth of Jesus for these final days.