“Only to those who wait humbly upon God, who watch for His guidance and grace, is the Spirit given. The power of God awaits their demand and reception. This promised blessing, claimed by faith, brings all other blessings in its train.” Desire of Ages, 672.

Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the gospel work is moving forward in southern Ethiopia! The Bible workers supported through your gifts are pressing the last warning message all throughout the region.

Elias, a member of the Church of the Kale Hiwot (a Sunday keeping church in Ethiopia), believed that his church was the only absolutely Bible based church, and he devoted himself to serving in his congregation. But something changed one day as Elias read the New Testament. When he came across the Bible passages dealing with Jesus’ death and resurrection, he took note that when Jesus died on the cross and the women were preparing to anoint His body for burial, they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. Instantly the Holy Spirit flashed a question into Elias’s mind: Which day is the Sabbath? He had always believed that he was keeping Sunday in honor of the resurrection, but there was no indication that any of Christ’s first believers kept Sunday to honor His resurrection.

From that day, doubts crept in about what Elias’s “infallible” church taught. The issue of the Sabbath weighed heavily upon his mind. It seemed to absorb his thoughts by day and by night. One day he decided to seek out someone who may be able to give him an answer of peace. He knew a man who had converted to the Seventh-day Adventist faith. Elias met with him, but he couldn’t answer all his questions. The new convert said that they should visit the church and perhaps the evangelist would be able to answer all his questions.

The evangelist (one of our Bible workers) started Bible studies with Elias and answered his many inquiries. Elias became convicted about the Sabbath truth and started attending church every Sabbath, even though he had to walk two hours every week to get to church. Within two months, he had learned more at the Seventh-day Adventist Church than he had learned in his lifetime at Kale Hiwot.

Persuaded of the truth, he decided to tell his family. Within a few weeks the entire family accepted the message. Elias believed that God had called him into the message at this time so he could take it to his community, and he started working from house to house with his Bible in hand. The leadership decided to send one of our Bible workers to Elias’s area to help start a church, and today, after several months of labor, 32 people from Elias’s community worship together every Sabbath. They are learning how to prepare for Heaven!

As wonderful as it is, this story is not unique. I could tell you many more stories like it! Please pray for the work in southern Ethiopia, and if you are impressed to help, mark your gifts “Ethiopia Workers” or “Ethiopia Churches.”  

Yours in praying for the Holy Spirit to direct His work!