Then Liu suffered a serious head injury. He fell from a truck at work and was whisked away to the hospital.
To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, September 10.
By Andrew McChesney
Naiara wished for a long time that her brother would worship with her at the Seventh-day Adventist church in Brodowski, Brazil. She saw an opportunity to invite him when he and his wife left their own church over doctrinal differences. Her brother, Liu, and his wife, Cris, began looking for a church that only followed the teachings of the Bible.
Naiara presented Liu and Cris with Adventist books. She offered to give them Bible studies. But Liu did not seem interested. He found it strange that Adventists chose to avoid certain foods. He didn’t understand why Adventists worshiped on Saturday instead of on Sunday. But his wife, Cris, was curious to know more about the book of Revelation. Her church had never addressed the book. Still, she didn’t want to take Bible studies without her husband.
Not discouraged, Naiara told Cris about the Bible study classes that met during Sabbath School at her church.
“It’s so nice to gather in groups before the divine worship service to study the Bible,” Naiara said.
Cris liked the idea of studying the Bible every week at church. She imagined herself participating in one of those classes. Even though she had never set foot in Sabbath School, a love for Sabbath School was born in her heart.
Naiara sent Christian songs to Cris and Liu to listen to on their cell phones, and she presented them with a DVD of Adventist sermons from Novo Tempo television, the Portuguese-language affiliate of Hope Channel International. Cris didn’t want to create a conflict in the home, so she watched the sermons while her husband was at work.
Then Liu suffered a serious head injury. He fell from a truck at work and was whisked away to the hospital. While he was undergoing surgery, Naiara comforted Cris in the waiting room.
“The pastor and others at church are praying for Liu,” Naiara said.
The surgeon declared the operation a success. He said the head injury was serious but Liu would make a full recovery.
The next day, when Cris was allowed in the hospital room to visit her husband, he said that an Adventist pastor had already stopped by to pray with him.
Naiara again offered Bibles studies, and Cris accepted on the condition that her husband did not know. She wanted to avoid conflict. A date was set for the first Bible study, and Cris and Naiara agreed to meet while Liu was at work.
But Cris didn’t feel right keeping a secret from Liu. She told him about the Bible study. On the day of the Bible study, Liu did not go to work as usual. Instead, he stayed at home to participate in the Bible study with the two women.
Over the next few months, Liu and Cris studied all 28 Bible lessons with Naiara. As they learned more about the Bible, their prejudices against the Adventist Church crumbled. They saw that the church sought to follow only the teachings of the Bible.
Cris was baptized together with a son, Ezekiel. A year later, Liu and their daughter, Tamiris, were baptized. Today, Liu and Cris are Sabbath School leaders in the Adventist church in Brodowski. The motto of the Sabbath School department reflects their own lives: “My family and I serve God with joy.”
Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open a new church in Brodowski, Brazil, so more families can serve God with joy. Thank you for planning a generous offering on September 24.
