One Sabbath, 12-year-old Ariel [ah-ree-el] heard a sermon that really made him think. The pastor had said that everyone should be involved in missionary work. Ariel liked the idea of being a missionary, but what could a 12-year-old boy in Bolivia do?

Ariel began to pray and ask God to help him be a missionary. He began to look for people who might be interested in learning about Jesus. As he looked, he kept praying.

He didn’t have to look far. One day he went with his parents and sister to visit another family. While there,he learned that the family was interested in the Bible. He offered to give them Bible studies, and they agreed.

Ariel had never given Bible studies before, so he wasn’t really sure what to do. But he found a set of Bible lessons and studied them with the family. It wasn’t easy, especially the last few lessons. But he prayed for God to help him.

Ariel wanted to give more Bible studies. So he invited his classmate, Heber [ae-behr], to study the Bible with him. Heber looked forward to each new lesson. When they finished studying, Heber decided to give his life to Jesus and was baptized.

Ariel was so happy! God was helping him be a missionary. He remembered his original prayer to be a missionary and decided to continue praying to see what God wanted from him next.

Ariel has found that he can be a missionary in many ways. He studies the Sabbath School lesson every day so he can learn more about God. Whenever he earns some money, he sets aside 10 percent to return to God as tithe, and he also gladly gives some of the money as an offering. In everything that Ariel does, he wants to put God first.

Even though Ariel is only 12, he has already led others to Jesus. No one is ever too young to be a missionary, he says. We can all be missionaries, sharing our love for God as we wait for Him to take us to heaven.

There is no Adventist church where Ariel lives. His family and others meet in one another’s homes on Sabbath. It was in one of the church member’s homes that Ariel heard the sermon that inspired him to become a missionary. Ariel’s dream is for a church to open in his town one day.

Part of this quarter’s 13th Sabbath Offering will help open a church near Ariel’s town. Thank you for planning a generous offering so that more people can have a church where they can gather and share the good news that Jesus is coming soon.