To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, January 17.

By Hélène Luvant

Mrs. Luvant had a big dream. She wanted to open a sewing shop, and one day, her dream came true! She thought her shop would bring her money and success, but something even better happened. She found Jesus.

Mrs. Luvant and her husband are from Vietnam. They live with their daughter on the beautiful island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean.

While raising their daughter, Mrs. Luvant began sewing more and more. She had learned how to sew as a teenager in Vietnam, and she knew that with her special talents, she could turn her craft into a money-making business. But it would take more than just skill to do so. It would require hard work and learning the French language, which was spoken there. Mrs. Luvant also believed that her success depended on praying to a statue in her home.

One day, something special happened. A customer named Miss Edwige stepped into Mrs. Luvant’s shop and changed her life. Miss Edwige was a kind, elderly woman who went to a nearby Adventist church and loved talking to people about Jesus.

Miss Edwige asked, “Do you have a Bible?” Mrs. Luvant didn’t have one, so Miss Edwige gave her one.

The two women loved visiting. Miss Edwige became one of Mrs. Luvant’s best customers and often brought her thoughtful gifts such as lemons or grapefruit. Mrs. Luvant was very touched by Miss Edwige’s kindness! She always took the gifts home and placed them in front of her statue as a thank offering.

Miss Edwige gently told her that the statue was an idol, and the Bible says we should only worship Jesus. Mrs. Luvant hadn’t heard of Jesus. Everything Miss Edwige taught her from the Bible was new.

Mrs. Luvant was curious. She liked how kind Miss Edwige was, and she wanted to learn more about Jesus. So, one evening, she and her daughter went with Miss Edwige to her church. Miss Edwige asked the members to pray for Mrs. Luvant and her daughter during prayer time. That made Mrs. Luvant feel loved.

After that, Mrs. Luvant kept going to church. She joined a Bible study group and went to special meetings. The more she learned, the more she wanted to know about Jesus and His love.

Soon, Mrs. Luvant gave her heart to Jesus. She was so happy that she decided to be baptized! Before her baptism, however, she removed the big statue from her home. She wanted to worship Jesus and Jesus alone.

Now, Mrs. Luvant had a new dream. She wanted to open a sewing shop where she could share Jesus. She prayed and waited. After some months, a shop space opened in the center of town, where most of the storekeepers were Vietnamese people like her. Mrs. Luvant knew God had answered her prayer.

This new shop was different than her first store. Inside, Mrs. Luvant placed free books about Jesus and bookmarks with Bible verses on them in French and Vietnamese. Anyone who came in could take them home!

Mrs. Luvant believes God gave her this shop, not to make her rich with money, but to make her rich in faith and help others find Jesus, too. Many Vietnamese people live on the island, and Mrs. Luvant wants every one of them to meet her friend Jesus.

When someone asked her what she wanted to do most, she said, “I want to become a missionary to the Vietnamese people in New Caledonia.”

Mrs. Luvant loves a Bible verse that reminds her of her story. It’s Jeremiah 1:5: “I am your Creator, and before you were born, I chose you to speak for me to the nations” (CEV).

A big mission project called Christ for the South will soon begin in New Caledonia. Mrs. Luvant is looking forward to being a part of the project and helping more people learn about God.

Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering, also known as the Quarterly Mission Project Offering, will have a big impact on the lives of people in New Caledonia. 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