Karla’s desire for a deeper walk with God leads her to the Adventist church.

“Come, Karla. Time for mass.” My mother hurried me out the door. In our strict Catholic home in Honduras, mass attendance was a weekly ritual from the time I was small.

Between the ages of 9 and 11, I met several Adventist families in my neighborhood. I noticed that they did not attend mass with the rest of the neighborhood children. Instead, they kept the Sabbath on Saturday. I never imagined that one day I would desire to do the same!

As I grew older, I found a life partner and started my own family. When we moved to another town for work, I continued attending the Catholic Church, often waking up as early as 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning to prepare my children so we could go together. However, despite my devotion to our religion, with all its ceremonies and confessions to priests, I felt a deep emptiness—an unfulfilled longing to truly know God.

In my search, I began attending early morning church services more regularly and even purchased a Bible for my son. I started bringing that Bible with me to church, hoping to grow spiritually. I also felt a strong desire to be baptized, but I found little guidance on how to move forward.

One day, I spoke with my older brother about my heart’s hunger. Although he was not a Christian, I knew he had more Bible knowledge than I did. “Why don’t you visit an Adventist church?” he suggested. “The teachings there are based directly on Scripture and obedience to God’s Law.”

I began searching for an Adventist church almost immediately, but I could not find one at first. After a few weeks, I shared my quest with my partner. Soon after, we discovered that one of our employees lived near an Adventist church. We had passed it many times without noticing! I decided to visit the following Sabbath, and the next week, I began attending regularly with my children.

From the very beginning, the church welcomed me warmly and without pressure. They gave me Sabbath School materials to help me study the Bible more deeply. Through Bible study, I learned that in order to be baptized, I would need to take important steps—such as getting married and honoring the Sabbath by closing our business on Saturdays.

My husband and I made that decision together. We got married and reorganized our business, informing our employees that Saturdays would now be their day off so we could keep the Sabbath as a family.

After four years of consistent Bible study and faithful church attendance, I made the decision to be baptized. When I shared my decision with my mother, she was so moved that she started Bible studies and prepared to be baptized on the same day that I was!

Since my baptism, I have experienced God’s presence and blessings in a powerful way. Even though we closed our business on Saturdays, we have not lacked anything. On the contrary, God has abundantly provided for our needs. My greatest desire is to continue walking in God’s path for the rest of my life. I know that seeking Him is the best decision anyone can make, and I never want to stray from Him.

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Location
Honduras

Author
Told by Karla María Villeda to Elmer Aguilar, a district pastor in Olancho, Honduras. 

How You Can Help
Pray for Karla as she continues studying the Bible to deepen her relationship with Jesus. 

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 Catholic country of Honduras by sending your donation marked “Honduras” to: 

Mission Projects International
PO Box 237
Kirksville, MO 63501

To give securely online, visit: 
www.missionspro.org/donate