Journey to Christ
Even when Daniel turns his back on Christ, God continues to pursue him.
“If you get baptized in the Adventist Church, you might as well leave our home.” The words hung in the air like a thick fog, stifling my breath and making my heart sag in my chest. After years of avoiding Him, I had encountered Christ, and I wanted to follow Him. But my family opposed it. What should I do?
My journey to Christ had taken years. I first learned about the Adventist message as a young child, back in the mid-90s when the evangelistic campaigns in our community lasted 20 consecutive days. Even though I enjoyed some of the meetings, I did not want to make a pact with the Lord.
In 1998, my father moved to the United States for a time. That same year, my stepmother became the first person in my family to accept the Adventist message. My brothers began to attend the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and they invited me, but I simply did not want to make any commitments to God. I felt comfortable in the Catholic Church, where I could do whatever I wanted without the priests telling me that I was sinning against God. Plus, all my relatives on my dad’s side attended the Catholic Church. Catholicism was where I wanted to stay.
When I turned 15, I dreamed that Christ came—and I was lost. The dream awakened my first desire to serve God, but the world and sin still appealed to me more. Weeks passed, then years, without me making a decision for Christ.
In 2008, I got married, and four months later I had the same dream again. Afraid, I found a Bible and began to study. Then, later that very week, I had a traumatic accident, and the doctors thought that I would not survive. When I recovered, I knew God had been the one to heal me; but despite it all, I hesitated to accept Him.
I kept getting invitations to go to church, but I refused. Nine months after my accident, the pastor came to my home on a Sabbath morning. “I’m here to pick you up for church,” he smiled. I still didn’t feel like going, but I agreed.
Notwithstanding my reticence, the sermon touched my heart, and I came home happy to have had an encounter with Christ. As soon as the devil saw my interest in following the Lord, however, he used my family to hold me back. When they told me I should leave if I became an Adventist, the old struggle flared up inside, and for four years I went back to serving the enemy.
At last, after years of faltering, I made a commitment to the Lord. I can see now that God keeps His Word to never leave us nor forsake us. Even though we may reject Him for years, God continues to knock at the doors of our hearts. He continues to pursue us even when we turn our backs on Him.
To my joy and relief, my father and my wife decided to give their lives to the Lord through baptism at the same time I did. Glory and honor to God, I can now raise my two children as Adventist Christians! My family and I thank God we are a part of God’s last day remnant, the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
A few months after my baptism, the Holy Spirit urged me to share publicly what God has done in my life. I started to carry out evangelistic campaigns, and by God’s grace many people have been converted to the Kingdom of Heaven!
Location
Honduras
Author
Daniel Nolasco is a member of the San Ana Seventh-day Adventist Church in Atlántida, Honduras.
How You Can Help
Pray for Daniel as he conducts evangelist meetings and shares his testimony!
Pray for Daniel’s extended family who are not yet converted.
Give to help preach God’s last warning message to this predominately Catholic country by sending your donation marked “Honduras” to:
Mission Projects International
PO Box 151
Inchelium, WA 99138
To give securely online, visit:
www.missionspro.org/donate