To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, January 3.

By Sapolina Valao

Mrs. Valao is a loving mother of four children and a proud grandmother of four more. She has a heart full of love for kids and has spent 39 years teaching in Christian schools—she started teaching when she was just 16 years old!

Mrs. Valao lives in the country of Wallis and Futuna on Wallis Island, a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean that is part of France.

On this island, there is a king who helps lead the people. The island also follows the rules of France. That means the people listen to both the king and the French leaders. Everyone works together to keep the island peaceful, but the king usually makes the final choice.

More than 180 years ago, Christian missionaries came to Wallis. The king at that time, King Vaimu, liked what they taught and was one of the first to be baptized! He even said that only Christians could stay on the island. Many years later, a new king named King Tomasi wanted people to learn more about the Bible. So, he invited different churches to come and tell the people what they believed. That was a big moment for the island!

During King Tomasi’s time, Mrs. Valao was the principal of a Christian school and led a Bible study group for teachers. She loved learning about God’s Word and helping others know Jesus better.

Then something sad happened on the island. People began arguing about who was really in charge. The king? Or the French leaders? Even the Bible study group started arguing about who was right, and many teachers stopped coming. Soon, the group stopped meeting altogether.

Then, in 2007, King Tomasi died. That same year, something exciting happened—a Seventh-day Adventist pastor came to visit. It was his first visit to the island. Mrs. Valao and her family were happy to meet him. They welcomed him warmly.

On the island, visitors who came to talk about God had to visit the king first. But there was no king anymore! So, Mrs. Valao took the pastor to meet the king’s helper.

The king’s helper told them, “Come back after we choose a new king.”

But another wise leader said, “Why should the pastor leave and come back another time? Remember, the king said everyone is welcome to share what they believe about God.”So, the pastor was allowed to stay.

The pastor got to work! He began holding Bible meetings, and Mrs. Valao invited many of her teacher friends to come. Even though she wasn’t an Adventist, she was curious and excited for everyone to learn more about the Bible.

At the meetings, Mrs. Valao learned amazing things! She learned that death is like sleep, that Jesus is coming back, and that the Sabbath is on the seventh day of the week—Saturday!

Then something surprising happened. One day, the king’s son walked past Mrs. Valao’s house and saw something strange—a statue that used to be inside was now outside in the yard!

“Why did you move your special statue?” he asked.

Mrs. Valao smiled and said, “I’m getting rid of it because I love Jesus. The Bible says we shouldn’t worship idols. I don’t want to make Jesus sad.”

She wanted her home to follow God’s rule, which meant letting go of things that didn’t make God happy.

Mrs. Valao was happy to find a church that, like the pastor said, “Follows the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible.” She decided to be baptized and give her heart fully to Jesus.

Some people—friends and even family—didn’t understand her choice, which made things hard. But Mrs. Valao didn’t stop loving them. She kept sharing Jesus with everyone she met.

Today, Mrs. Valao is still shining God’s light on Wallis Island. Her children have also accepted Jesus, and she keeps praying that many more people on Wallis Island will come to know Him, too.

Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering, also known as the Quarterly Mission Project Offering, will have a big impact on the lives of people like Mrs. Valao. It will help build a center of influence in Wallis, which will help Adventists make friends with the people in the New Caledonia Mission area.