Mission 2020 QUARTER 2 TRANS-EUROPEAN DIVISION - AdventistMission.org - Adventist Mission
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Mission
YOUTH & ADULT
2020 • QUARTER 2 • TRANS-EUROPEAN DIVISION
AdventistMission.org
Contents
O n the Cover: Øystein Hogganvik, 61, worked as an Adventist farmer for decades in Norway.
Then he saw Jesus in a new way. Now he pastors two churches. Page 22.
SERBIA NORWAY
4 Scared Atheist | April 4 20 A Shirt to Talk About | May 30
6 One Adventist in 10,000 | April 11 22 Preaching to the Blind | June 6
8 Back to School | April 18 IRELAND
24 Why Suffer? | June 13
POLAND
10 Two Unexpected Sons | April 25 TRANS-EUROPEAN DIVISION
26 Forgiveness After Divorce | June 20
12 One Bad Decision | May 2
CYPRUS
FINLAND
28 Befriending a Shoeshiner | June 27
14 Friend to Finland’s Friendless | May 9 30 Future Thirteenth Sabbath Projects
16 Atheist Shares Christ | May 16 31 Leader’s Resources
18 Demons and Death | May 23 32 Map
= stories of special interest to teens
Yo u r O f f e r i n g s a t W o r k
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
Three years ago, the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering helped
© 2020 General Conference of
open a youth community center in Betel Seventh-day Seventh-day Adventists ® • All rights reserved
Adventist Church (pictured) in Oslo, Norway. You can read 12501 Old Columbia Pike,
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6601
stories from Norway on pages 20 and 22. 1-800-648-5824 • AdventistMission.org
2
D e a r S a b b a t h S c h o o l L e a d e r, Andrew McChesney
Editor
This quarter we feature the Trans- received part of the Thirteenth Sabbath
European Division, which oversees Offering three years ago, and Finland.
the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s You can find their stories on the
work in 22 countries: Albania, Bosnia- pages of this publication and the
Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, children’s Mission magazine. After
Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, hearing their stories, I believe more
Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, than ever that Jesus is coming soon
Macedonia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, — and I am sure you will agree as you
Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, read about what God is doing in the
and the United Kingdom. Trans-European Division!
The region is home to 205.8 million
people, including 87,867 Adventists. That’s Special Features
a ratio of one Adventist for 2,342 people. If you want to make your Sabbath
This quarter’s three Thirteenth School class come alive, we offer photos,
Sabbath projects are spread across the videos, and other materials with every
division: north of the Arctic Circle in mission story. More information is
Norway, south on the island of Cyprus in provided in the sidebar with each story.
the Mediterranean Sea, and to the east You also can download a list of fast facts
in Serbia. from the Trans-European Division to
I visited the sites that will receive the share in Sabbath School at the link: bit.
Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to hear ly/fast-facts-TED20.
stories about God’s transforming power in Follow us on Facebook at facebook.
the lives of people in those three countries. com/missionquarterlies.
I also visited Poland and Ireland, which For photos of tourist sites and other
scenes from the featured countries, I
recommend searching on a free photo bank
such as pixabay.com or unsplash.com.
Opportunities You also can download the PDF version
The Thirteenth Sabbath Offering of the youth and adult Mission magazine
this quarter will help to: at bit.ly/adultmission, and Mission
Open a center of influence in Spotlight videos at bit.ly/missionspotlight.
Sortland, Norway If you have found especially effective
Establish a church in New ways to share mission stories, or if I can be
AdventistMission.org
Belgrade, Serbia of assistance, contact me at mcchesneya@
Construct a church and center of
gc.adventist.org.
influence in Nicosia, Cyprus Thank you for encouraging church
members to be mission-minded!
3
Scared Atheist
SERBIA | April 4
Biljana Mijatovi, 47
squeaking noises. Svetlushka spoke of being
shrunk to the size of mouse and walking
around the house like a small person.
When she walked around the city, she felt
like she was wading in waist-high water
and passersby were walking through her.
Worried, Svetlushka sought help from
physicians. They gave medicine that caused
her to sleep but didn’t resolve the problems.
Relatives carried Svetlushka to
monasteries, and clergymen visited her
at home. One priest placed a Bible at her
B iljana Mijatovi prayed for the first
time when, as a 20-year-old atheist,
she saw a relative struggling with
head and another Bible at her feet in an
attempt to perform an exorcism.
As the weeks went by, Svetlushka lost
supernatural forces. the strength to stand on her feet and spent
Biljana heard about the problem from all day in bed.
a cousin. Biljana was alarmed by the news, but
“Svetlushka has gone crazy,” the she didn’t know what to think. As an
cousin said. atheist, she didn’t believe in God, the
“What happened?” asked Biljana. devil, or the supernatural. She decided
She was busy with university studies that Svetlushka must be suffering from
and hadn’t seen Svetlushka for some psychological problems. Feeling sorry for
time, even though they were neighbors her, she decided to pay a visit.
in a duplex located in a suburb of Serbia’s Biljana found the front door open and
capital, Belgrade. walked in. Svetlushka, who was lying in
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
The cousin said Svetlushka was hearing bed, was excited to see her visitor.
voices. The voices didn’t say anything “I don’t have psychological problems!”
important but engaged in constant small she exclaimed. “I’m sad that nobody
talk. Svetlushka’s husband also heard the believes me.”
voices, and their 3-year-old daughter was Speaking clearly and coherently, she
suffering stomachaches. described her strange occurrences.
The cousin said there was more. “Why do I have to take medicine when
Svetlushka heard knocking on the walls and I’m healthy?” she said. “I’m normal. I sleep
4The next day, Biljana returned from
S E R B I A
Stor y Tips the university to find Svetlushka on her
feet, cleaning the windows of her house.
Pronounce Biljana as: bil-YANA. Biljana stopped in wonder. God had heard
Watch Biljana on YouTube: her prayer!
bit.ly/Biljana-Mijatovic. Svetlushka was free from evil spirits,
Download photos on Facebook
never to be troubled by them again,
(bit.ly/fb-mq) or ADAMS databank and Biljana was overjoyed. From that
(bit.ly/scared-atheist). moment she made a promise to God that
Download photos of Thirteenth Sabbath echoed a vow made by Jacob in Genesis
projects: bit.ly/ted-13th-projects. 28:20, “If God will be with me, and keep
me in this way that I am going … then
the Lord shall be my God.”
all day because of the medicine. I need One morning, Biljana woke up
another kind of help.” with faith in her heart. She no longer
Biljana grew increasingly convinced doubted God. She gave her heart to
that Svetlushka was telling the truth. Jesus and was baptized.
“Do you want me to pray for you?” she Biljana, now 47 and an insurance
asked, the words surprising even her. “I’m company auditor, is an active member at
going to a Christian church, and I heard the New Belgrade church.
that God can help in various situations. “In my missionary work, it has been
When there is nothing that we can do, we a great comfort to me to see the way
can pray.” that God works with every person from
While Biljana didn’t believe in God, childhood,” she said. “In my experience, I
she had been attending Sabbath worship saw how God patiently and perseveringly
services at New Belgrade Seventh-day works with every person. Let God help us
Adventist Church. She went because to meet the people whom He is leading so
she was searching for answers about the they can hear the Word and answer His
meaning of life. call for salvation.”
Svetlushka welcomed the offer for prayer.
“Yes, I would be thankful for prayer,” Biljana is a member of New Belgrade
she said. Seventh-day Adventist Church,
Biljana returned to her house and which will receive part of this quarter’s
knelt down. Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to acquire
“God, if You exist, please protect me its own building. The congregation met
from the demons,” she said. in a rented movie theater when it was
As she spoke those words, she wondered established in 1993, and it now shares
why she was on her knees. It wasn’t a building with another Adventist
normal to kneel, and she thought that congregation near New Belgrade. Thank
AdventistMission.org
perhaps she was losing her own mind. But you for planning a generous Thirteenth
she kept praying. Sabbath Offering.
“Please help Svetlushka,” she said.
“Protect her.” By Andrew McChesney
5One Adventist in 10,000
SERBIA | April 11
Ra d e n k o Me l o v i , 5 8
During his fourth year, tragedy struck.
His sister died during childbirth.
Radenko was crushed. His sister had
been like an angel in the family. He didn’t
know what to do. For the first time in his
life, he prayed earnestly. He asked God to
reveal the right path for his life.
Among the 10,000 dorm students lived
one Seventh-day Adventist, a young
woman named Emilia. Shortly after his
prayer, a friend introduced them.
Emilia immediately began to talk
about God. She didn’t want to talk about
G oing to the university was a great
experience for Radenko Melovi.
anything else. She told Radenko that she
was a Seventh-day Adventist. He had
He left his parents in their village and never heard of Adventists.
moved 185 miles (300 kilometers) to a Emilia invited him to go with her to
sprawling university dormitory with 10,000 church on Saturday, and he accepted.
residents in Belgrade. Radenko listened to the sermon and
Radenko had a lot of fun and didn’t was stopped by the youth pastor as he
study much. was leaving. “Would you like to study the
The first year passed, and he did not Bible?” the youth pastor said.
take any exams. Radenko had never read the Bible, and
To avoid being expelled from university he agreed to meet with the youth pastor on
dormitory, he changed his major for the Tuesday evening.
next academic year. When the initial Bible study finished,
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
The second year passed, and he did not Radenko experienced something unusual. He
take any exams. felt like he could fly. He had heard teachings
Radenko changed his major. that quenched a long-unfilled thirst.
The third year passed, and he did not Radenko and the youth pastor met week
take any exams. after week to study the Bible. Then they
Instead of studying, he partied. He drank came to a study about the Sabbath.
and smoked with friends. A popular student, Radenko was shocked that the Bible
he was elected student body president. identified Saturday as the Sabbath. The
6next day, he went to a priest to double-
S E R B I A
check on the day. Stor y Tips
“Do you know when Jesus was
resurrected?” the priest asked. Watch Radenko on YouTube:
bit.ly/Radenko-Melovic.
“Sunday,” Radenko said.
“That is why we worship on Sunday,” Download photos on Facebook
the priest said. (bit.ly/fb-mq) or ADAMS databank
(bit.ly/one-adventist-in-10000).
Radenko told the pastor about the
conversation with the priest. The Download photos of Thirteenth Sabbath
pastor explained that Jesus’ death and projects: bit.ly/ted-13th-projects.
resurrection hadn’t changed the law.
The fourth commandment still said the Fa s t Fa c t s
seventh day is the Sabbath. Nikola Tesla, regarded as one of the
Radenko returned to the priest, but the most important inventors in history, was
priest was nowhere to be found. Another a Serbian. Tesla made great discoveries
priest listened to his question. “Our holy in the fields of electric current and
magnetism and his name is also used as
fathers decided on Sunday, and I am not the unit of magnetic induction. When
questioning their opinion,” the priest said. Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel
Radenko found the answer surprising. Prize, a reporter asked him “What is it
“Who has higher authority, the Bible or like to be the smartest person in the
world?” and he replied, “I don’t know.
the holy fathers?” he asked. Ask Nikola Tesla.” The electric car is
The priest refused to answer. named after him.
To Radenko, the Bible clearly had the
higher authority.
Today, Radenko is 58, married, and a “It was a real miracle to find the
university graduate. He loves God’s law. one Adventist among 10,000 people,”
In his Bible, he used a blue marker to Radenko said. “But that was God’s reply
highlight the verse that the pastor read when I asked Him to show me the right
at his baptism. Joshua 1:8 reads, “This path to take in life.”
Book of the Law shall not depart from
your mouth, but you shall meditate in it Radenko is an elder at New Belgrade
day and night, that you may observe to do Seventh-day Adventist Church,
according to all that is written in it. For which will receive part of this quarter’s
then you will make your way prosperous, Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to acquire
and then you will have good success.” its own building. The congregation met
Emilie, his friend from university in a rented movie theater when it was
dormitory, was surprised and thrilled when established in 1993, and it now shares
she learned 30 years later that a seed she a building with another Adventist
had planted had yielded fruit. She had congregation near New Belgrade. Thank
AdventistMission.org
left the university dormitory after meeting you for planning a generous Thirteenth
Radenko, and the two had lost contact. Sabbath Offering.
Radenko believes that Emilie’s mission
was to share the gospel with him. By Andrew McChesney
7SERBIA | April 18
Back to
School
D a n i e l a Ma r i n k o v i , 4 1
D aniela Marinkovi’s parents never
studied beyond high school, and one
of their biggest dreams was to see their
to a son. The 29-year-old mother left
work for three years of maternity leave.
During that time, she thought a lot. She
daughter graduate from the university. couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her
But Daniela rebelled under what she life working at a job that she regarded as
felt were unfair expectations. boring and unfulfilling. Regret filled her
“This isn’t your decision but my own,” as she remembered how carelessly she had
she declared. “I’ll do whatever I want with quit the university. Without a university
my life.” degree, employment options were limited.
Still, to make her parents happy, she The summer before maternity leave
entered a university in Belgrade to study ended, Daniela and her family visited her
the Russian language. Because this wasn’t father and his new wife in Macedonia.
her first choice, she studied halfheartedly Her father had remarried after a divorce.
and soon quit. Her stepmother, a psychologist,
But Daniela wasn’t particularly worried. encouraged Daniela to resume her studies.
She was 20 and easily landed a job at “Why don’t you prepare for the
the local call center of an international entrance exam and enroll at the
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
telecommunications company. university?” she said.
Over the next few years, she got “But I have a child and a family and a
married to a fellow Seventh-day house to take care of,” Daniela protested.
Adventist and settled down. But work left “Also I need to go back to my job at the
her unsatisfied. It was boring. It lacked call center.”
creativity and dynamism. She began to As the two women conversed, Daniela
dread the daily grind. began to believe that she could balance
The routine broke when she gave birth her home, work, and classes. Daniela
8applied to study psychology in Belgrade
S E R B I A
and prepared for the entrance exam. Stor y Tips
The university, however, scheduled the
entrance exam for a Saturday. Watch Daniela on YouTube:
bit.ly/Daniela-Marinkovic.
Daniela appealed to the president of
the Adventist Church in Serbia for help. Download photos on Facebook
(bit.ly/fb-mq) or ADAMS databank
He wrote a letter to the university, but (bit.ly/back-to-school-ted).
the reply letter said, “We’re sorry, but we
cannot change the date for one person.” Download photos of Thirteenth Sabbath
projects: bit.ly/ted-13th-projects.
Daniela was keenly disappointed. The
university seemed out of reach. She told
a relative, a well-educated woman, about
Mission Post
her difficulties. The first tracts in the Serbian language
“It’s simple,” the relative said. “Enroll were printed in Hamburg in 1893 to
1896, although there were no baptized
in a university that doesn’t have the Adventists in Serbia.
entrance exam on Saturday. After a year,
transfer to the Belgrade university.”
Daniela found a university in Novi Sad, university in Belgrade. The professors
the second-biggest city in Serbia, that accepted her and her Sabbath beliefs.
offered the entrance exam on a Friday. Money didn’t prove to be a problem.
She passed the exam. Her grades improved after she was laid
The next year was extremely busy. off, and the university granted her a full
Daniela had two days a week off work. scholarship. In addition, she found a
On Saturdays, she worshipped God. summer job cleaning houses in Germany.
On Mondays, she spent the day at the Daniela’s parents were proud when she
university, attending classes. On the other graduated. Their joy grew when she went
days, she worked from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on to earn a master’s degree in psychology,
then drove to the university for classes. graduating in October 2018.
Today, Daniela is 41 and works as ADRA
Her mother helped with her son.
field coordinator for a refugee women’s
“I prayed to God all the time, and I
center in Belgrade. She loves her work.
was convinced that I was doing the right
“My job is not boring,” she said. “I
thing,” Daniela said. “I had some kind of
was so happy when I got it. It is dynamic
inner power that pushed me to keep going
and creative. It is everything that I
and to pass my exams with top marks.”
wanted to do.”
After nine months, the telecom-
munications company laid off 10 percent
Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth
of its employees, about 100 people, amid
Sabbath Offering will help New Belgrade
a reorganization. Daniela was let go. She Seventh-day Adventist Church acquire
AdventistMission.org
saw the decision as a blessing because she its own building. New Belgrade is located
had more time for her classes and family. near Belgrade, where Daniela works.
When the first year of studies ended,
Daniela decided not to transfer to the By Andrew McChesney
9Two Unexpected Sons
POLAND | April 25
Halina Pastuszko, 65
“This is my decision,” Halina said. “I
want to have an abortion.”
Falling to his knees, Wladyslaw pleaded,
“Please, don’t do it.”
Halina asked whether he would leave
her if she had the abortion.
“No,” he said. “No matter what
happens, I will never leave you.”
Halina’s heart was touched.
“OK, let’s have this child,” she said.
H alina Pastuszko decided that she
didn’t want any more children after
giving birth to a third daughter in Poland.
Adam, a healthy baby boy, was born
three and a half months later. For the
first time, Halina realized that people
But she learned at the age of 42, the can be wrong no matter how strong their
same year that her first grandchild was opinions. If God wants to accomplish
born, that she was five months pregnant. something, He will fulfill His plans.
The pregnancy alarmed the physician, Halina began to wonder why her
and he warned that the child might be husband attended a Seventh-day Adventist
born disabled because of Halina’s age. church. She hadn’t thought much about
Poland lacked facilities to raise disabled God in communist-era Poland. But now
children at the time. she felt grateful for her healthy baby and
The physician suggested an abortion wanted to do something good for God. She
and gave Halina the telephone number for decided to become an Adventist.
a doctor who could perform the procedure. Without her husband’s knowledge,
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
From home, Halina tried to call for an she studied the Bible with an Adventist
appointment, but she got no answer. Giving pastor. She surprised Wladyslaw by being
up, she returned to her accountant job in baptized at a camp meeting.
the city housing department in Rumia. Several years passed, and Halina
Meanwhile, her husband, Wladyslaw, enrolled at the Adventist seminary in
learned from a daughter that his wife had Poland to pursue higher education.
tried to call the abortion doctor, and he During a class, she was moved to hear a
rushed to her workplace. man with Down Syndrome speak about
10Sunday evenings. One Sunday evening,
Stor y Tips Dawid didn’t want to go back. He clung to
a chair and cried loudly. Halina also cried.
Pronounce Dawid the same as “David” She decided to adopt Dawid.
in English. Wladyslaw is pronounced:
VLAD-i-slav. Halina gathered the family together to
announce the decision. Everyone opposed
Watch Dawid on YouTube: the idea except their youngest, Adam,
P O L A N D
bit.ly/Dawid-Briszke.
who was 12. After the family meeting, he
Download photos on Facebook wrote a tender letter to his parents.
(bit.ly/fb-mq) or ADAMS databank “No matter how Dawid may act, I want
(bit.ly/two-unexpected-sons).
him in our family forever,” he wrote.
Download photos of Thirteenth Sabbath Halina decided to take early retirement
projects: bit.ly/ted-13th-projects. so she could devote all her time to Dawid.
Even though she was in her mid-50s, a
Fa s t Fa c t s court judge quickly approved the adoption.
On July 2, 2009, Dawid came home.
Marie Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland,
on Nov. 7, 1867. With her husband, she
Months after moving in, he had a
discovered the elements polonium (Po), first operation on his legs. The results
named after her native Poland, in the disappointed the doctor, and he cautioned
summer of 1898 and, soon thereafter, that the boy would never walk. He was
radium (Ra). She is credited for coining wrong, no matter how strong his opinion.
the term “radioactivity” and won her first
Nobel Prize in physics in 1903. If God wanted to accomplish something,
He would fulfill His plans. Dawid had four
The first surviving cookbook of Polish
recipes dates from 1682 and the dishes more operations and today can walk.
have strong Lithuanian, Tartar-Turkish, Dawid, 17, is a living witness to God.
and German influences. When the family goes out, people marvel
at Dawid. They ask many questions, and
the family replies by sharing the gospel.
the difficulties of disabled people. She
They have distributed 200 copies of “The
decided to write her thesis on how to
Great Controversy” in the past year.
care for disabled children. Around that
Dawid loves the Bible, and he has
time, she met a physical therapist who
memorized several chapters. His favorite is
introduced her to a 10-year-old disabled
Psalms 23. It sums up his life.
boy at an orphanage.
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not
Halina loved Dawid immediately. The
want,” he said.
boy had been abandoned as a baby, and
the orphanage had unsuccessfully tried to Thank you for your Thirteenth Sabbath
find an adoptive family. Offering in 2017 that helped build a
Halina joined a government program television studio for Hope Channel in
AdventistMission.org
that allows families to take orphans home Poland, broadcasting the gospel to the
for the weekend. She and her husband Polish-speaking world.
took Dawid home on Friday afternoons
and returned him to the orphanage on By Andrew McChesney
11POLAND | May 2
One Bad
Decision
Ma r i u s z M a i k o ws k i , 5 5
Adventist group on the train.
The train ride was a joyful occasion. A
church member pulled out his guitar, and
the group happily sang Christian songs.
Partway through the trip, the train
arrived at the station where Jurek planned
to board. But Jurek didn’t show up.
A fter months of weekly worship
services, seven inmates were ready for
baptism in Poland.
On Sabbath, the six inmates were
baptized in the Baltic Sea.
Two days later, the prison guards and
But how and where to baptize them? inmates were surprised to see all six
Pastor Mariusz Maikowski had an idea. prisoners. They had placed bets on how
The inmates could be baptized in the Baltic many would run away.
Sea at an upcoming youth camp meeting. Jurek, however, didn’t return, and a
Mariusz asked the prison warden for warrant was issued for his arrest.
permission to release the inmates for four With the police looking for him, Jurek
days — one day to travel by train to the couldn’t get a job. He holed up with some
sea, two days for the camp meeting, and criminal friends and invited his 17-year-old
a day to travel back to the prison. Under brother to join them.
Polish law, inmates who exhibit good One evening, Jurek and his younger
behavior and have completed two-thirds of brother drank heavily in a city park in
their sentences are allowed to leave prison Toru in northern Poland. A nurse passed
for short periods. by on a bicycle, carrying a bag of apples for
The warden granted special permission coworkers at the hospital. The two men
for six of the seven inmates to make the 250- robbed her, raped her, and strangled her.
mile (400-kilometer) trip to Jaroslawiec. The After a police manhunt, Jurek and his
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
following week, Mariusz arrived at the younger brother were jailed.
prison with several church members to For 20 years, Jurek’s story bothered
take the prisoners to the train station. Mariusz. Jurek had been so close to
Another inmate, Jurek, heard about the baptism. If only he had boarded the train.
baptisms and decided that he also wanted One day, a female church member
to be baptized. Having served two-thirds approached Mariusz in Lublin, an eastern
of his sentence, he left the prison a day city where he was serving as pastor. She
early and made arrangements to join the said her sister was dating a former prisoner
12who needed a place to stay.
“He knows a lot about the Bible,” she Stor y Tips
said. “As a church, can we help him?”
The pastor met with the man, Tomek. Pronounce Mariusz as: MAR-i-oosh.
He did know a lot about the Bible, and he Pronounce Jurek as: YUR-ek.
began to visit the church. An Adventist Watch Mariusz on YouTube:
landlord leased an apartment to him. bit.ly/Mariusz-Maikowski.
P O L A N D
But Tomek harbored deep
Download photos on Facebook
resentment toward God. He often (bit.ly/fb-mq) or ADAMS databank
erupted in rage, cursing God, during (bit.ly/one-bad-decision).
Bible studies in his apartment.
Download photos of Thirteenth Sabbath
“You believe in God because you projects: bit.ly/ted-13th-projects.
have a good family and a good life,”
Tomek told the pastor. “I was born into
a dysfunctional family. My father and
Mission Post
brothers were criminals. My mother was The first Adventist church in Poland
a drunkard. My older brothers spat in my is now actually in Russia. In 1888, J.
soup. One regularly raped me. So how can Laubhan, and H. Szkubowicz moved from
Crimea to what was then eastern Poland.
I believe that God is good?” Their three years of work resulted in a
Mariusz wondered how to respond. church in Zarnówka in Volhynia.
During one Bible study, he spoke about
how a single bad decision can ruin a life.
Remembering Jurek, he related his story. “The story of Jurek shows that when
“You see, Tomek, this man was very you are close to God and He speaks
close to God,” he said. “But one wrong to you, you should make a decision
decision destroyed not only his own life immediately and not delay,” Mariusz said.
but also the life of his younger brother.” After all, Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek
Tomek turned pale and looked at the Lord while He may be found, call
Mariusz with wild eyes. The pastor was upon Him while He is near.”
scared. The two men were alone in the “Part of this story is sad,” Mariusz said.
apartment, and Mariusz remembered that “But it also shows the great power of
Tomek had been jailed for murder. God and what He can do in our lives.
Tomek started to cry. “This is Imagine meeting Jurek’s younger brother
incredible,” he said, weeping. after 20 years and being able to teach
“What are you talking about?” him about God.”
Mariusz asked.
Tomek gazed into the pastor’s eyes. “I Thank you for your Thirteenth Sabbath
am Jurek’s younger brother,” he said. Offering in 2017 that helped build a
Today, Tomek is thinking about baptism television studio for Hope Channel in
AdventistMission.org
and trying to stop drinking. His influence Poland, broadcasting the gospel to the
at an alcoholic rehabilitation center has Polish-speaking world.
led two other people to baptism. His
brother Jurek remains in prison. By Andrew McChesney
13Friend to Finland’s Friendless
FINLAND | May 9
Lauri Herranen, 60
didn’t know who would listen to his fears.
Matters grew worse when he went to
the doctor for an ear infection and was
diagnosed with prostate cancer. Now the
prospect of death was very real.
Lauri worked up the courage to talk to
a pastor at a Christian denomination. The
L auri Herranen stood somberly at the
grave of a friend in Mikkeli, Finland. pastor prayed for Lauri’s sins to be forgiven
and asked Lauri also to pray for forgiveness.
The same-aged friend had died three
years earlier when a blood clot moved During the prayers, something
from his heart to his brain. happened inside Lauri. He left his sins at
“I could be the one in the grave,” the foot of the cross, and peace and joy
filled him.
Lauri thought.
Lauri started to read the Bible earnestly.
He sensed an inner voice say, “You
To his surprise, he saw that the gospel of
know where the life that you are now
Luke referred to Saturday as the Sabbath.
living will lead. Do you really want that?” He read the New Testament three times
Lauri, who was 45, couldn’t answer the to find a place where the Sabbath was
question. But it echoed in his mind day changed from Saturday to Sunday, but he
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
after day: “If you die, you know what will couldn’t find any.
happen to you. If you die, you know what Around that time, he saw a newspaper
will happen to you.” advertisement for evangelistic meetings at
With fright, he remembered hearing a local Seventh-day Adventist church. Less
about Jesus’ second coming as a child. He than a year later, he joined the church.
had been taught that the wicked would Lauri’s wife disapproved of his interest
be cast into an eternally burning hell. He in God, and she filed for divorce. A
didn’t have any Christian friends, and he couple years later, Lauri married an
14Adventist woman, Päivi, and moved to
her hometown, Lahti. Stor y Tips
Lauri longed to find ways to share
Jesus in Lahti. After much prayer, he felt Watch Lauri on YouTube:
bit.ly/Lauri-Herranen.
impressed to open a food pantry at the
Lahti Seventh-day Adventist Church. Download photos on Facebook
(bit.ly/fb-mq) or ADAMS databank
“Most Finns are quite secular, and their
(bit.ly/friend-to-finland).
lives are centered around material goods
and worldly pleasures,” he said. “They Download photos of Thirteenth Sabbath
projects: bit.ly/ted-13th-projects.
have no room for God in their lives. So
I asked, ‘How can we reach them?’ The
food pantry is one way.”
Mission Post
Those who come to the church for The Seventh-day Adventist Church in
FINLAND
food twice a week include construction Finland oversees Finland Junior College
workers and the elderly. Many are Finns, (Suomen Kristillinen Yhteiskoulu), a
nursing home (Nurmikoti Oy), and a
while others are Russians. Some are publishing house (Media7 Julkaisut), as
facing financial struggles. Most are lonely, well as a Bible correspondence school and
looking for friendship, just like Lauri a media center.
when he had longed for Christian friends The first Seventh-day Adventist
to talk to. in Finland was a sea captain, A.F.
“In Finnish society, it is difficult to talk Lundqvist. While at sea, he was
converted by the Plymouth Brethren.
to others about personal issues, especially
In 1885, he purchased Uriah Smith’s
faith,” Lauri said. book “Daniel and the Revelation” from
Only a few people visited the food George Drew, an Adventist colporteur
pantry at the beginning. But now, after in England. He also bought Ellen G.
five years, 40 people come every Monday White’s book “The Great Controversy.”
As a result of reading these books he
and Wednesday. The food pantry has immediately began to keep the Sabbath
touched hundreds of lives, and at least one and became a Seventh-day Adventist,
person has been baptized. remaining faithful until his death in 1955
The food pantry also has attracted at the age of 97.
inactive Adventists. Church members The Finland Union has 62 churches,
who have not attended worship services nine companies, and a membership
in years have volunteered and slowly of 4,678. In a population of
5,518,000, that’s 1,180 people for
rejoined the life of the church. each church member.
Lauri, 60, who has been successfully
The official languages of Finland are
treated for cancer and is in good health, Finnish, native to 90 percent of the
doesn’t fear death anymore. population, and Swedish, native language
“Now my life is in the hands of to 5.4 percent of the population. The
Jesus, and I am waiting eagerly for the indigenous Sami language is an official
AdventistMission.org
second coming,” he said. “I am not language in northern Lapland.
afraid to die.” The Finns have the world’s highest
annual consumption of milk per capita.
By Andrew McChesney
15Atheist Shares Christ
FINLAND | May 16
Ri i t t a - L i i s a P e l t o n e n , 7 3
collect groceries for his friends, a married
couple named Pasi and Krista. Riitta-Liisa
learned that Pasi had owned a roofing
company in the nearby port city of Turku,
but the business had fallen on hard times
during an economic recession. To cope,
E sko was 63 and ill when he showed
up at Piikkiö Seventh-day Adventist
Church in southwestern Finland.
Pasi and Krista drank heavily.
The couple expressed surprise the first
time that Esko arrived with groceries.
“I don’t need the food,” he told food “Where did you get the food?” Krista asked.
pantry director Riitta-Liisa Peltonen as he “Come and see,” he said.
picked out vegetables, meat, and bread. The couple didn’t.
“It’s for my friends.” Then Esko’s sole companion, a
Riitta-Liisa looked tenderly at the obese beloved dog, died. The elderly man was
man. The odor of sweat and unwashed so discouraged that he could not bear to
clothes clung to him. He suffered severe remain alone in the house. He went to Pasi
liver problems after years of hard drinking. and Krista’s house to spend the night.
His eyes were kind. To Krista’s surprise, he prayed before the
“Are you a Christian?” Riitta-Liisa asked. evening meal.
Esko shifted his eyes away. “How is it that an atheist is praying?”
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
“Mmm,” he said. “Mmm, I have my she asked.
own religion.” She had never seen that before.
Riitta-Liisa understood that he was an Curious about Esko’s actions, she
atheist like many people in Finland, a decided to check out the church for
highly secularized country with a population herself. She invited her husband to
of 5.5 million and only 4,800 Adventists. accompany her. But to fortify their
Esko returned week after week to the courage, she and Pasi drank heavily. They
church in Piikkiö, population 7,500, to could barely stand on their feet as they
16waited in line to get food at the church.
The couple returned the next week, Stor y Tips
and then the next. After a while, Krista
Watch Riitta-Liisa on YouTube:
grew interested in the Christian songs and
bit.ly/Riitta-Liisa.
the spiritual messages shared by church
members as people collected food. She Download photos on Facebook
(bit.ly/fb-mq) or ADAMS databank
began to attend Sabbath worship services. (bit.ly/atheist-shares-Christ).
Esko noticed her interest and smiled.
Download photos of Thirteenth
“Now my mission is accomplished,” he
Sabbath projects:
told her quietly. bit.ly/ted-13th-projects.
A short time later, in late 2017, he died.
Meanwhile, Krista quit drinking and Fa s t Fa c t s
was baptized. Pasi saw the change in her
FINLAND
and also gave his heart to Jesus. From the 12th to 19th centuries,
“I have found the faith,” he said. Finland was part of Sweden before it
became a part of the Russian Empire. It
He made arrangements to be baptized at gained independence during the Russian
an Adventist summer camp in 2018. Revolution in 1917.
The married couple became active at
Finland has about 188,000 lakes
the church and participated in prayer leading to the nickname “land of the
meetings. Pasi cooked in the church thousand lakes.”
kitchen for people who came to the food
pantry. The enormous change in him Another nickname for Finland is “land
of the midnight sun.” During summer the
was evident to all. One evening, his face sun does not drop below the horizon in
shone with joy as he cooked. the north but shines all day and night.
The next morning, Krista, found him
Finland has some unique wildlife,
dead in their home kitchen. He was 51. including the gray wolf, wolverine, elk,
The funeral was held in the Adventist its national animal the brown bear, and
church, and the service left a big impression national bird the whooper swan.
on his extended family, who attended. Per capita, Finland is the most
Krista, 40, is active in the church today, successful country in Olympic history
and her own mother has started to attend in terms of gold medals. “Flying Finn”
Sabbath worship services. Hannes Kolehmainen won three gold
medals in 1912 in javelin throw and
In all, 10 people have been baptized in distance running. Paavo Nurmi won
the five years since the food pantry opened. a total of nine gold medals in 1920,
Riitta-Liisa thanks God for every 1924, and 1928 in middle- and long-
baptism, but perhaps she is most amazed distance running.
about Esko. The coldest temperature measured in
“He was an atheist who led his friends the country was in 1999, in Kittilä,
to Christ,” she said. “He was so happy where the temperature went all the way
AdventistMission.org
down to minus 60.7 F (minus 51.5 C).
when his friends began to attend church.
He had led someone to a better life.” There are more saunas than cars
in Finland.
By Andrew McChesney
17Demons and Death
FINLAND | May 23
Ti m o F l i n k , 4 5
shaken students pieced together what had
happened. Leena described the exchange
between the light and dark figures. Timo
had only seen light and dark shadows
streak past him on the floor. Anneli didn’t
want to talk about what she had seen.
Later on, the students learned that the
attack had unfolded at the same time as a
suicide in a nearby home.
“That’s why I had that bad feeling,”
Leena declared.
Breaking her silence, Anneli
acknowledged that she had practiced
spiritism in the past and was still harassed
L eena abruptly turned to her friends,
Anneli and Timo, during a Bible
study in her apartment in Raahe, a
by evil spirits. God, however, was more
powerful, she said. Alone in bed after the
Finnish town located about 370 miles attack, she had seen the light figure enter
(600 kilometers) north of the capital, her room and sit on the bed until dawn.
Helsinki. The demonic attacks stopped after
“I have a bad feeling,” she said. Anneli was baptized into the Seventh-day
“Let’s pray.” Adventist Church.
The three university students sank onto It was the first time that Timo had
their knees. At that moment, a tall dark encountered the great controversy
figure burst into the living room and darted between Christ and Satan up close. It was
over to Anneli. She reeled in stark horror not the last. Timo, usually a sound sleeper,
as the dark figure tried to grab her. woke up one night with the sensation
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
Timo and Leena prayed more earnestly. that someone was staring at him in the
Then a light figure entered the room darkness. Then he heard a voice.
and chased out the dark figure. The dark “Don’t get baptized,” the voice said.
figure stood by the door and tried to Timo, a software engineering student,
reenter but the light figure blocked every was preparing to be baptized into the
attempt. After about 10 minutes, the dark Adventist Church. He peered into the
figure gave up and left. darkness. He couldn’t see anything, but
When calm returned to the room, the he could sense someone’s presence. He
18prayed, and the presence left.
The next day, Leena told Timo that Stor y Tips
someone had committed suicide near his
Leena and Anneli are pseudonyms,
home the previous night. which Adventist Mission is using to
“Do you know what time?” Timo asked. protect their privacy.
She did. It was the exact time when he Watch Timo on YouTube:
had woken up. bit.ly/Timo-Flink.
The nighttime warning didn’t prevent
Download photos on Facebook
Timo from being baptized, and he went on (bit.ly/fb-mq) or ADAMS databank
to become an Adventist pastor. (bit.ly/demons-and-death).
His experiences with the supernatural
Download photos of Thirteenth
and suicide didn’t stop. Sabbath projects:
One day, he and several other Adventist bit.ly/ted-13th-projects.
FINLAND
pastors boarded a ferry for an overnight trip
to a pastors’ conference in Sweden. Fa s t Fa c t s
That night, he was restless. After
Forests including pine, spruce, and
unsuccessfully trying to fall sleep, he birch, cover more than 86 percent of
felt a sudden urgency to pray. Almost Finland, making the country the largest
as soon as he started to pray, he heard forested area and largest producer of
demonic laughter. The dreadful sound was wood in Europe.
indescribable, something like a maniac The national sport of Finland is called
laughing. Timo sensed something bad was Pesapallo, which is a bit like baseball, but
the pitcher stands near the batter and
happening, but he didn’t know what. He
throws the ball straight up into the air.
prayed for two hours. The batter has to hit it as it comes down.
At breakfast, an older pastor
approached Timo.
the timing of their nighttime
“What was going on with you during
experiences, they realized that all three
the night?” he asked. “The Holy Spirit
had occurred simultaneously.
told me to pray for you.”
Timo, now 45 and the communication
He had been woken in the middle of the
director for the Adventist Church in
night and prayed for Timo.
Finland, sees the three encounters with
Then another pastor came to the
suicide and the supernatural as evidence
breakfast table.
that the great controversy between Christ
“You don’t know what happened to me
and Satan is very real.
last night,” he said. “I woke up and felt a
“It is taking place all around us,” he
huge urgency to go outside for some fresh said. “The encouraging thing is Jesus
air. When I reached the deck, I saw a man has already won. We have nothing to
about to jump into the sea.” fear. Even with these supernatural and
AdventistMission.org
The pastor coaxed the man back onto terrifying events, Jesus still protects us.
the deck and counseled him for an hour There is nothing the other side can do.”
afterward not to kill himself.
When the three pastors compared By Andrew McChesney
19A Shirt to Talk About
NORWAY | May 30
Glenn Lie, 55
“Oh,” she said. “Where do you fly?”
“We only have one destination.”
“Oh really?” she said with surprise.
She didn’t ask for the destination, and
Glenn didn’t volunteer it.
After a long moment, the woman asked,
“Is it very expensive?”
“No, the tickets are free.”
Now the woman was flabbergasted.
“What?” she exclaimed. “Why are the
G lenn Lie slipped on his favorite green
polo shirt and boarded a subway train
in Oslo, Norway.
tickets free?”
It was Glenn’s turn to pause. The
woman’s curiosity grew. Finally, Glenn spoke.
The 55-year-old teacher hoped that “The tickets are free because they were
people would stare at him. He didn’t have paid for 2,000 years ago,” he said.
to wait long. The woman looked puzzled for a
Glenn sat across from an elegantly moment. Suddenly understanding flashed
dressed woman who appeared to be in her in her eyes.
early sixties. The woman glanced at him “I understand,” she said.
and then his shirt. Her eyes remained on She paused.
his shirt. Embroidered on the left breast “But, for me, I have a hard time
were the words, “Advent Airlines, Steward believing in heaven,” she said.
Glenn Lie,” and the image of a jet plane. “Why?” Glenn asked.
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
Glenn said nothing. He knew the “I have had bad experiences with
woman was wondering why she had never religion in my upbringing,” she said.
heard about Advent Airlines. It was a story that Glenn had heard
After staring for about five minutes, the many times: people who rejected
woman spoke. Christianity because of what they saw as
“Excuse me,” she said. “I haven’t heard the poor example of Christians. Norway
about this airline before. Do you work there?” is a highly secularized society, and church
“Yes,” Glenn said. membership has declined in many
20Glenn meant it. The woman was the
Stor y Tips reason that he had worn the polo shirt in
the subway.
Pronounce Glenn’s surname as: LEE.
Glenn dons the short-sleeved shirt
Glenn compares the church to an as often as he can during the warm
airplane, with Jesus at the controls and summer months. When he does, the
mission-minded Adventists serving
as flight attendants. Here are some shirt draws stares. Sometimes, the
questions that he suggests asking your stares lead to conversations.
Sabbath School class: If our church “I am not very bold,” Glenn explained
were an airline, what would it be like? in an interview. “I don’t go out to ring on
Why should people choose to fly with
us and not competitors like Materialistic doors. That is something that I am not
Airlines or Atheistic Airlines? What comfortable with.”
is it that we can offer that they cannot But he does love Jesus, and he wants
find elsewhere? to be involved in gospel outreach. He
Watch Glenn on YouTube: also loves airplanes. So, he ordered the
bit.ly/Glenn-Lie. high-quality shirt from an online clothing
Download photos on Facebook company in Germany. The company
(bit.ly/fb-mq) or ADAMS databank customized the airplane and his name at
(bit.ly/shirt-to-talk-about). his request.
N O R WAY
Download photos of Thirteenth “If I could be a tool to help people
Sabbath projects: reconnect with God, that would be
bit.ly/ted-13th-projects. fantastic,” he said.
Glenn doesn’t know whether anyone
has been drawn to Jesus or the Adventist
denominations for decades. The Seventh-
message because of his shirt. But he is
day Adventist Church is no exception,
convinced that the Holy Spirit can use
and its 4,500 members have struggled to
the shirt to start conversations.
make inroads in the Scandinavian country
“Let us meet people where they are at,”
of 5.3 million people.
he said. “My job is not to make anyone
On the subway, Glenn sensed that the an Adventist. That is the job of the Holy
woman longed for something better. Spirit. Our job is to sow, and God will
“Maybe you can find your way by take care of the reaping.”
exploring the Bible with new eyes,” he said.
Hearing those words, the woman visibly Glenn Lie, 55, is a teacher at Østmarka
relaxed in the nearly empty subway car. Seventh-day Adventist School, with
She spoke freely with Glenn about her about 100 students in grades 1-10, in
doubts and questions for the next 20 Oslo, Norway. He also is a member and
minutes. Then she stood up. former youth pastor of Betel Seventh-day
“I’m getting off here,” she said. “Thank Adventist Church, which received part of a
AdventistMission.org
you for the talk. You have given me a lot to 2017 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to open
think about. I’ll have to do some research.” a youth community center in its basement.
“I am sure you will find your way. I will
think of you,” Glenn said. By Andrew McChesney
21Preaching to the Blind
NORWAY | June 6
Øystein Hogganvik, 61
disagreed with the theme. In fact, he
was outright offended.
The preacher noticed and approached
Øystein after the sermon. He greeted the
farmer and politely asked for his name. He
inquired about his work and family. He
didn’t say a word about the sermon.
After a few minutes, the preacher asked
for permission to pray for Øystein. As
he prayed, a fierce conflict broke out in
Øystein’s mind. “How can you allow a
man to pray for you after you disagreed so
T wo men gave sermons in Norway.
The first preacher was well dressed
and, in the mind of the farmer wearing
strongly with his sermon?” he thought.
Immediately, Øystein sensed the Lord
saying to him, “You have to trust in Me.”
work clothes in the back of the room, a Back on the farm, Øystein decided to
bit arrogant. prove the preacher wrong. He spent hours
Opening a book, the preacher read reading the Bible. He bought recordings
a statement by Seventh-day Adventist of sermons on the topic that had offended
Church cofounder Ellen White. Picking up him and found a variety of viewpoints
another book, he read another statement from Adventist preachers. He felt as if
by Ellen White. His whole sermon Jesus were slipping away from him. A year
consisted of statements from Ellen White. passed, and he was completely confused.
That didn’t bother Øystein Hogganvik, One day, Øystein reread the story of
the 30-year-old farmer seated at the back of how Jesus gave sight to blind Bartimaeus in
the room. Mark 10:46-52. As he read, it struck him
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
Then the second man stood up to that he was Bartimaeus. Even though he
preach. He also was well dressed, but his had always had excellent eyesight, he was
suit was old and had been mended several spiritually blind and needed to ask Jesus to
times. His shoes were polished but worn. open his eyes.
He didn’t read much from any books. Øystein opened his mouth and shouted,
Instead, he preached from the heart. “Give me spiritual sight!”
The preacher’s earnestness touched Immediately, he felt impressed to turn
Øystein’s heart, but he strongly in his Bible to the story of two disciples
22to open his eyes. He only had wanted to
Stor y Tips prove the preacher wrong.
For the first time, Øystein shut his eyes
Pronounce Øystein as EA-stein. “Øy” has
the same sound as “ea” in the word “early.”
and prayed that his eyes be opened.
“From that day on, the Bible became
Watch Øystein on YouTube: alive for me,” he said in an interview.
bit.ly/Oystein-Hogganvik.
“Every story in the gospels was no longer
Download photos on Facebook about people living at the time of Jesus.
(bit.ly/fb-mq) or ADAMS databank They were stories that I could relate to
(bit.ly/preaching-to-blind).
and that had something for me.”
Download photos of Thirteenth The recordings from the Bible and
Sabbath projects: Ellen White books took on new life as
bit.ly/ted-13th-projects.
he worked long hours on the farm. His
Mission Post heart changed, and intellectual knowledge
became living, practical reality.
The Advent Tidende, a Danish- A year later, Øystein began to share his
Norwegian paper and first non-English story in churches around Norway. After a
periodical published by Seventh-day
Adventists, was begun by John G. while, church leaders from the East Norway
Matteson, a Dane who had emigrated to Conference asked him to work as a minister.
N O R WAY
the U.S. Now 61, Øystein still owns a farm, but
he uses his time and energy to sow the
gospel. He has worked as a full-time pastor
who unknowingly walked with Jesus on for the past nine years, and he leads two
the road to Emmaus in Luke 24. Along congregations in Oslo and Jessheim.
the way, Jesus gave a thorough Bible Øystein grew up in the front row in
study about Himself, but the two men church, listening to his mother play the
still didn’t recognize Him. Their eyes only organ and his grandfather preach. He was
were opened when Jesus prayed for a meal baptized at the age of 17. He always was
in their home. an Adventist and always wanted to be a
Øystein remembered that the 12 Adventist. But, he said, he was spiritually
disciples had been with Jesus for more blind until he asked Jesus to open his eyes.
than three years but remained spiritually “From that time, the Bible and the
blind about Jesus’ mission and the cross. books of Ellen White have been my life,”
He realized that he, a fifth-generation he said.
Adventist, had been with Jesus all his life
but was spiritually blind because he had Thank you for your 2017 Thirteenth
clung to his own understanding instead Sabbath Offering that helped turn the
of asking the Holy Spirit to open his eyes. basement of the Betel Seventh-day
Jesus wasn’t leaving him, but he was in Adventist Church in Oslo into a “center
AdventistMission.org
danger of leaving Jesus because of his love of influence” community center for
for his own truth. young people.
In his year of trying to disprove the
preacher, he had never prayed for the Lord By Andrew McChesney
23Why Suffer?
IRELAND | June 13
Axel Domingues, 31
Father returned to Portugal, I moved in
with him and his new family.
Life spun out of control when I entered
the university. I drank and used drugs. I
listened to the wrong kind of music and
practiced Satanism. Several encounters with
spiritual beings frightened me into realizing
that a spiritual realm existed beyond what
people could see with the naked eye.
In my early 20s, I began to reap what
I had sown. I lived in constant fear of
evil spirits. I wanted to quit smoking and
drugs, but I couldn’t.
M y sister committed suicide when
she was 14.
Overcome with grief, my mother
Then I learned that one of my friends, a
drug-using atheist, had been baptized.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked him.
decided to have another child, a girl. To “Why were you baptized?”
her disappointment, she gave birth to me “I read the Bible, and I believe it,”
— a boy. he said.
Mother raised me in the southern For some reason, I opened up to him
Portuguese town of Faro with a brother about my fears regarding evil spirits. He
who was nine years older. Father lived in listened thoughtfully.
the Middle East, working in construction. “Look, why don’t you read the Bible?”
Mother was perpetually sad. That he said.
sadness deepened when Father got a That was a good question. God no
divorce and my brother left home. Then longer seemed like a fable to me. I knew
she was hospitalized with cancer and I, evil spirits existed, and I sensed that they
Adventist Mission Trans-European Division
only 11, was sent to live with relatives. were being restrained by a higher power. I
Mother had never attended church, but read the Bible and prayed.
my relatives took me every Sunday. As I As I read, I sensed a distinct voice say
learned about God, I prayed for Mother to inside me, “Leave your addictions.”
be healed. Two years passed, and Mother I didn’t want to give up everything,
died. It didn’t make any sense to me. I and I thought, “I can still enjoy some of
decided that God was a fable. my addictions.” Then it struck me that I
I stopped going to church and, when had never been able to quit my addictions
24looked for more of his sermons. But when
Stor y Tips he spoke in a sermon about Saturday
being the Sabbath, I rejected his message
Ask a man to share this first-person as too strange.
testimony.
But the Sabbath sermon stuck in
Watch Axel on YouTube: my mind. The word for “Saturday” in
bit.ly/Axel-Domingues.
my native Portuguese is “Sábado,” or
Download photos on Facebook Sabbath. It seemed to me that there
(bit.ly/fb-mq) or ADAMS databank must be a biblical explanation for why
(bit.ly/why-suffer).
all the Christian world worshipped on
Download photos of Thirteenth Sunday, and I determined to find it in the
Sabbath projects:
bit.ly/ted-13th-projects.
Bible. But I found no verse changing the
Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.
Mission Post I returned to the Adventist evangelist
on YouTube. His sermons on the Sabbath
In 1861, the Review and Herald and end-time prophecy made sense, and
magazine published letters from Ireland I accepted the Seventh-day Adventist
reporting that five persons had begun Church as the church of God.
keeping the seventh-day Sabbath as
a result of receiving books and papers Finding the address for an Adventist
from relatives in the United States. church online, I attended worship
services and later Bible studies. I began
to understand why I had experienced so
piecemeal, so why not to try to quit
much suffering in my childhood. It wasn’t
everything at once?
because of God. It was because of sin and
At that moment, an evil voice came to
the bad choices that I and other people in
I R E L A N D
my mind.
my life had made. As David said in Psalms
“What are you doing?” it asked.
16:4, “Their sorrows shall be multiplied
When I heard the voice, I understood
who hasten after another god.”
that something serious was happening. I
I was baptized at the age of 26.
gave up all my addictions immediately. Today, I am happily married to Joana,
The Bible was a joy to read. Genesis 3 a Brazilian nurse, whom I met at the
showed me that God didn’t forsake man Adventist church in Dublin. She also
at the fall and had a salvation plan. I saw was baptized in Ireland. We are working,
that God’s prophecies about the Israelites giving Bible studies, and helping out at
came true. My faith increased, and I saw church. We are praying for God to show
that the Bible was not fiction. us what He wants us to do next.
Months passed, and I graduated and
moved to Dublin, Ireland, to work as a Thank you for your 2017 Thirteenth
software engineer. Sabbath Offering that helped open a
AdventistMission.org
One day, my former atheist friend sent church and community center in Axel’s
me a link to a YouTube sermon about new hometown of Dublin, Ireland.
the origin of sin. I liked the speaker, a
Seventh-day Adventist evangelist, and By Axel Domingues as told to Andrew McChesney
25You can also read
