I’ll never forget one day in sixth grade. We were taking a test. My teacher looked at my paper and sighed. “John, you’ll never change,” she said. “You’re wasting your parents’ money. You have no purpose.”
To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, January 24.
As told to Maika Tuima by John Joseph
My name is John, and I come from a tiny island called Maskelyne off the coast of Vanuatu. Vanuatu is a small island country in the South Pacific Ocean. I grew up surrounded by the sparkling sea and lush rainforests.
I went to school like the other kids but didn’t enjoy it. I wasn’t a good student. In fact, I received the worst grades in my class. My father knew I didn’t like school, but he still had a simple dream for me. He said, “Just finish sixth grade. Learn to read and write your name. That’s enough.”
I’ll never forget one day in sixth grade. We were taking a test. My teacher looked at my paper and sighed. “John, you’ll never change,” she said. “You’re wasting your parents’ money. You have no purpose.” Then, she threw my books out the window and told my classmates to laugh at me. I had to run outside to pick up my books while everyone watched.
That moment broke something in me. I felt worthless. But deep down, something told me not to give up.
Later that year, a classmate joked, “John, when you fail your exams and stay on the island, I’ll hire you to fish for me.” I smiled but knew I didn’t want that kind of life. I wanted something more.
One day, my older brother, who had become a Seventh-day Adventist, gave me a Bible verse to learn: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). That verse changed something in me.
When I was 13, a visiting Adventist pastor held meetings on our island. I attended, and his words reached deep into my heart. I decided to be baptized. Before the baptism, the pastor prayed, “Lord, please use this young man in Your service.”
After my father passed away, life got harder. But my church family helped me. And I began to help them by doing little things, such as weeding the church garden and ringing the church bell. Later, I became a deacon and then a church elder.
In 2001, I moved to another part of Vanuatu. I joined an Adventist church and became part of a singing group. I shared my faith through music. Singing was my way of preaching. I wasn’t a speaker, but when I sang, I felt alive.
One day, I went back to my island. A pastor there invited me to participate in a series of meetings. I sang hymns each evening. One afternoon, he asked me to visit the grave of Norman Wiles, the missionary who first brought the Adventist message to our shores.
Standing by the grave, I prayed, “God, I want to be a missionary, too.” I didn’t really know what a missionary was, but I wanted to help people know Jesus.
Later, I had a dream. I learned that God wanted me to go to Torres, a group of islands where no Adventists lived. I had no money and didn’t know anyone there, but I prayed, “God, if You want me to go, please make a way.”
God answered! I spent seven years in Torres, building new friendships and starting new churches.
Years later, at a concert on Malekula, I saw my old teacher—the one who had thrown my books out the window. She came to me with tears in her eyes, handed me a watermelon, and said, “I’m sorry for the words I spoke to you.” She had become a Seventh-day Adventist, too!
Today, I’m still a church elder. I keep sharing God’s love and starting new churches. I may have failed in school, but God had a plan for me.
God tells us in the Bible: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV).
That promise is for me. And it’s for you too!
Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will help support children’s health projects in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Thank you for your generous giving!
