Evangelism

On the Road – Interview with Laura Williams

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We were very blessed this last May to have Laura Williams and her team provide the music for our 2026 camp meeting. I thought it would be interesting to share a little more about Laura—how the Lord led her into music ministry, some of her most notable experiences on the road, and what the future holds for her and Ernie, as well as Fabian, the newest member of their team, who has quite an amazing story of transformation to tell.

Q: So, Laura, thank you so much for being a part of our camp meeting again this year. Tell me, how and when did you know that this was the ministry God intended for you?

Laura: From the time I was about 14, I knew I wanted to be a singer. Even before attending Fountainview Academy in 2007, I was already recording albums and singing for events here and there. I was not sure if this was something I would continue doing, but before I graduated I was approached about singing for an evangelistic series immediately after graduating. And now, almost 15 years later, I still haven’t stopped. God really made all the pieces fall together for me to do this kind of work. My mom is a pianist who was able to help me create accompaniments. Eventually, I married Ernie, an audio engineer, and there just always seemed to be clear leading to continue in music ministry.

Q: What’s it like being “on the road” for ten months out of the year?

Laura: It is an adventure—fun, exciting, exhausting, challenging, fulfilling, faith building, character building, and very unpredictable. As the years have gone by, we have learned ways to lessen factors that create more exhaustion on the road. We are now much better at pacing ourselves. Being on the road so long is a continuous lesson in trusting God with everything and we find each experience makes every challenge worthwhile.

Q: During your years of touring, do you have one experience that overwhelmingly showed you how God was using your voice to reach others?

Laura: During my junior year at Fountainview Academy, I was given a solo to open the program of the Academy’s upcoming concert tour. Until this time, I did not think much about relying on God while singing. On opening night of the tour, ten minutes before starting, I was so excited and feeling very confident that I knew what I was doing. Suddenly, my voice completely disappeared. I could not talk or sing. This had never happened before. I panicked and tried to get someone to fill in for me, but no one was ready. Before I knew it, I was standing on the stage and the orchestra was playing the intro to my song. I thought I would pass out on the spot. The thought came to my mind to pray for help. I did and immediately, as I opened my mouth, my voice came back. The next night, the same thing happened and it continued to happen every night for the next 21/2 weeks.

Each night, I began to understand a little more what was happening and God began to impress my mind with a lesson I have never forgotten—my voice and ability to sing come from God and I was learning how to rely on Him more and more.

Q: You brought a new member of your ministry team to camp meeting, Fabian Garcia. I know his story takes a little time to tell and our readers can find his story in fuller detail on your website, but please give us a thumbnail version of how you met Fabian and about the miraculous transformation God has made in his life so far.

Laura: I met Fabian in 2018 while he was working in a San Bernardino hair salon as a master stylist. A friend recommended I see him for a much-needed haircut. But, he warned me not to mention to Fabian that I am a Christian because Fabian absolutely hated Christians.

Fabian grew up in a church that told him God is cruel, harsh, and unjust. He was verbally and physically abused as a child for showing signs of homosexuality. He was told that God hated him. You can imagine that as soon as he could, he put as much distance between himself and church as possible.

When I first met Fabian, alcoholism was a central part of his life. That day, after receiving the best haircut of my life and I was about to leave the salon, I clearly heard God speak three things to me. He said, “do not forget Fabian. Start praying for him” and, “it will take a long time for these prayers to be answered, so do not stop.” For the next seven years, I found myself praying every day for someone who was basically a complete stranger, but from time to time, I would go back for haircuts and slowly we developed a friendship.

When Covid-19 began, the salons shut down and Fabian found himself stuck at home with no work and nothing to do but drink. This became his whole life. Morning, noon and night. By the time Covid-19 ended he could no longer function without alcohol and he was spending almost as much time in the hospital as out. In December of 2024, Ernie and I asked Fabian to consider a detox program to try and break this addiction before it was too late. We had no idea what we would do if he actually agreed, because we had no money to actually pull it off. Well, he agreed.

What followed was a series of miracles where God opened doors that seemed impossible to open. He provided funds for Fabian’s travel and at the close of his three-week detox program, all the funds to pay for it were also provided. At the close of the program, we let him know that three weeks would not be enough to completely break the addiction. If he returned home to his old environment, a relapse was inevitable. And, that is exactly what happened. So, we asked him to join us on tour and travel with us for at least a month. He was hesitant because he wanted nothing to do with Christians and God, but he finally agreed. Our first stop was a three-week evangelistic series with David Machado. As much as he hated it, Fabian had to attend the meetings each night because we could not leave him at home alone with all the liquor stores on every corner. Immediately after this series, we moved on to yet another series a couple of states over. By the time we arrived, Fabian was discouraged by the truth of what it would mean to remain sober. This is when God worked another miracle.

One week into our second series, God sent a woman named Kelly to the church. Kelly ran a wellness center just 30 minutes away. This center focused specifically on mental health and helping newly-sober people learn the keys to remaining sober and how to function in everyday life. Kelly did not regularly attend this church, but one morning, God told her that she needed to visit this particular church because someone there needed her. Can you guess who? Kelly put Fabian through another two-week program that turned out to be exactly what he needed. He left the center with a renewed determination to do what it would take to remain sober. It was also here that he began to slightly open up to the idea of a loving God. Over the next three months, we traveled all over the United States and did two more evangelistic series. During this time, God worked miracle after miracle in Fabian’s life.

In every place we went, we always met someone who was able to help him reach the next step in his journey. Eventually, he realized that this journey was about much more than just sobriety. It was about physical, mental, emotional, and then spiritual health. God pursued Fabian so persistently, drawing him with patience and lovingkindness. After nine months, he finally let go and gave his heart over to God. Immediately, God took him through yet another journey. A journey that led to forgiveness, learning to heal, what sexuality means in God’s eyes and that He truly can lift the weight of guilt and give peace. Fabian’s journey is not over and he continues to move forward every day. He joined our team and has been with us for over a year and a half, helping us in this work as well as sharing his testimony everywhere we go. He will soon be returning home to start a new life and reconnect with his family. Please keep him in prayer as he begins another journey, that his faith will continue to grow every day. God truly is a God of miracles!

Q: I also saw in your Music Ministry on the Road brochure that Ernie and Fabian conduct weekend seminars – A New Creation. Please give us a short description of the purpose of the seminar and what is presented. Feel free to enlist Ernie and/or Fabian for this one.

Laura:  We have not yet started presenting this seminar. We are still finishing up the last details of it and hope to begin presenting it on our next tour. We have all learned so much in the past year and a half about addiction, mental health, and the power of God to bring freedom as we have participated in Fabian’s journey. Ernie also has a history of addiction, so, we felt that perhaps we could take our experiences and the knowledge we have gained and develop a new seminar that hopefully will bring understanding and encouragement to many others who are struggling and for their families, who themselves are struggling as they watch their loved one fight against addiction.

Q: What are your plans for the future? You told me you were working on a new program for your upcoming tour season. Please tell us about that.

Laura: To date, we have recorded 10 albums. It’s getting difficult to carry that many albums with us. So, we are working on a “favorites” album which will take the top favorite songs from our four older albums, and create a new album. It’s an exciting endeavor because we have the opportunity to completely remake the songs with cinematic scores and orchestra arrangements.

We are also working to produce a two-disc album that tells the story of the great controversy. From the fall of Lucifer to the new earth, we will trace the story of God’s plan of redemption through the ages. With song and narration, we will explore the central issues of this controversy and the importance of standing for truth even when the whole world is against it. All this will culminate with the joy that awaits God’s faithful people and the glories of the home He is preparing for them! Our goal is to bring the highest quality that we can to every aspect of this project. We will be hiring a professional narrator, choirs, instrumentalists, and a composer/arranger to create cinematic orchestra arrangements and scores for each song as well as scoring for each narration. This album will include over 20 songs.

Please keep these projects in prayer. The Great Controversy album especially we want to release as quickly as possible given the state of things in the world. Pray that we can have the time, energy, and resources to move forward at a steady and quick pace. Thank you!

I want to thank Laura for taking the time for this short interview. As you can tell, she and her team are very involved in the work God has given them. You can find out more about Laura and her ministry, sign up to receive her newsletter, buy CDs and DVDs of her music, book her for your special event, or donate to help support the team as they travel, glorifying God in voice and song, at her website laurawilliamsmusic.com.

“Music is of heavenly origin. There is great power in music. … It is in music that our praises rise to Him who is the embodiment of purity and harmony. It is with music and songs of victory that the redeemed shall finally enter upon the immortal reward.

“There is something peculiarly sacred in the human voice. Its harmony and its subdued and heaven-inspired pathos exceeds every musical instrument. Vocal music is one of God’s gifts to men, an instrument that cannot be surpassed or equaled when God’s love abounds in the soul.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 334, 335

“The human voice that sings the music of God from a heart filled with gratitude and thanksgiving is far more pleasing to Him than the melody of all the musical instruments ever invented by human hands.” Evangelism, 407

Interview was conducted by Judy Rebarcheck, the managing editor of LandMarks magazine. She can be reached at judyrebarchek@stepstolife.org or by phone at 316-788-5559.

It’s the Little Things

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So often we consider the little things as unimportant, but everything we overcome draws us closer to our Saviour and helps us to be prepared for the next thing He brings our way. This life is our battlefield for overcoming the temptations that Satan throws at us.

For many years, Rob Hagar created the crossword puzzles used in the LandMarks magazine. He has graciously given permission to use his testimony.

“As a young man, I learned that caffeinated drinks were not good for the human body, so I didn’t drink them. Years later, during a personal crisis, I developed a liking for a particularly popular, sugary, caffeinated drink and it became a regular habit. Later, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and this provided me with a good ‘excuse’ for drinking this drink since it kept me going every day after lunch and when driving. The Holy Spirit kept reminding me that I should quit, but I had fallen asleep several times at the wheel and ran off the road and in one accident I totaled my vehicle. This convinced me that I needed caffeine, and I adapted my thinking to accept it as a necessary ‘medicine’ to keep me alive. However, our longsuffering Saviour would not let me have peace of mind and continually reminded me that the human body works best without artificial stimulation.

“I want to thank Jesus for the incredible, unbelievable patience and love He has shown me. He left the incomprehensible glory that He had in heaven to suffer loneliness, sleeplessness, hatred, rejection, and even the most severe physical pain. All this that I might have the opportunity for an infinitely better life with Him in His home if I would only choose to obey Him and follow Him.

“Recently, a friend reminded me that only those ‘who would rather die than commit a wrong act’ will be permitted to live with holy beings in a place so wonderful, so beautiful, so awesome, so filled with real joy that I cannot even imagine how happy I’ll be there with Him and His family. Our Saviour, in His mercy, allowed me to see that in my own strength it is impossible for me to resist Satan’s temptations. But by His grace, He has promised to provide His strength to me for each day. I’ve tried to quit this habit many times over the years, but apparently without really trusting Jesus to help me resist the temptation.

“Now, however, I finally can say, ‘Lord, I cannot resist the feeling that I must have this drink unless You change my heart so that I can yield to You to change my desire. I wish only to follow You, not my warped, sinful thinking, so in Your strength, I’m not going to drink any more caffeine.’ The first few days were hard, but now I can say that God Himself, through His grace, has cured me, and I no longer have this irresistible desire for those drinks.

I can now testify that He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. No longer must I live under a constant cloud of guilt for not living up to the light that I have. Finally, I am experiencing that “peace that passes all understanding!”

“Lord, take my heart; for I cannot give it. It is Thy property. Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for Thee. Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self. Mold me, fashion me, raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich current of Thy love can flow through my soul.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 159

To God Be the Glory!!

Bear Ye One Another

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“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Galatians 6:2

One Sabbath morning in March, 2022, at the Whitwell, Tennessee Seventh-day Adventist Church (a mission church), I watched and heard an Outpost Centers International (OCI) report broadcast on YouTube during Sabbath School. The host of the broadcast was Steve Dickman, president of OCI and a leader at the Harbert Hills Academy west of Nashville, Tennessee. OCI is made up of independent Adventist ministries all over the world. The report was concerning the crisis the Ukrainian people are facing since Russia began its attack in February, 2022.

Listening to the report, my heart was immediately struck by the word “war” and the pictures of people fleeing their homes. I was 3 ½ years old and my brother was 15 months old when our soldier father died near the demilitarized zone in Korea. My mother was in her 20s and my father was 25. We grew up with a loving, hardworking mother and grandparents who gave us lots of attention. We had a stepfather, but as we grew a little older, we ached for the love and affection of our own father.

So on that day, in Sabbath School, when I saw and heard about the crisis in Ukraine, I was pierced in my heart for the pain of the people and families directly involved in the conflict—on both sides of the battle. Human beings want to live! They don’t generally want to die. Women don’t want to lose their sons or brothers through war or violence. A wife doesn’t want to be notified by telegram or by two uniformed men knocking at the door that her husband has been killed by a landmine.

Following church I went home and watched the OCI reports again. I had been asking God for a new assignment. I was ready for another assignment, but nothing had presented itself until I heard about the work in Ukraine that Sabbath morning. I applied to help Gideon Rescue Company (GRC) pass out encouraging tracts such as “Where is God when I’m Hurting?” to those fleeing from the east to the west side of the country. The purchase of these tracts was funded by an Adventist brother and approved of by the church in Ukraine.

As I talked to one of the GRC leaders in Ardmore, Oklahoma, I told him up front that I was 74 years old! I wanted to be transparent and to only go if useful. He replied that “Joshua and Caleb were old when they went into the promised land, so I think we can use you!” I had two hands and two feet to pass out the spiritual bread of life to those who would receive it. When I hung up the phone, I was kind of floating on air.

When I was given permission to travel with the team, there were some who didn’t think I should go and were verbal about it. But friends, there is no retirement from God’s Army, regardless of your age. My heart knew that if God wanted me to go, He would provide for my needs. It was in God’s hands. “God’s people are to be united in the accomplishment of one great work. They are to make a combined effort of consecration. By a tender, respectful regard for one another, they are to cherish the influence that works for the recovery of sinners. As good soldiers of the cross they are to strive to win sinners to loyalty.” The Review and Herald, July 21, 1903

Within four or five days, I had the money needed to make the journey. The biggest challenge was packing for the trip. Though most of the team would only be gone from home a little over one week, I knew I would not go for such a short time since I was single and had no one to financially support. My initial return ticket was for months later!

March 28, 2022, arrived and a very supportive lady friend took me to a Groome Transportation station for the ride to the airport. The first leg of my flight was from Atlanta to Dallas. GRC had arranged for me to stay with a family in the Dallas area until I caught my flight to Amsterdam the next day. Doane, his wife, and children were so kind to me. I was deeply touched and grateful for their kindness and hospitality.

It was not until I arrived in Amsterdam that I met Greg and his 10-year-old son David, who left Dallas the same day I did, but on a different flight. They were part of the team coming from Ardmore, Oklahoma, and they had the biggest smiles I’d ever seen! We also met a retired gentleman, a New York City firefighter, who had survived the 9/11 catastrophe. Going on the trip was catharsis for him. He had a lot of emotional pain and felt that helping others would help him heal.

We traveled to Poland together on our final flight. After sleeping in a church one night in Poland, a church contact took us to Lviv, Ukraine, where we would stay for about five days. There we met the other members of our team: two young American ladies who had been in the city for at least two weeks before we arrived, two European young men, a former Mennonite young man, and Brock, our team leader, whom I had initially talked to.

The church where we stayed housed many people who were seeking refuge. The ladies of the church fed all of us three times a day. We collated tracts and prepared to hand them out along with small handmade pictures for children which had been made by pupils from the Adventist Academy in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

For about four days, we gave out these hope-giving, life-giving tracts to people near the crowded train station. At the end of the day, we met to pray and share our experiences in offering encouragement and the bread of life to those hurting people. Some people were not interested in receiving what we had to give, others wanted to talk and we listened and prayed with them. The local churches had set up tents near the train station in Lviv and other local people offered hot food, such as borscht, or medical services to those needing it. Sometime later, when my young partner, Stanley, went to Poland many months later, he was able to offer fruit with the literature he was giving out. People liked that! Stanley is a quiet, shy young man who loves to sing and share God’s love with others. By the time you read this, he will be in Germany, the land of his ancestors, and I am sure he will be sharing God’s love with all whom he meets.

Our group also included at least two nurses, a paramedic, and others trained in disaster response. They held a class for civilians addressing helpful medical techniques to use in case of emergency. This was not a planned activity, but something they were requested to do by authorities. This was an emotionally difficult thing for them to do. One man told me he never thought he’d be training people to defend themselves and help others in the midst of a war.

The time in Lviv went by quickly and when the men who had families left and the two young women who had been there the longest departed, Stanley and I were the only Americans remaining. We were advised to go south to a “safer area.” I smiled and said “I didn’t come here looking for safety.” However, since people in Chernivtsi had shown an interest in our coming, we left to go there the next day.

When we arrived in the southern-most part of western Ukraine, we were able to share some medical equipment with a dedicated doctor in that city. The new equipment was given to us by a group of Mormons who had been volunteering there and wanted it put to good use. It was one of many divine providences that God arranged. Within a few days, Stanley went to a church camp, which was and still is (as of this writing), serving orphans of many different ages. It is in a very rural area and he felt he could be of more use there than in the city.  Most of these children had been orphaned before the war began. Their home place was destroyed in the war and the Seventh-day Adventist camp manager was asked to shelter them. To this day, the staff continues to run the camp, feeding, providing clothes, and keeping the children warm and active. Some are transported by bus to a nearby school. The original overseers of the children who came with the orphans need your prayers. Their hearts need to be opened to feel gratitude for what God is doing for them through the church camp staff. Some are distanced from our heavenly Father. The children need our prayers to feel the love and compassion Christ has for them as seen through the lives of the Christian staff members. The staff who work unselfishly to support and minister to these needy ones need wisdom, patience, and sincere devotion to God, to be faithful in their positions of influence.

Many churches and probably other schools besides the church school where I stayed, were housing families and individuals whose lives were in danger—IDPs. “What is an IDP?” I wondered. Dr. “Y” told me that means an internally displaced person. You see, one is not a refugee until he or she has left their own country. I lived with them, ate with them, slept in the same building with them. At times we communicated through a phone translator, or through a real person who knew both English and Ukrainian or Russian. Smiles and hugs communicated feelings also. Genuine politeness, sharing, listening, and acts of kindness can show others God’s love for them. When people ask me, “How did you communicate when you didn’t know the language?” I am reminded of the phrase: “a picture is worth a thousand words.” People watch you, and can learn a lot by the way you behave. I did study the language through a phone app so I could speak some Ukrainian. Some people only spoke Russian, so learning just one language was not necessarily enough!

At the local free clinic, people from Kiev and Chernivtsi worked together to help those in need. Having been a nurse, I was asked to draw blood, but it had been almost 34 years since my last blood draw. I was ashamed that I felt I couldn’t do it, and I hate to inflict pain, but I didn’t want to cause more anxiety in people if I was unable to get their blood drawn, so I declined. The doctor in charge put me to work helping his staff learn more English. They anticipated having others come from other countries to help and he knew most of the staff did not know much English. With the help of some kind and patient staff members, I was able to present some classes to them. Most lessons were a mix of medical terms, songs, encouraging words, and thoughts from the Bible.

I really didn’t go to Ukraine with the intention of teaching English, but I was blessed to have two very special, local preteens as biweekly students. Twice a week I was able to meet with these diligent preteens and we developed a close relationship. They and their parents, the school principal, and others really wanted the English classes. For them it was a gift during a difficult time.

The huge, prestigious church school which the girls normally attended was largely not functioning due to the IDPs being housed in the school classrooms. Older students held classes using a Zoom-type platform. Unlike language curriculum used in teaching English in other countries, we used the Bible for our lesson content. They memorized Psalm 57:1 and we repeated it every class time.  I taught them several songs. “Make Me a Servant” was one of them. Another was “My God Loves Me” and they enjoyed that one also. Not using the board at all, we played Scrabble and they enjoyed it a lot. One of the older IDP teens who lived with us for a while helped me teach them because he knew English better than they did.

I am still in touch with these girls and another bright IDP their age who joined our class later. May their desire ever be to know our Father better and His Son whom He sent. The school principal told me that their parents were very happy about the faith-based lessons. I praise God for the opportunity to share Him with them! May God be glorified through these girls.

I had not been in Chernivtsi very long when a young doctor from the free, church-sponsored clinic invited me to visit a patient at the local hospital with him. The patient was a young lady about 20 years old. She was lying in a very small, plain hospital room in what appeared to be an older part of the building. Her family lived far away and was not helpful to her the doctor said, and she could not navigate on her own without a wheelchair or crutches. She didn’t know a lot of English, but she had been a struggling college student when the war broke out. The doctor left us alone for a while and we communicated through our phone translators and body language. After I left her, the doctor who had brought me there said that neither the doctors at the hospital nor those at the clinic where he worked knew what to do with her. She had had all the tests they could afford to give her and without more money, the hospital would not or could not do anything more. I felt very sad for this smiling, young lady.

Soon an anonymous donation was received so that she could be transferred to an Adventist Health International lifestyle center in Ukraine. I had heard about a place called “Our Home” while I was at the Wildwood Medical Missionary School in Georgia a few years ago, and thought it would be the best place for her, but her doctor told me there was a lifestyle center much closer. However, it would be necessary for someone to stay with and care for her at the facility. Someone had been chosen to go with her, but she had other things she wanted or needed to do. When I heard that, I volunteered.

It was an interesting experience to see this young lady getting, almost daily, clay poultices put directly on her legs, hands, and feet. A couple of hours later I would be helping her unwrap from the saran wrap-type bandages. She received massage therapy, physical therapy, and time in a Jacuzzi. I will call her “Patience” because we both needed a lot of it at times. I could not leave her when she had a chance to get physically better. She had had a difficult childhood and I wanted her to become more self-sufficient.

Besides the kind doctor and therapists who treated her, she was transported by wheelchair by two special gentlemen from the northern part of the country. They themselves had left their homes due to the crisis and were working at the center. What a blessing of patient endurance they were to all of us. They transported her over grassy areas that would have been hard for me to navigate. They carried her up many steep steps each Sabbath so she could attend the services. Their own families had fled to Poland to escape harm. Before the three weeks were up, Patience was walking with just one crutch and sometimes with none at all! We were able to return to Chernivtsi together and she is staying with other IDPs in that general area today.

An older gentleman, I’ll call him “Van,” came to Chernivtsi for refuge with his son. Van was about 80 years old and his son “Ivan” was approximately 50. Ivan’s wife and child had gone to another country when the conflict began, but he stayed in Ukraine to help his father. Ivan and younger men often were asked to help with the many tasks involved with feeding and clothing the ever increasing influx of people. Sometimes older men just sat around and talked, but Van was different. He wanted to work. He wanted to be useful. It was a joy to see him sweeping the playground and area near the dining hall. He was deaf and mute, but had a lovely demeanor. I was drawn to him by his humble attitude and his work ethic. Sometimes I was able to sit with him at the back of the congregation on Sabbath.

I met a number of older ladies in Chernivtsi who were cared for by the local church, cooks, and teachers from the private school. One of my favorite ladies, I’ll call her “Vera,” used a walker, but could not navigate steps which kept her from attending the meals in the dining room. Her son faithfully brought her meals three times a day. She slept on a mattress on the floor with many other people (adults and children), but I never heard her complain. She was always happy and thankful when I went to treat her legs.

I was staying in a room at the local school, and Mikolai, a math teacher, was staying in the computer room of the school. He had also been displaced and was sleeping on a mattress by night and communicating with his distant students by day. He helped me with the setup of the computer as I prepared lessons for the clinic workers and local students. He was such a kind man and tolerant of my needing access to a computer.

Natalie was a 60-something-year-old physical therapist who had owned her own prosperous business with a number of physical therapists under her. When I met her, she was humbly sorting clothing donations in the huge gymnasium which had been converted into a makeshift thrift shop with clothing in piles on the floor. We became friends because I’d agreed to work with her teenage granddaughter who wanted to improve her already decent English. She was always trying to help me and invited me to her newly-rented, very small apartment for borscht and tea. A few times I met her at her daughter’s family’s apartment (also newly acquired) for a sweet cake with tea. She always looked tired, but she smiled through the heaviness in her heart and we came to love each other.

It was refreshing to see people helping each other and never complaining about their plight. One day, a woman handed me one of the many pieces of shrapnel which she found in her home. Yes, pain was present in that place, but she didn’t appear angry. It seemed that people were focusing on what they had, which was food, clothing, and shelter. They comforted each other by taking turns keeping their space clean and going for walks in nearby parks, singing, and having devotions together at night. We were like a big family. Were we angels? No, but generally speaking, normally, people got along with each other.

Please pray for wisdom for the people of Ukraine and Russia whose lives are forever changed because of the wickedness of men. Our everyday challenge is to remain faithful soldiers of the cross. If we have enlisted in God’s Army, the Holy Spirit daily puts challenges before us.

It is my hope and earnest prayer that we may, by beholding, become so like our Saviour in character that we will reflect His glory to the ever-darkening world around us. It is time to rise up, men and women of God! Put on His armor and pray, for your very life depends on it.

Sandy L. Roberts is a new member of the Steps to Life staff. She may be contacted by email at sandyroberts@stepstolife.org

Testimony – God Keeps His Own

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An evangelist named Peter was holding meetings in Quebec, Canada. He had noticed a young woman named Mary who had been coming to the meetings. There was something different about her, a far-away look in her eyes.

She was thrilled by the things she was learning in the meetings, and when Peter visited with her about them, she indicated her belief in what he had presented, but he could tell there was still something that bothered her. He soon found out it had to do with the state of the dead.

While living in Paris some years earlier, she had met a young man, John, through a friend. John was tall, blond, well-mannered, and muscular. He was respectful and understood her. Like a lot of young girls, she enjoyed the attention that he gave her. She needed someone to love her. He was everything that she ever wanted, and she had fallen in love with him. Their relationship had continued for many years. They were not living together, but she had invited him up to her apartment on many occasions. Yet, she remained pure.

The time came when she moved to Quebec, and John moved with her.

The devil usually uses a man or woman he can work through to create an infatuation between some young man or woman that God wants to use for His service. But as it happened, in this case, he wasn’t able to find that someone, so he had sent her a spirit boyfriend, one of his angels in the form of a human man. At first, she did not know, but she soon learned that John was not a real man, but by then her heart was fully entwined around him.

As Peter studied with Mary, the Spirit of the Lord began to work on her heart, and she wanted salvation. She made a decision and did something that, sadly, very few young people are willing to do. She broke off the relationship. Right then, she and Peter knelt down and prayed, and she committed herself wholly to the Lord.

John came to her that night. He first tried to sweet talk her, and when that did not work, he got upset with her, something he had never done before. In fact, he hit her in the mouth. Still, she decided to go forward and be baptized. He warned her, “Don’t be baptized.”

The day of her baptism came and as she and Peter stepped into the baptismal pool, she said, “He’s here. John is right here in the baptistery with us.” She knew his presence.

“John is here.” As Peter tried to immerse her in the water, a force would hold her up. With all his might, he tried again, and she was pushed back up. Three times he tried to baptize her. The third time, she was lifted right out of the baptistery and was thrown into the audience. Wet and dripping, and not baptized.

I wonder what we might have done. Would we have continued? Mary did. She walked right back into the baptistery and was baptized.

Later, Mary was asked to give her testimony at camp meeting that year, and she agreed to do it. As she was writing, making notes for the testimony, John came and tore it all up. He told her, “If you give that testimony, you will be dead in two weeks.”

Now, you and I have all heard stories like this, and we know when the devil says it, it happens, right? The devil has gotten the world believing that nothing can stop him. But don’t believe everything Satan says. Mary gave her testimony, and she didn’t die in two weeks.

The devil is only as strong as God allows him to be. There’s a protection that God puts around those who seek to do His will. I’m sure Satan would have liked to cause, and would have done anything to bring about, Mary’s death, but day by day, Mary now lives under the protection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Get in the right place and God will put His power on you, and combine His divine with our human efforts, and we can work out our salvation with fear and trembling. That is a power that Satan cannot resist or overthrow.” Sermons and Talks, Vol. 1, 59

“God has set bounds that Satan cannot pass. Our most holy faith is this barrier; and if we build ourselves up in the faith, we shall be safe in the keeping of the Mighty One.” Maranatha, 64

Taken from the sermon “How to Overcome the Devil ” by Marshall J. Grosboll

Testimony – Ignorant? Not So Fast.

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If you are over 20 years old, you know the dynamics of the twenties. You’re young, curious, full of energy, ready to discover and travel the world. I was no different. I grew up in a certain cultural and religious environment, teaching me certain truths, morals, and values. As most 20-year-olds, I questioned them and was eager to find out better for myself and come to my own conclusions. I wanted to discover the whole world, travel to Asia, Africa, etc. I made sure my travel dreams came true. When traveling to the eastern hemisphere, I quickly discovered that not all the values I was taught are universal. At the same time, I noticed hints of biblical stories that proved to be universal in countries such as Thailand, Laos, Malaysia—such as the depiction of the Flood on a Buddhist temple, stories of Jesus in the far non-Christian world, and traces of the pre-Christian Sabbath.

The Sabbath/Sunday issue was of particular interest to me. I was on a quest to get to the bottom of the origins of the Sabbath, and I dived deeply into the stories of the Bible. A fascinating ancient world unfolded in front of me. The more I read—whether the Bible, historical documents, or secular materials—the clearer the confirmation of the Sabbath history became. The Sabbath has been here since the beginning of time as a memorial of creation. Moreover, it has never been changed by any divine authority.

The evidence, whether biblical or recorded by secular historians, was overwhelming. If this is the case, why then is it that only a tiny fraction of Christianity observes it? How do Christians today explain it away if their own literature confirms the seventh day of the week as the eternal day of worship? I made friends with clergy from various denominations and asked. I took Bible studies in a Lutheran youth group, then studied the entire pre-baptismal courses with Jehovah Witnesses and the Church of Latter-day Saints. Those were easy to access. Other denominations didn’t even have any structured courses. When I asked about the fourth commandment, it was always swept under the carpet.

No Protestant denomination had clear-cut answers. The reality of the true Sabbath can’t be denied, so the next step would be to explain it away. Or outright declare that it’s not important. We are talking about the decalogue here, one of the Biblical ten commandments. Not important? I was hoping for better answers.

Perhaps the most honest Christians on this issue are the Roman Catholics. They do not try to hide the truth. One well-educated clergyman explained to me that while I am reading the Sabbath truth from the Bible correctly, the Roman Catholic Church has the power—given by heaven itself—to alter any Biblical doctrine. In addition to the Bible, the Catholic Church has one more pillar of faith—church tradition. This church tradition, sanctioned by God Himself, has the power to overwrite the Bible. So claims the Roman Church. Flabbergasting!

As a young person, full of ideals and a strong sense of justice, I was disappointed with the answers given by both Catholic and Protestant clergy. The inevitable conclusion was that the clergy members will have to answer to God’s court of justice at the final day of our earth’s history.

I felt sorry for the regular church members who will never do the research themselves. Or even if they do, will accept their clergy’s word as final. While people in all denominations revere the Bible, by and large, they don’t read it. Most people just don’t know, and it’s not up to me to decide how God will judge ignorance.

Soon thereafter, I was about to pass through a fire—one of the most profound experiences of my life that challenged some of my assumptions about the people in the pews. I signed up for a summer colporteur program, which helped me work my way through school. This job is a door-to-door sale of Christian books. The student will learn sales techniques, but also will talk to people about spiritual subjects. Some of the conversations stayed hammered in my mind forever. People asked me for prayers, we prayed on their front porches. The most powerful experiences are portrayed in the following stories. I have lived through this same experience several times:

The Baptist Couple

In a middle-class neighborhood of a suburban town in the midwestern United States, I knocked on the door of a beautiful home with a nicely manicured lawn. A man opened the door, greeting me with a smile. I explained the reason for my visit and shared with him the books I had to offer. He called his wife and together they chose several books. They shared with me that they attended their local Baptist church. A wealthy church, they proudly added. They were quite knowledgeable about the Bible and we had a very nice conversation. Since they knew so much, I added a bonus to their order and gifted them the book The National Sunday Law by Jan Marcussen.

I didn’t share this book with every household. But here, I just felt impressed to give them one. Moreover, we connected very quickly and became friends. They thanked and invited me for lunch the next Sunday.

I knocked on the door next Sunday. The man opened the door. He didn’t say hello or any other greeting. Instead, he exclaimed: “I know we go to church on the wrong day,” and invited me in. I didn’t expect this statement to come out of his mouth. So I asked: “Really? What does your wife think about it?” She stood right behind him and also exclaimed: “I always knew the Adventists are right on this one.” I couldn’t believe my ears.

We shared a lunch together and briefly touched on their Sabbath knowledge again. They explained it in these words: “While we know that we go to church on the wrong day, it doesn’t mean we’ll switch denominations. We’re comfortable in our church, we have lots of friends and family there. At the end, it doesn’t really matter on which day we worship.” This time I didn’t say anything. They know the truth, but think it’s not important. I’m not the judge.

I have gone through similar experiences and conversations many times. Bible students acknowledge the facts, yet they choose to do otherwise.

I had talked to people from various denominations, thinking their lack of knowledge is to blame for not keeping God’s law, but I stood corrected. There are many people who are not ignorant. They know the truth, they just choose to ignore it.

I state again that the above experience with the lovely Baptist couple wasn’t an isolated one. I recall many more. The following one was one of the first ones in my teenage years:

The Lutheran Lady

I lived in a small town with my family. One of our neighbors was a lovely, retired lady. Her husband had already passed away and gradually her health didn’t allow her to do her own grocery shopping. I offered to help. She’d give me her list of items to purchase and I gladly did the shopping and delivered it to her house.

She always invited me in. I unloaded the bags on the table, she paid the bill, and each time offered some homemade goodies. As I entered her kitchen, I noticed on several occasions that she listened to audio recordings of Christian sermons. In those recordings, I quickly recognized the voice of a famous Adventist evangelist. I asked the lady where she got the audio tapes. It was in the days before CDs and internet downloads.

She proudly shared the story that she attended evangelistic meetings with her husband some years prior and this evangelist was the presenter. Back in those days, such meetings didn’t last a weekend. They lasted several weeks! She and her husband made sure that they purchased the recordings of every single night, so they could listen to them later at home. It was quite a library, over 30 tapes!

She related to me that her husband believed everything that was presented on those audio tapes. I checked the tapes and naturally, several of them covered the Sabbath subject. I also knew that her husband died as a good Lutheran.

This lady herself would never set her foot in the Adventist church. She lived in a staunch Lutheran area and her Lutheran family and neighbors would have disapproved. Some years later, this lady also passed away as a good Lutheran.

The above stories beg the question: If I learned a truth of which I am absolutely convicted, would I leave my own denomination and follow my conscience? The reality is that most people would not, which portrays the following experience:

The Exception

I was sitting in an Adventist church, listening to the testimony of a young couple who had left their Sunday-keeping denomination because they no longer could ignore the voice of their conscience on the Sabbath. They had searched for a Sabbath-keeping congregation and joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

They shared that this step was very hard. Their prior church was so much better in all aspects. There was more fun, all their family and friends were there, the music was better, so many activities to choose from, etc. Their newly found Adventist congregation was half dead, but they made the transition anyway and slowly found new friends.

After sharing their story, an open forum for questions followed. At that point, one Adventist church member stood up and expressed his admiration for the couple. He furthermore stated: “I’d never do what you did. You left your family and friends behind. You should have stayed in your prior church. Here we can’t offer as much.” Many others in the congregation nodded in agreement.

Really? We can’t offer as much? No other denomination has such deep wells of knowledge. The reality that we are viewed as non-inclusive and overly proud of our exceptionalism is only our problem. When thousands will knock on our door one day, will we turn them away? May God have mercy on us. I tremble when I think of that day. Get ready now!

Testimony – The Lifeline

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Here in Maine, as the winter draws near, almost everyone who knits or crochets takes out their needles to begin projects of hats, mittens, shawls, or sweaters.

Sometimes what appears to be a simple pattern can end up a tangled mess if a lifeline isn’t used. I have been overconfident many times telling myself, “I don’t need that, I’ll find my way.” What a mistake! A lifeline while knitting provides a foolproof way of knowing where I am in the pattern if I become distracted as to what row I am on, losing my way. However, this can all be avoided. Taking the time to run a colored piece of yarn through all the stitches on the knitting needle every few rows can save the frustration of getting lost. I learned, through much trial and error, that using the lifeline is not an option but a necessity. If I get lost, all I have to do is tear back to the stitches held on the lifeline, pick up those stitches, and I will know what row to begin anew. The stitches held on the lifeline cannot move, nor is one stitch lost until those stitches are picked up on the needle, then, and only then, can the lifeline be pulled through, no longer needed until it is again inserted several rows below to once again secure where I am in the pattern.

Our relationship to Jesus can be illustrated in much the same way. If we are overconfident, carelessly going about our day without taking time to read our Bibles and pray, Satan will make certain we lose our way, as we become lost in our own destructive patterns and old habits we thought we had conquered. We can so easily sin and lose our way by compromising and not paying attention. As the hours and days pass, Jesus, our lifeline, can seem faint and almost invisible, as we travel on our own way in self-confidence without Him. As we become more entangled, life becomes more difficult as we try in our own strength to get back to our lifeline. What seems a few short steps away, can take many steps to return. Jesus is our pattern, our light and strength in every time of need. He is our lifeline, and only He knows the path we must travel to get to the kingdom. He will keep us, through prayer and Bible study, from becoming lost. We should not let distractions interfere in our Christian experience, losing time and distance to our heavenly home. Hold on, my fellow Christian, to Jesus. Hold on to the Lifeline, Jesus Christ, making your salvation sure.

Testimony – “I’ve Got It!”

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In The Southern Review, January 23, 1902, Mrs. White recounts an experience while speaking in Launceston, Tasmania.

At the end of the meeting a tall, fine-looking woman came to Mrs. White and threw her arms about her shoulders and wept and wept.  She was unable to speak for a little while. Mrs. White’s son tried to disentangle the woman from his mother, but she would not let go.

She told Mrs. White of her son who was very sick. He had been visited by many ministers and had read many books, but he could not understand them and none of them impressed him or spoke directly to his heart. He had asked her if there was some other book in all their library that he could read. She said there was one book that canvassers had brought to them. She had not read it, but she would get it for him.

He read the book and then re-read it. And then he read it a third time. His joyous response was, “I’ve got it, I know my Saviour and I am His child.” He was happy every moment after, as long as he lived.

But he made a request of his mother before he died: “Now, mother, promise me one thing, if ever Mrs. White shall come into our country and you see her, will you tell her that that book was the means of saving my soul? Will you lend this book to all our neighbors?”

The woman said, “I have done it and it’s about worn out and I will have to replace it. There are several that know now what faith is and what dependence upon God is.”

The book? The Great Controversy.

Never doubt it, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please. And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

How Do I Tell My Family?

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I have a confession to make. I don’t know how to witness to my family and friends.

I was raised a Seventh-day Adventist. I’ve studied the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. I’ve had the privilege of personally knowing some of the leading ministers in our faith.

But when it comes to sharing this knowledge and what I know to be right with my family and friends, I don’t know how. Why? Because I don’t know enough? No. Because I don’t want to offend anyone? Well, yes, maybe. But I think there is another deeper reason, a more personal one.

How can I tell anyone about the transforming, saving power of God that can change their life when I don’t think it has changed mine? Not because God doesn’t want to change me or doesn’t have the power to change me, but because I have not surrendered myself to His grace and power to effect that change in me. There, I said it.

Paul says in Romans 7:14, 15, 18, 19, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. … For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” And I cry out with Paul in verse 24, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

A short time before I moved from Nebraska to Kansas, I was given the opportunity to talk with a young man that my husband and I had befriended. It was the first time in the four years we had known each other that he had expressed an interest in religion. I told him that it wasn’t religion that mattered, but having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I pointed to my Bible and told him that if he wanted to know about God, if he wanted to know how to have a personal relationship with Him, that was where he would find out how.

You’re probably giving me a thumbs up.  Good job, right? I believe I told him the right things, but the difficulty for me is the knowledge that while I know what to say, I don’t myself always do what I tell others to do. And it is this fact that keeps me from stepping forward and proclaiming the power of God.

I know what God can do because the Bible tells me. It is undeniable that God has done many things for me my whole life, particularly after my husband’s death, but I still find it so hard to give up the worldly things that have been so much a part of my life for so long; and these things interfere with my desire to study more and to spend time in prayer. How often do we say, “I just don’t have the time,” but in reality, we fill our lives with things that do us no good and keep out the One who wants to share our lives; the only One who can help.

I need a change, a complete change in my life; one that comes only by prayer and study of God’s word, and this is what I find so hard to do. It’s what I want to do, but I don’t.

“The work of gaining salvation is one of co-partnership, a joint operation. There is to be cooperation between God and the repentant sinner. This is necessary for the formation of right principles in the character. Man is to make earnest efforts to overcome that which hinders him from attaining to perfection. But he is wholly dependent upon God for success. Human effort of itself is not sufficient. Without the aid of divine power it avails nothing. God works and man works. Resistance of temptation must come from man, who must draw his power from God. On the one side there is infinite wisdom, compassion, and power; on the other, weakness, sinfulness, absolute helplessness.

“God wishes us to have the mastery over ourselves. But He cannot help us without our consent and co-operation. The divine Spirit works through the powers and faculties given to man. Of ourselves, we are not able to bring the purposes and desires and inclinations into harmony with the will of God; but if we are ‘willing to be made willing,’ the Saviour will accomplish this for us, ‘… bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5).” The Acts of the Apostles, 482.

Friends, this is what I need. Maybe it’s what you need, too. If we are to be effective witnesses for God, then we must surrender to His Spirit. He will not change us if we are not willing to allow the changing.

“He who would build up a strong, symmetrical character, he who would be a well-balanced Christian, must give all and do all for Christ; for the Redeemer will not accept divided service. Daily he must learn the meaning of self-surrender. He must study the word of God, learning its meaning and obeying its precepts. Thus he may reach the standard of Christian excellence. Day by day God works with him, perfecting the character that is to stand in the time of final test. And day by day the believer is working out before men and angels a sublime experiment, showing what the gospel can do for fallen human beings.” Ibid., 483.

The end is no longer near. Jesus. Is. Coming! There is a world to warn. Family and friends need to be given the opportunity to choose for themselves as the Holy Spirit works in their lives. They must be given the truth with compassion and loving kindness; offending them should not be a concern if in the end, they accept Christ.

But while we are witnessing, we cannot neglect the work needed in our own lives so we are not left behind at Jesus’ appearing. If you aren’t right with God, now is the time because time is almost up.

Let this be our daily prayer: “I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14).

[All emphasis supplied.]

Judy Rebarchek is a member of the LandMarks team. She can be contacted at: judyrebarchek@stepstolife.org

From High School Failure to Successful Career

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Without a doubt, everyone has a story to tell of how the Lord turns failures into success.

I was born in Calcutta, India, to Armenian parents. My earliest memories of home were of my loving mother, aunt, grandparents and my brother, the nucleus of our family. My father, who I only saw on occasion, was a business owner. When I was six years old, my father enrolled me in the Davidian girls’ school, an Armenian primary boarding school. We were allowed home one weekend every three months, and I was terribly homesick. I still recall begging my father not to take me back to school after the weekends I went home, however my pleas came to naught. A few hours later, after the tears were over, all the girls would gather together telling stories of all the fun that was had.

My scholastic achievements were negligible due to the fact that I was sick often and missed days of schooling. I was never given homework to catch up what I had missed, so as a consequence, my grades were pitiful. My father was never informed of my lack of school attendance because of high fevers, stomach complaints and lack of nutrition. He thought that I was not very bright and hired tutors to give me special tutoring.

Years later when I was in my teens, my mother, who had remarried and was living in Sydney, Australia, wrote and asked me to join her. After several discussions with my father, he relented and saw me off to the “land down under.”

My stepfather was the principal of the Castle Hill Seventh-day Adventist church school and we lived across from the church. We had morning and evening worship and my mother was very gentle in her ways of encouraging me to read my Bible and pray. The church pastor, who had a daughter my age, often visited with us. The atmosphere of the church was friendly and happy.

I attended Bible studies for several months and when a large group of young people decided to be baptized, I joined them. At that time in my life I was not fully committed, but I did believe in Jesus and I was willing to make a lot of necessary changes. The hardest change for me was my outward appearance. Picking clothes for this “baby Christian” was a great challenge. The other challenge was trying to fit into the school system with a completely different curriculum, so my parents decided to return to India for me to complete years 11 and 12.

We returned to Calcutta, India, where my stepfather opened a primary school. It started with only five children enrolled, but within a few months the school grew and flourished. These little children who came from non-Christian homes learned about Jesus. They sang songs, learned Bible stories and influenced their families who would also enquire about Jesus.

In the meantime, my challenge was attending the same school I had left, the Armenian College, to complete my last two years of high school. I had left the school as an Armenian Orthodox and returned a Seventh-day Adventist. One of the classes was Religious Knowledge and the teacher was the same Armenian priest I had before. He was intrigued that I was not in church on Sundays and when I explained that I went to church on Saturday, he was infuriated and tried in every way to humiliate me in front of 40 teenagers. He said I should feel ashamed that I had abandoned my Armenian heritage. He would make fun of the Adventist faith and the students would laugh. The friends that I once had did not want to associate with me for I was now considered the laughing-stock of the class. The priest took great delight in making me stand through the whole class period every week for several months. I would tell my mother the events that occurred and we would pray together. She always encouraged me and would tell me that Jesus sees and would take care of things.

I praise Jesus, for He gave me the strength and courage to bear the insults, the laughter and remarks instigated by a so-called man of God. Then, something strange started to happen that took me by surprise. My friends were curious and started asking me questions: “What has changed you?” “You are not the same.” One by one a small group who were interested enough to talk and spend time during the breaks would tell me private information because they knew I would not break their trust. Another strange occurrence took place shortly after. While standing in the priest’s class as he made fun of me and laughed, no one laughed with him. The students no longer saw the humor. The priest’s game was over, at least for the time being.

I made a special effort to study hard and by God’s grace my grades improved a great deal. In year twelve, we were ready to take our school final exams which were before we could take the state exam. In order to graduate to take the state tests, we had to pass the second language test. So I prayed and asked the Lord to please help me pass the Armenian language exam. After the tests were completed, the priest gave us our grades. I had passed and was so thankful to the Lord because now I would be able to take the Senior Cambridge exam. But the priest accused me of cheating and motioned for me to stand and stay standing until I confessed. After a while, from the back of the class came a voice saying, “Excuse me sir.” All turned to see the most brilliant student in our class stand and say, “I know Revella, if she says she did not cheat, I believe her.” Again, the priest was silenced.

A few days later it was graduation day. All the students sat at the back of the huge auditorium and the guests sat towards the front. The prizes for various subjects were distributed and I was just so glad that I would not have to face the priest again. The last prize to be distributed was the prize for English Literature. It was given to the student with the highest grade in that subject for years 10, 11 and 12. No one ever knew who the student was until the name was revealed. All of a sudden one of my friends called to me: “Revella, Revella, get up, you won!” I rose to my feet in disbelief and walked to the front. The roar in that auditorium was so loud it was almost deafening, and I felt certain in my heart that angels were present. All glory and honor go to our Lord. As I walked the stairs to the platform, I knew the Lord had a sense of humor when I saw the person chosen to give me my prize. It was none other than the priest.

Finally, the day came to take the Senior Cambridge exam in our English subjects and in the Armenian language. The Armenian language test papers were given to the priest to correct. In this final exam, we were not given our tests back to see why we were given a particular grade. So, whatever the results were, we had to accept them. I did not feel good about not seeing the Armenian paper, but I had done my best and felt I should get a reasonable grade.

In the meantime, my parents and I had moved to London, United Kingdom, and after about four months, a large envelope containing my exam results arrived in the mail. My initial excitement fell to despair and my brain could not compute the large letter I was staring at – F. All my hard work was for nothing. Then it dawned on me that the priest knew I would not have access to my paper, so he had his final revenge. He knew that in India, if you fail your second language, you fail the whole exam. Although I had taken six subjects, a failure on the Armenian language paper caused a failure in all six subjects. My hope for enrolling in Pacific Union College was dashed.

With nothing to show for all of my effort, we prayed in earnest and my parents asked the Lord to lead in whatever direction He wanted. I am ashamed to say that at that moment, filled with self-pity and hopelessness, I had no faith, even though I had seen the leading of the Lord just a few months before. Waiting on the Lord is difficult when your faith is weak and courage is gone.

In the chapter, “God Will Provide” in The Ministry of Healing, 480–482, Ellen White wrote, “Let us be hopeful and courageous. Despondency in God’s service is sinful and unreasonable. He knows our every necessity. To the omnipotence of the King of kings our covenant-keeping God unites the gentleness and care of the tender shepherd. His power is absolute, and it is the pledge of the sure fulfillment of His promises to all who trust in Him. He has means for the removal of every difficulty, that those who serve Him and respect the means He employs may be sustained. His love is as far above all other love as the heavens are above the earth. He watches over His children with a love that is measureless and everlasting.

“In the darkest days, when appearances seem most forbidding, have faith in God. He is working out His will, doing all things well in behalf of His people. The strength of those who love and serve Him will be renewed day by day.”

After several months of asking the Lord to direct us, my parents decided to relocate to Perth, Western Australia. My aunt had married an Australian and was living there and my brother was still living in Sydney. In 1975 we arrived in Perth and found an apartment overlooking the Swan River. My parents encouraged me to visit the nurses board to make inquiries as to the programs available at that time, so I made an appointment with the secretary to see the director.

A week later I met with the director of nursing, taking with me my high school final exam papers of which I was not proud. Mrs. Chamberlain had a kind, gentle face, and was very professional. After explaining the reason for no diploma and adding my grades, she informed me that with a couple of subjects added I could get a grade that would be accepted before applying for the nursing program. My fears of rejection turned to hope as she instructed me on what two subjects I needed. I could take evening classes as an external student at the University of Perth. It seemed as though she had taken on the responsibility to get me where I wanted to be and I knew the Lord was opening a door. At the university, I was encouraged along the way by my instructor who wrote kind notes along with the lessons he sent.

Six months later I again saw Mrs. Chamberlain, and she was just as excited as I was to be in a position to apply for nursing school and recommended what she believed to be the best school. The application process for nursing was in several stages with questions, interviews, paperwork to fill out and psychological tests. After the principal’s interview I was told, “We will contact you.” Months passed with no word, but strangely I did not lose hope this time thinking of Mrs. Chamberlain and how excited she was to launch me into my career.

Finally, a letter arrived, and I was overjoyed to be accepted into the second intake for the year of 1976. I praise God for leading, directing and placing in my pathway the people who helped me on my journey.

After three years of study and working in the various units in the Royal Perth Hospital, we were ready to take the final nursing school exam. We were informed that the hospital exam would be more difficult than the state exam, because the school had a reputation of very few failures. The school exams were on two days, each took four hours. I thanked God that He had led me thus far and I did not want to fail Him. Out of my class of 75, I stood with the 69 students who graduated that day and proudly repeated the Florence Nightingale Pledge:

“I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.”

One by one our names were called. I was so excited and even more so when I noticed that it was Mrs. Chamberlain who was handing out the certificates. She was so happy that I had finally become a nurse.

Forty-one years have passed since graduation and I can say with confidence that only God can turn a high school failure into a successful career. We do serve an AMAZING GOD. He can take our nothingness, which we are, and turn it into something, which we are not, for His glory. Therefore, there is no room in our lives for pride, envy, jealousy and strife. It does not matter your culture, your background, your past, your heritage or any other human experience, Jesus has the final say and He will win in the end. Let us cling to Jesus and to one another and live to praise God and bless others.

God has a plan for our lives, and we will be happiest when we choose the path where He leads us. He can open and close doors for us and when at times we feel abandoned, know that He is already working on a better path of which we know nothing. Looking back, I can truly say that His way is the safest and best. He led my life in a direction I never thought possible, and I am so grateful to Him.

“Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His Providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.” Steps to Christ, 70.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20, 21 NKJV).

Revella Knight continues to serve others working as a nurse and writes from her home in North West Arkansas.

I Was a Mess

by

My name is Frank Samuels. I am 84 years old. Twenty years ago, I was out in the world and was a real mess.

When I was about 20, I joined the military and took part in all of the bad things that a lot of young, single soldiers do when they get away from home for the first time. I was drinking regularly and truly “out in the world.” I’m really ashamed of the things I did then.

After I got out of the military, I married and had a family. Later, I separated from my wife and had a girlfriend. I was drinking and doing all sorts of things that no true Christian should ever do. One night I had a dream that I was climbing up a big mountain. Before I got to the top, I slipped off and started falling. I thought I was going to die, but a voice said to me, “No, you’re not. You’ll be okay.” I landed on what felt like a soft pillow. I know now that it was the Holy Spirit speaking to me.

I ended up breaking up with the woman I was going with and told her that we were through. She didn’t believe me at first, but I knew that I was doing wrong and that I needed to stop.

I was going to rent a place in Manhattan, but something told me not to rent there; so I moved to the Bronx instead. After settling in, I started going to the senior center nearby. A lady working in the kitchen asked me if I ever went to church. I told her that when I was a kid, my mother always took me to Sunday school and church, but when I was 18, I stopped going and started drinking and doing all sorts of worldly things. As I said, I was a mess.

This lady then told me that Saturday, the seventh day, was the true Sabbath, not Sunday. I was surprised. I had never heard that before. She told me that she was a Seventh-day Adventist. I told her I had never heard of Seventh-day Adventists, so she gave me a little booklet to read. I don’t remember what it was, but over time, she gave me several other little booklets. I read them all and decided that Saturday really is the true Sabbath.

I stopped drinking and all of my sinful behavior. My family told me that my conversion was only temporary and that within a year, I would be back to doing all the bad things I had given up.

Well, it’s been over 20 years, and I’m still keeping the seventh-day Sabbath and trying to live right.

God is good. If He can take someone as steeped in sin as I was and give me a new heart, He can do it with anyone.

Frank Samuels

Bronx, NY