One student was named Sera. She was quiet and shy. She stepped off the bus holding her backpack. She was worried. She had almost no money. “I came with faith but no funds,” Sera said. “I told God, ‘If You want me here, please open the doors.’”
To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, February 21.
By Maika Tuima
Fulton Adventist University College had been in the green hills of Tailevu for more than 70 years. On campus, students crossed rivers in little boats, hiked up muddy paths, and slept in old wooden dormitories. The wind made the buildings creak at night! But students still came because Fulton College helped them learn to think big and serve others.
One rainy day, the college principal called the teachers to meet under the leaky chapel roof.
“We have two choices,” he said. “We can stay here and get smaller—or move to a better place and grow.”
Everyone looked at each other. Move an entire college? That sounded impossible! Where would they find land? How would they build classrooms? And who would pay for it?
That night, a young teacher named Mere prayed in her room. “Lord,” she said, “if You want Fulton to move, please show us.”
The next morning, an amazing message came. The leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church had picked Fulton College to receive a Thirteenth Sabbath Offering in 2009. That meant Adventists from around the world would give money to help.
Mere ran across campus shouting, “God heard us!”
Soon, land was found for the college. There were coconut trees and a paved road where buses drove by. Architects came with large blueprints. They planned a new school with classrooms, a library, computer labs, a big dining hall, and nice dormitories.
But there was one big problem—there still wasn’t enough money.
Still, the builders got to work. One worker laughed, “We mix cement with prayer—and it makes everything strong!”
A kind cook named Laisa saved half her pay to buy forks for the new dining hall. “Students must eat with dignity,” she said.
On February 12, 2014, the new Fulton College campus opened under a sunny sky. Students clapped, conch shell horns blew, and everyone sang “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”
Classes began with 450 students. They came to learn things like how to run a business, how to be a teacher, how to talk with God, and other important skills.
One student was named Sera. She was quiet and shy. She stepped off the bus holding her backpack. She was worried. She had almost no money.
“I came with faith but no funds,” Sera said. “I told God, ‘If You want me here, please open the doors.’”
God did.
A church in Samoa gave her some money. She got a job in the library. Then, a surprise gift arrived—just enough to pay all her fees. Sera cried with happiness. “God always pays on time,” she whispered.
Fulton College gave Sera more than just schoolwork. Friends invited her to worship in the morning. Teachers taught her about God. One night after Bible study, Sera looked at the stars and said, “Jesus, I believe You love me.”
Sera was baptized in a small pool behind the chapel as her classmates sang.
Today, Fulton College has more than 1,000 students. Some walk past blooming flowers on campus. Others study in faraway villages. The students study different subjects, but all of them are learning to help the people on their islands.
When a big storm called Cyclone Harold hit Fiji in 2020, Fulton College became a safe place from the wind and rain. Students cooked food for families who lost their homes. Business students organized supplies. Theology students prayed with scared mothers. A village chief said, “Your college is a light in our darkest storm.”
Fulton College’s story was written by many helpers:
The widow in Peru who gave her coins in church.
The carpenter who nailed down roofs in the hot sun.
The teacher who stayed up late to grade papers.
The student who trusted God to pay for their school fees.
Sera is studying to be a teacher. One evening, she stood outside the library that she used to clean. She thought about the children she will teach someday and smiled.
“Fulton College changed my life,” she said. “Now I want to help change theirs.”
Thank you, friends around the world! Your prayers and gifts helped build more than a school. You built a place where faith finds feet and grows strong, where students learn to help others, and where young leaders discover that serving is the best thing of all.
Part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering for the fourth quarter of 2009 helped build the new campus of the Fulton Adventist University College. Thank you for your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter which will support children’s health projects in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
