Sebastián looked up at his mother and father at the breakfast table. “Let’s pray,” he said. His parents looked at each other in surprise. They believed in God, but they never prayed before eating.
Sebastián looked up at his mother and father at the breakfast table.
“Let’s pray,” he said.
His parents looked at each other in surprise. They believed in God, but they never prayed before eating.
“Let’s thank God,” Sebastián said.
The three of them bowed their heads and closed their eyes. Sebastián’s mother thanked God for the food.
After breakfast, Sebastián went to his school in Cliza [klee-sah], Bolivia. Sebastián had started studying at the Seventh-day Adventist school earlier that year. He was learning the alphabet and numbers. He also was learning to pray and to thank God for everything.
That evening, at suppertime, Sebastián looked up at his parents and said again, “Let’s pray. Let’s thank God.”
The family bowed their heads and closed their eyes as they thanked God for the food.
Soon, the family was praying before every meal. They also thanked God for everything that they had. Sebastián’s parents were very happy. They could see that their son was a special boy who was blessed by God.
When Sebastián was six years old, he asked his mother to take him to church on Sabbath. His parents didn’t want to take him to church on Saturday. But Sebastián had heard about Sabbath School at his school, and he wanted to go. He kept asking his mother until she finally agreed to take him. But she didn’t go into the church. She waited outside the door until the service ended and then took Sebastián back home.
Sebastián was happy to go to Sabbath School, but he wanted his parents to join him as well. So he kept asking and asking until his mother started going with him. His father, however, wouldn’t go.
Sebastián prayed that his father would go to church with them. His mother also began to pray that he would go to church with them.
Then Sebastián got a baby sister, Samanta, and his father agreed to go to church for a special ceremony to dedicate little Samanta and Sebastián to God.
When Sebastián was eight, his mother decided to get baptized. A year later, Sebastián got baptized too. He kept praying for his father. He always asked him to go with him to church activities, especially to Pathfinders. He wanted his father to be closer to God.
God answered Sebastián’s prayers. When Sebastián was ten, his father got baptized.
Today, Sebastián is a happy twelve-year-old boy. His family thanks God every day for everything that they have — especially for Sebastián, whom God used to change their lives.
The 13th Sabbath Offering this quarter will help open four new churches in Bolivia so more people, like Sebastián and his family, will be able to go to an Adventist church in their city and learn about Jesus. Thank you for supporting this project.
