Mercy moved thousands of miles away from home to go to school. She missed her friends and family. When she ran into trouble at school, she found help in her local Adventist church family.
Mercy was determined to become a lawyer, even if it meant leaving her friends and family to study on the island of Cyprus. The sights, the food, and the languages were so different from what she was used to in Zimbabwe.
“When I first came here, I had culture shock. For sure, it was different from what I was used to.”
With her friends and family thousands of miles [kilometers] away, Mercy felt lonely. She missed her local Adventist church in Zimbabwe so she went online and found an English-speaking Adventist congregation not far from campus.
“The church helped me because that’s where I met my friends.”
“Every week I look forward to coming to church because that’s where I feel welcomed and I feel at home.”
Mercy quickly realized she wasn’t alone. She met others living in Cyprus from all over the globe. Many of them were also far from family and friends and were experiencing loneliness.
To satisfy various language needs, there are several Adventist congregations in Nicosia, the capital city. One holds services in Greek, another in Bulgarian, and the third in English. Most weeks, they meet separately, but occasionally they come together as one big group.
This Adventist community is known as a place where ALL are welcomed, so it isn’t unusual for international residents and students of various faiths to attend church here.
“We embrace everyone. Most of the students are not Adventist. It’s just a few who are Adventist but we are all treated the same and well taken care of by the church.”
Things were going well as Mercy made more friends at church, but it didn’t take long for her to run into other obstacles during her first year of school.
“At school my exam was on a Saturday and I couldn’t take it on a Saturday. So I went to talk to them and they didn’t allow me to take it on a different day.”
“I felt so crushed and so defeated that I even cried.”
“That’s when I went to the pastor and told him and he wrote a letter to the school.”
“We prayed and I was so encouraged to know there are people behind me and there are people who support what you believe in.”
“Then they allowed me to take the exam on a different day. As a miracle it was on my birthday, and I got an A on the exam.”
The Adventist church in Cyprus is determined to be a refuge for anyone who needs community, whether they were born on the island or are far from home. Through Christ’s method of ministry, the members spread a message of hope throughout the island.
There are many challenges that prevent the gospel from being shared, including language barriers, social inequality, and a general disinterest in religion.
Mercy’s church in Nicosia is working harder to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the community. Currently, their rented space limits what they can do, but one day they hope to have a building of their own.
This quarter a portion of your 13th Sabbath Offering will construct an Urban Center of Influence and church for the congregations in Nicosia, Cyprus. Please consider how you can support this work, so more people can find a church family and feel at home.
“I want to encourage especially students or those who are working here. We have to know that we can’t take care of ourselves without the Lord. We have to trust God so I want them to put all their trust in God and it’s going to make everything beautiful.”
Thank you for your support of the 13th Sabbath Offering!
