“I want to understand more about the Seventh-day Adventist faith. I am looking for a course to teach me, and I am willing to pay!” said Leticia* during a telephone call. Leticia had been attending the SDA church for at least four years, but many things were still confusing to her.
We told her she didn’t need to pay, but she insisted that since she would be staying in our dorm and eating with the students, she was willing to pay. Leticia is a business woman who runs her own construction and mechanical company. She is a geologist by profession, intelligent, inquisitive, and very friendly. Upon her arrival, I was struck by her modest clothes and simplicity. She had planned to be here for only three months, but stayed for six! She was so curious and thirsty for truth that she studied her Bible and Spirit of Prophecy books nonstop. Leticia quickly rose to the top of her class!
Unfortunately, before she completed the course, she received the sad news of her mother’s sudden death. We comforted her and took her home to bury her mother, but in two weeks she was back! We tried to persuade her to stay home and come back later, but to no avail. I have never seen such a thirst to learn the truth! The Lord’s work in her life was evident through her dress, her speech and behavior, and even her interactions with the opposite sex.
“I now understand the Bible more clearly, and I’ve learned how to give my heart to Jesus,” she said with thankful tears. “I’ve learned who Ellen White is, why Seventh-day Adventists are vegetarians, how to prepare vegan meals, and I have decided to homeschool my children after taking the Philosophy of Christian Education class. I am now ready to be baptized into the SDA church!”
The world is hungry for Adventist truth, yet many of us are just going to church to debate, and our doctrines as a church are rarely preached. At Purelight, we are trying to establish a missionary training fund to help needy students and other non-Adventists who may be interested in coming. You can help us by sending your gifts to Hartland Institute. In the memo section write: “Purelight for Africa.” Thank you for your prayers and support.
*A pseudonym