When tragedy tears her world apart, Olimpia takes comfort in television.

Olimpia was born in 1945 in the village of Las Palmas in Honduras. From an early age, she wished she could know real, Biblical truth. Her parents—one Catholic, one evangelical—could not agree, but each believed strongly that their church was the only one God recognized. If the Bible and religion had any use, Olimpia hoped one day she would find the truth. 

Las Palmas did not have a school for Olimpia to attend, so her family relocated to Puerto de Tela, a large trade center on the Atlantic coast. There, Olimpia began attending an evangelical church. After high school, Olimpia went to college and trained as a primary school teacher. Upon graduation, she found a job in the village of Arizona, about 40 minutes away from Tela. This seemed too far to travel to church, so Olimpia stopped attending. 

Years passed. Olimpia got married and started a family. She was blessed with two boys and one girl. Sadly, soon after the children arrived, her husband abandoned her, leaving her all the responsibility of the home. Brave and determined, Olimpia worked hard to provide her children with the best education. Her love and sacrifice for them made it all the harder when, one terrible day, both of her sons were killed. 

“Those were the darkest days of my life,” Olimpia says. Yet, in this tragedy, God drew close to Olimpia to comfort her and lead her to seek comfort in the Bible.

One afternoon, while flipping channels, Olimpia found a station she hadn’t watched before: one that broadcast a message of hope and faith in Jesus. From that day on, watching TV became not just a hobby, but a necessity. Olympia enjoyed all the songs of praises to the Lord, the sermons and the health programs; yet one program held her attention more than the others: an evangelistic series. She watched and listened in rapt attention as the evangelist took her through the Three Angels’ Messages point by point. Near the end of the series, the evangelist preached on baptism and appealed for people to give their hearts to Christ. “That day I heard the Holy Spirit inviting me to be baptized,” Olimpia says.

The next Sabbath, Olimpia went searching for the nearest Seventh-day Adventist Church. Going to the head elder, she explained how she had watched a complete evangelistic seminar on 3ABN Latino. “The Sabbath message gripped my heart,” she told him. “I have been wrong all my life about the Sabbath and other ideas, and I want to be baptized now that I have found the truth.”

The head elder smiled. “Let’s start Bible studies right away,” he said. “That’s the best way to prepare for baptism.” 

After completing the Bible studies, Olimpia was baptized at 76 years old. From then on, she has served as a deaconess in the Arizona Seventh-day Adventist Church. She also enjoys doing missionary work, sharing the message of salvation with her neighbors and friends. She is constantly looking for people to tell about Jesus. When she finds interested people, she invites them to her home or the church to do Bible studies, and enthusiastically leads them from darkness into Christ’s marvelous light. “I want others to experience the love that I received from our heavenly Father,” she says. “I know the truth now, and as my favorite verse promises, the truth has made me free!” John 8:32.  

---

Location
Honduras

Author
Marcos Mendoza is a district pastor in La Ceiba, Honduras.

How You Can Help

Pray for Olimpia as she shares the everlasting gospel with those she meets. 

Pray for the radio and television programs in Honduras to continue reaching people who otherwise might never hear the truth!

Give to broadcast the Three Angels’ Messages in the predominately Catholic country of Honduras 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