As Soo
has continued to grown and learn the teachings of the Bible, she was baptized on March 18, 2006
in Sydney, Australia. See her pictures at
SOO'S BAPTISM PICTURES.She was also married in
January of 2007 in Australia.
SOO'S CONVERSION STORY -Ethel Price
Loren and I had the pleasure of getting personally acquainted with
Soophaphone
Sirivongsack (Soo) in Sacramento during a visit there the last week of October 2004. I say pleasure, because Soo is a happy, friendly, loving Christian woman. I enjoyed seeing her open inquisitive mind soaking up truth from God’s Word, and seeking His direction often with us in our conversations and work together there. She talks so naturally about her
Heavenly Father.
Soo’s adoptive parents were Buddhist and moved from Laos to Australia when she was in her late twenties. Soo traveled back and forth
between these two countries. There was a cousin of her parents whom Soo also “adopted” as her father and calls him “godfather” or “second
father” and sometimes “dad.” He is now a priest in a Buddhist temple in Chicago, Illinois.
When she was about 28, Soo’s never-strong body developed cancer of the breast that spread through her body to her liver, kidneys, and skin. She was in pain and weak. The doctor she saw in Australia, who took x-rays of her body, did a biopsy of her right breast and determined she did have cancer. The doctor said whether they operated on her liver and
kidneys or not, that she would die. She tells me that her uncle, also a doctor, warned her not to let anyone operate on her.
The early morning of October 10, 2000 found Soo finishing her packing and getting ready for a 9 am flight to America. Since she was a child, Soo had longed to see the land she could only dream
about from the pictures she had seen. She was grateful to her adoptive mother for helping to raise the two thousand five hundred dollars she needed for the vacation trip that would include Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, and Washington D. C., finally ending in a visit with her “second
father” in Chicago, Illinois.
As Soo prepared to go to sleep, she saw something strange reflected in her window—her bedroom door was opening and shutting. Three times it happened. Her hair stood on end; she had goose bumps on her arms. She was frightened that an evil Buddhist spirit was visiting her.
So Soo prayed to the “Second God” [PRA-MA-XI-ANN in her language]
she had learned about and the manifestation stopped. Relieved and at peace, she turned off her light to go to sleep.
Instead of darkness, there soon appeared a light in her room that grew brighter until she was blinded for several minutes. Once able to see, she saw a tall man in a long white robe with flowing sleeves. His garment was not made of cloth, but rather was like a glowing light about him. She had no fear of him even before he told her not to be afraid. She was fascinated by his white skin and hair, and beautiful countenance.
In a kind, melodic voice he told her about Jesus, the God of Heaven that made her, loved her, and died to forgive her sins and save her. He said Jesus had marks in His Hands, Feet, Side, and Head and told her Jesus holds the keys of Heaven and of Hell.
This shining being talked with her in her native tongue for about one hour telling her about Jesus, telling her she could trust Jesus and giving her directions of how to learn more about Him.
The angel directed Soo to go to the Seventh-day Adventist church when she arrived in America, saying, “It is the true church.”
When Soo came to America she followed the instructions of the angel, finding
her way not only to an Adventist church, but eventually to a school where
she learned more of the health message and how to care for her body.
God has promised to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (see Joel 2:28, 29)
and He is bringing people to a knowledge of salvation through any means He
can! We are thankful that Soo is now a member of the family of God and
praise God that she is still working for Him in Australia and hopes to one
day return to Laos to continue to work for Him there.
You and I don’t need an angel to tell us about God. We have the knowledge of the great love and sacrifice of Jesus for us. Please, listen to the pleading of the Holy Spirit today. Seek Him, pray for the outpouring of the Latter Rain, shout it from the housetops, and work like the night was
coming!
Let me introduce you to a woman that God has called into His service! Pebble
began, in about 1990, to pull away from her Pentecostal church because she
was convinced the Sabbath is Saturday, not Sunday.
A few years later, in 1996, she began having dreams and experiences that
taught her about prophecies and the scriptures in a way she had never known.
She thought she was the only one that knew these things and would have to
tell it to the world. Pebble kept the Sabbath for a year or more before she
ever heard of Seventh day Adventists.
Since her baptism in 2000, Pebble has brought her husband, mother, and 16+
others into truth! She and her husband have been giving Bible studies over
the past years and Pebble also gives studies in the local jail.
In my conversations with her, Pebble is one woman on fire for the Lord!! Her
former pastor confirms the details of her conversion, baptism, and Bible
work.
Jesus is coming soon and is revealing Himself to people through visions,
dreams, and angels...all over the world! Let's praise Him, and plead for His
Spirit to fill us every day, that we, too, can be a blessing to His
children.
FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM...
by Ethel Price
Hebrews 12:2 "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Isn't that a great text? Jesus - for the pure joy of having us with Him in
heaven - willingly endured the cross and didn't give one thought to the
shame of it all! What an awesome God!!
I want to tell you a story of another young man that found joy in an unusual
place. Marcus is the uncle of "God's Babies" and at the ripe old age of 20
has seen his share of the evil of this world. Some has been forced upon him,
some he has chosen.
Although we met Marcus a year and a half ago, it has been in just the last
few weeks that we have learned to know him better - and what a privilege
that has been. As you may remember, his mother's health suffered under the
burden of having her children falsely accused of child abuse, and having her
grandbabies taken away from the family. Marcus drove her to Idaho several
weeks ago to stay with another friend of ours and receive hydrotherapy and
other concentrated natural treatments to regain her health. She is claiming
the promise in Medical Ministry page 12 that the Holy Spirit will renew our
internal organs so we may serve the Lord!
There is another text in Psalms that says "Be still and know that I am God."
Marcus has also had a practical lesson in that very skill! It started with
his plans changing when he brought his mother to Idaho. He was supposed to
go right on to Canada to stay with his sister - but unavoidable
circumstances delayed that a week.
His mom told me that he wasn't too keen on staying with strangers - and
especially as he feared having "religion crammed down his throat." Having
been with his parents as they served the Lord in different capacities all
around the world, Marcus had become jaded by looking at the not-so-Christlike
people he sometimes saw, instead of looking at Jesus. He told me he wasn't
even sure God was real!
Our friend had some drywalling work that needed done, so Loren and I spent
several days there working - and fellowshipping with our friends. Somehow, I
was drawn to this open and honest young man and the Holy Spirit just laid a
great love for him on my heart. I was amazed that Marcus could share with us
that just the week before he had been smoking, drinking, and other things
that aren't best for his body. Even more amazing was that THIS week he was
eating tasty vegan food and LOVING IT! The Lord arranged several encounters
where he began to learn the L-O-V-E of his heavenly Father and that started
turning his heart to God. At one point he said "I wish could find the person
[that was responsible for his extra week stay] and give them a big hug!" Oh
joy - I could see that Marcus was being drawn to the Saviour!
The week was rapidly coming to a close and Marcus would be gone - but I
didn't know for sure that he had made that real commitment to God. God knew,
however, and provided a miracle for Marcus.
On a chilly afternoon, Marcus and a neighboring young man rode ATV's up into
the surrounding mountains. Marcus had gone out by himself on the
three-wheeler the day before and come back with pictures of the mountains
and light dusting of snow on the trees. This day the two of them were
leaving just as we were getting ready to head home. I didn't want to say a
final goodbye without the opportunity for prayer, so I told him I'd see him
tomorrow.
Just a few hours later, his mother called from the emergency room. She told
me that Marcus had slid off the road on the ATV and both went off the side
of the mountain - SEVENTY FEET into a tangle of trees. Then she had to go. I
didn't know his condition at all.
At just that moment another friend in California emailed me and mentioned
that she was on her way to prayer meeting. Quickly I phoned her and asked
her to pray. Then I received another call from his mother and learned that
he had NO broken bones, "just" bruises, scrapes, a concussion, and a few
unhappy ligaments. Praise the Lord - he would be all right; and he would be
staying a few more weeks to recover. I called my friend right back and gave
her the PRAISE to take to
prayer meeting.
Stay with me here - this is the fastest conversion I have ever seen in my
life!! The next morning the friend from CA emailed me that at prayer meeting
she had shared Marcus' story of returning to the Lord - and the miracle of
his deliverance from certain death. There was another young man there, not
an Adventist, that had started coming to church, and who is very much into
drugs. He was impacted by Marcus' story and asked for special prayer for
himself!
When I read that to Marcus the next morning as he lay on his bed in great
pain - MARCUS SAID "IT IS ALL WORTH IT!" Can you imagine that? A 20 year old
young man, beaten and bruised, saying that his wounds were worth it for the
joy of helping another to reach out to Jesus!
This isn't the end of this story. Just about one week later, Loren and I had
the privilege of anointing and praying for and with Marcus. He shared with
us his pleading that God would reveal to him that He was real, and also that
he had given his heart to God, asking Him to be Lord of His life - JUST THAT
DAY - the day before Thanksgiving!! His mother had read to him the account
from Great Controversy of Adam meeting Jesus in heaven, and it broke his
heart! Isn't God GOOD??
I have never before experienced the drawing, yielding, birth, and empowering
of a life in less than two weeks! He prayed the most beautiful prayer of
confession and surrender asking God to show him how He wants him to serve.
This speaks to me more than anything else of the nearness of Jesus' coming.
This is an eleventh hour worker - called and commissioned at the very close
of the work.
For the joy - Jesus died for us for the joy set before Him. The joy of
Marcus living with Him; the joy of you and me living with Him. Joy – pure
joy. My poem asked "Who wipes away God's tears?" I can tell you the answer -
we do. Every person who says "YES, LORD" helps to wipe away the tears
spilling there from those who turn down His eternal invitation. There is
nothing more important in our lives than connecting one more person with
Jesus. Joy for Jesus - joy for us.
On our trip to Kayenta, Arizona, we met a fine Navajo worker for God that we
have been emailing for some time. Kayto had shared with us about his move
back to his home in this beautiful area of red rock monuments. Now he wanted
to tell us of God's miracle for him.
Kayto was a teenager when he began attending the Seventh-day Adventist
church at Monument Valley, Utah. It was 1982 when a church member invited
them and every Sabbath drove the 25 miles to their home to pick them up. His
parents attended another church, but they did not want to offend the ones
who drove so far every week to pick the children up, so every week they
came.
Eventually Kayto began to understand the love of God for him, and when he
discovered the writings of Ellen White, he read them hungrily. They
illuminated the Bible for him and he read 30 books in about two years.
After graduating from the local high school, Kayto went on to college. He
tried several colleges, but the Lord had someone special for him to meet at
Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. In the course of time, Kayto
and Anna decided to be married.
Before the birth of their two children, Kayto started to share more of his
faith with his wife and they began to attend the Seventh-day Adventist
church together. Kayto was baptized in 1989 and Anna in 1994.
While working as a carpenter for a coal-fired power company in Farmington,
New Mexico in March of 1996, Kayto was about 11 stories up one day on a 12
story boiler. As he was working, he began to feel dizzy, then light-headed
and faint. While losing consciousness and falling, he felt his fingertips
brush the hand rail, then knew nothing else until he awoke in the hospital
two days later.
Surrounding him were co-workers and a number of pastors from different
churches, praying for him. They were saying that he was a miracle. After he
had blacked out, Kayto had fallen 107 feet to the concrete floor below. His
co-workers watched with horror as he plummeted, breaking two large planks on
the scaffolding as if they were matchsticks, on his way down. He should have
died instantly.
Now he was awake in the hospital! What had saved him? He was not to find out
until later. All he could think of now was his broken sternum, broken arm,
broken right hand, the gash on his leg, three deep long cuts to his scalp, a
tongue that was stitched because it had been cut in half during the fall,
and blood trickling down his forehead.
Incredibly, one week later, he was released from the hospital - black and
blue, arm in a cast, but able to walk in spite of the half body cast. For
the next two weeks, Anna nursed him back to health in a nearby hotel, then
they came home to Kayenta.
Four weeks after coming home, Kayto went to his mother's house in Monument
Valley and sat down. His mother sat beside him. "Kayto," she began, "God
showed me in a dream last night what happened when you fell."
When he shared his mother's dream, there were tears in all of our eyes. In
her dream, she had seen him falling, breaking through the boards. Then about
20 feet from the concrete below, she saw an angel put his white wing beneath
her son and cushion his fall, gently placing him upon the concrete!
But this was not the end of the dream. His mother told him she saw him
preaching to a large audience of people from many nations. When he finished
speaking, he walked to the back, passing his mother, whom he did not see.
They wondered together about that. Two months later his mother and sister
were killed by a drunken driver in a head-on collision.
What comfort it brings that God showed his mother his miraculous deliverance
and was preparing her own heart for what was coming.
We serve a God of love. He is able to deliver to the uttermost those that
come to Him.
For He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways,
and they shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against
a stone. Psalm 91:11,12
He will bear you up on eagle's wings...on the wing of an angel.
With great anticipation, both of us looked forward to our upcoming meetings
in Hampton, N.B., scheduled from Nov 5-11, 2006! We had no idea of the
hatred which Satan has for this kind of work (helping to free souls who are
trapped in sickness and in doubt about God’s love) neither had we any idea
of how God was going to work to protect His truth and bring souls to the
light of truth, but we were about to find out first hand!
We are told in the Spirit of Prophecy, “For years I have been given special
light that we are not to center our work in the cities. The turmoil and
confusion that fill these cities, the conditions brought about by the labor
unions and the strikes, would prove a great hinderance to our work. Men are
seeking to bring those engaged in the different trades under bondage to
certain unions. This is not God’s planning, but the planning of a power that
we should in no wise acknowledge. God’s word is fulfilling; the wicked are
binding themselves up in bundles ready to be burned.
“We are now to use all our entrusted capabilities in giving the last warning
message to the world. In this work we are to preserve our individuality. We
are not to unite with secret societies or with trade unions. We are to stand
free in God, looking constantly to Christ for instruction. All our movements
are to be made with a realization of the importance of the work to be
accomplished for God.” Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 84
This article has much to do with our health institutions and public meetings
as well.
Very recently, we had been informed that the NBAND (New Brunswick
Association for Naturopathic Doctors) had put out a public notice stating
that Jeanie and I were not Naturopathic Doctors (because we were not
associated with them!), and that they felt we were a threat to public
safety! Unknown to us until later, they got in touch with the Hampton SDA
Church to warn them about us. They also went around to visit local area MDs
to make them aware of what we were doing. One of the physicians they visited
told them how he had four patients who have been following our
recommendations and they were now off of all of their medications and were
returning to very good health! He also stated that he was much in favor of
everything we were teaching and supports us wholeheartedly! (We’ve never met
this man, but many people have spoken very highly of him to us). All we can
say from personal experience is that God is well able to defend His truth
and all He needs His children to do is to stand for truth.
One afternoon, a near middle aged man told me that a beautiful elderly
couple had come by to see him. He did not know them, but they were tall with
beautiful skin and white hair. The man was a real preacher and knew his
Bible well. They told this man that he should come and see us, as they had
been attending all of our meetings, and that we were speaking the truth.
As we searched our memories, and asked other church members from the Hampton
church, no one could remember seeing anyone who fit the description of this
elderly couple!
One evening as we were just starting our meeting, I noticed a younger man
come through the church doors and then give a surprised look, as if he knew
me. He took his place in the pew and would not take his eyes off of me
throughout the presentation. He continually nodded approval and smiled
affirmation to every single statement I made for the next hour and a half.
When the meeting was finished, he rushed forward and with tears in his eyes
exclaimed, “You were in my dream!” I asked him to please explain what he
meant. He said that he had been praying to the Lord for three months to show
him what was wrong in his life and what he needed to do to change it. Then,
the night before this meeting, he had a dream that he and I were walking
together, and that I was telling him everything exactly as I had been
speaking it that evening! Every single word and the exact tone of voice –
all were the same! When he awoke from his dream, he thought it was just a
dream and he did not know that it was God’s answer to him until he came to
the meeting that night by invitation from a church member who had befriended
him. When he saw me standing at the front of the church, he immediately
recognized me!
This man attended the next meeting which was our last one, and told me that
he had gone home the previous night, and threw out all of his movies, his TV
and got rid of his satellite dish as well. He had decided to give his life
completely to Jesus! He begged us to get a copy of the book Adventist Home
(which we had quoted extensively from), and to stay in touch with him
because he wants to learn absolutely everything we know . . ., he wants to
be ready for Jesus!
Miramichi Effort
Four “Evangelical” churches in the Miramichi, have gotten together and asked
us if we would put on a special presentation for them on everything we know
about health from the Bible. Many of their members have received healing
from following the counsel we have given them and it is the church members
who have urged their pastors to get us to speak to the churches!
The officiating pastor of these churches, came to us and told us about the
request from his members. He also stated that he has studied and knows that
Saturday is the Sabbath day, and he feels also that God has more light to
reveal to them and that we are a part of that light. It is interesting too,
that these churches own a Christian broadcasting station here in Miramichi
and are planning on going live with these meetings!
The meetings take place November 26-28 at the “Grace Fellowship Church”. We
know that whatever takes place, it is only through our complete surrender
that He can accomplish His plans for all of us and for the spreading of His
truth. It is our prayer that He will conquer much ground in the Miramichi.
Please pray with us and for us for these meetings!
Riverside Natural Therapy Center
635 Water St. Suite 7 Southside Medical Center
Miramichi, NB E1N 4B9
506-624-6031
www.riversidenaturaltherapy.com
Knees on the Sand
By Debbie Curry, May 1, 2005 (Reprinted from AFM)
Many years ago, before becoming missionaries with AFM, Homer and I had an
experience I will never forget-a testament to God’s power to save.
It was a great vacation. Warm, sandy beaches for swimming and boogie
boarding, water teeming with beautiful, tropical fish, and not much else. We
were on the Island of Oahu with Homer’s brother, Gary, and his wife, Rhonda.
We had just learned to SCUBA dive and were thoroughly enjoying God’s
many-splendored fishes of Hawaii. After diving several sites on the south
and east sides of the island, we thought we’d try one on the north side.
During the winter months, the north coast of Oahu can have huge waves.
International surfing competitions are a major attraction at that time. But
it was summer, and according to the guidebook, if the swells are less than a
foot, it is safe and good for SCUBA diving. The radio reported that swells
were less than a foot, so we determined to visit this new site.
We wound our way down to the sandy beach, donned our gear, did safety tests,
and then swam out through the rocks in the small bay toward the open ocean.
Underwater visibility was not very good. After experiencing 50-foot
visibility in other areas, we found the visibility here to be more like ten
feet. We began to notice a bit of surge in the water, too. Looking up
through the silt, Rhonda motioned she was ready to head back to shore. I
nodded. Though we hadn’t been out long, this wasn’t such a nice dive.
We made contact with the men, and we all headed back toward the bay. When we
entered the bay, we noticed the waves were noticeably larger than when we
had gone out. Our usual custom was to swim in on the surface rather than
using air from the tanks. So we surfaced and began the laborious task of
swimming in with lots of gear on our backs.
After some time, I began noticing that we weren’t making much progress. I
began feeling a bit anxious. As the waves were pounding us, I checked my air
gauge and determined there was plenty of air available. It would be easier
to just breathe air from my tank rather than using the snorkel. Then I would
not have to hold my breath each time we ducked under a wave. I ducked under
one particularly large wave and was in no rush to return to the surface.
Homer, not realizing I had my regulator in my mouth, frantically pulled me
back up to the surface.
We still were in only about the middle of the bay. My thoughts raced.
Apparently the tide was going out. And maybe a storm was coming in. Our
swimming wasn’t strong enough to make headway. Also, incoming waves were
smashing us onto rocks. This was turning into a desperate situation. Why had
I decided to dive a site that is known for massive waves? I noticed four
people sitting and watching us from a bluff above the bay. I wondered
frantically, "Can’t they see we’re having trouble? Will they get us help?"
But they remained there, apparently watching calmly. Swimming with all the
strength I could,
I desperately aimed for the shore, trying to keep from being too banged up
on the rocks. Wave after wave crashed over us. Gary was bravely trying to
protect Rhonda by staying between her and the rocks. Homer kept me close to
his side. But we saw no way of escape. We weren’t getting closer to shore.
Then my knee scraped sand. I was at the shore. Quickly, I crawled out of the
surf, breathing heavily. Homer, Gary, and Rhonda were also crawling up to
the safety of the sandy shore. How did we get there? When had we been almost
there? I glanced up at the bluff to see if the four people were still there.
They were gone.
Removing our gear, we conferred with one another and found we had all had a
similar experience. We were never almost to shore, but now here we stood.
How had it happened? Rhonda commented on the people who had been on the
bluff. Were those people praying for us? Could they have been our angels?
As I remember that event, I am awed. I am confident that God rescued us from
a dangerous situation we had ignorantly gotten ourselves into. What a
gracious God He is!
I have also reflected on how it is like the task of reaching the lost with
the good news of God’s salvation. We head out with high hopes (and perhaps
not quite enough knowledge). Then we find ourselves in a storm. We are
working as hard as we can, but it just isn’t enough. We look out and wonder
why people are watching but not helping. One day, we will find our knees on
the sand and look up to see the job has been done and we are safe at home.
A Story of Our Father’s Love
Before I tell the story I need to establish a preamble, if you will.
One of the hardest things for us to accept as Christians is this statement
from Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together for good to
them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose."
This is one of those verses, which, when dwelt upon can stir up all sorts of
feelings very quickly. Like how can God allow someone I love to die, get
sick. Why did He allow a Tsunami to destroy the lives of so many people and
expect us to believe this? The answer is hard and simple; our Father has a
purpose that we cannot see. He knows the beginning and the end of each
person. His judgments are pure and righteous and we cannot even begin to
think or understand Him (Isaiah 55:8 “ For my thoughts [are] not your
thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”). Then there is
this beautiful quote from Sister White, which is an integral part of this
story. It comes from the book Mount of blessing. It is interesting that this
book, Steps to Christ, Acts of the Apostles, and one of the best "Desire of
Ages" were all written after the message of 1888 given by Jones and Wagoner,
oops I digress.. Here is the quote from MB "The Father's presence encircled
Christ, and nothing befell Him but that which infinite love permitted for
the blessing of the world. Here was His source of comfort, and it is for us.
He who is imbued with the Spirit of Christ abides in Christ. The blow that
is aimed at him falls upon the Saviour, who surrounds him with His presence.
Whatever comes to him comes from Christ. He has no need to resist evil, for
Christ is his defense. Nothing can touch him except by our Lord's
permission, and ‘all things’ that are permitted ‘work together for good to
them that love God’ Romans 8:28. {MB 71.2}"
This quote is hard to swallow but if accepted and swallowed completely it
will work miracles; in truth, this is where we must be as a church. It is
not a multiple-choice question. It is a simple fact.
This quote I shared with a friend of mine here and he then shared it with
another person and this is the story of that person. His name is not
important but who he is makes the story that much more interesting. You see
this man was and still is a high-ranking communist party member. One of the
few who truly believe in doing what is right, he has an excellent moral
record and the people of his district have and still do hold him in high
regard. He was influential in particular because he was in charge of one the
richest oil fields in China. Well as a child he was brought up quietly in a
Christian a belief he held but never publicly proclaimed until later in
life. He got married, had children and had all the success most can only
dream about. He has a natural talent for handling disputes and sorting
things out. People would accept his judgments because they were fair and
reasonable.
His wife was, at that time, a Christian that kept Sunday eventually she
accepted the Sabbath though he did not. When he retired the "Party" took him
to Thailand where he and the whole group including his wife went to see a
show. This show turned out to be a surprise show and it was a strip tease
just for him, with his wife sitting next to him. This was a difficult time
for him and his wife—more so for his wife. After the show something happened
to his wife. She started having these vivid movie-like dreams in which her
husband was having an affair with this woman.. They were so real that after
the first one she accused her husband of having an affair with her. As time
went along the accusations never dimmed but only got worse. His wife kept on
having the dreams, and she believed them and things just kept getting worse.
She made her husband lose face more than once by yelling at him in public
calling him all sorts of horrid names. One of the worst things that can
happen in Chinese Culture is for the wife to get publicly angry with her
husband and call him names. It has many meanings; that he is not a good
husband, and that he is not in control, and that is a shameful situation.
Considering his past that made this even worse. The husband just did not
know how to deal with the situation. Consider this for a moment; a man of
great influence and ability to persuade, found himself in a situation where
there seemed to be no solution. So he called a family meeting and invited
the stripper and her husband to come to China for a special meeting where he
publicly stated that nothing happened and they affirmed this. He even swore
that nothing happened before his wife and his whole family.
Well this brought peace between them for a couple of days. Then the dreams
started coming back even more intensely. For the last year they had been
talking about divorce and it seemed that it was going to happen. Before they
did this they were going to try one last trip together to a Life Style
Change Center in Xiamen called "Gulangyu" I have been there and it is very
nice. It is on an island by the ocean where no cars are permitted. It is a
true haven of its own. My friend had gone there to take his mother there for
the New Start program and the whole foods program that they have there.
Well, while my friend Paul was there he met this couple and they told him
the above story (there is more but this is the short of it). To go on.... he
sat down one day with this couple and they unloaded on him and told him the
above situation. Paul thought, “Why on earth are you telling me this story?”
He really did not know what to tell them then he remembered the above
statement from Sister White. He shared it with them in its full context and
the man said “do you think it will work?” and Paul answered, “Yes, it
would.” So that man thought about it and said, “hmmm this is interesting and
I will try.” Well he got the chance to try that day. Not too long afterward
his wife lost it with him again and started yelling and screaming at him in
the lunchroom. He just got on his knees and started to pray and then fell
flat on his face and just gave it all to Jesus. His wife did not know what
to say or do and left (Paul saw him on his face praying). The next day was
ok but the next night was not. Once again his wife lost it and was screaming
and yelling at him for the strangest thing. What happened was she wanted to
sleep with him in the same bed. Well the beds at this place are truly only
made for one person (I know from experience). So her husband pointed this
out and said let us move these beds together and in that way we can be close
to each other and yet have some room for sleeping. So they pushed the beds
together, but there was this crack between the two beds and when she saw
this she went ballistic.
Again he got on his knees and started praying. She was screaming at him and
then hit him in the face so hard it split his face open and he started
bleeding. Then, while he was praying, he turned his face for her to hit the
other side. This is when she stopped and was in shock. A power went through
her and she came out of a fog and saw what had been happening to her and
what she had been doing. The next day Paul went to their room and the
husband told Paul what happened and she confirmed it. Paul could see that he
was in complete peace in spite of the face that was still bleeding from that
night. (They took a picture of it). He said his face did not hurt nearly as
did his heart, for it was torn. He felt tremendous pain there, but was at
peace and it was clearly visible on his face. That Peace can only come from
Romans 5:1.
The two are now on their second honeymoon. The rift between them has been
healed. They have called their children and their children said “Stay there!
If you need more money let us know, we will send it to you. Just stay
there...”
The husband is now fully converted and on fire for our Father. He wants as
much from Sister White as they have available. He has stated this is some of
the best material he has read aside from the Bible. He wants to share the
above message along with the message of health to the people in his
district. He and his wife are a testimony of the Love of our Father towards
His children. With people like this it will not take long and the message
will be spread.
If only we could be like this in our times of trouble. In fact we must be
ready for the times of trouble are about to come upon us with a violence
that can only come from Satan.
Are you willing to accept everything that comes to you as if it were from
the Hand of our Father? If you are, be ready for the ride of your life and a
deep and everlasting relationship and love with our Heavenly Father.
God Bless
Love, Your Brother in Christ, Randy Moeller
Interviewer: Dr. David Tasker. Story Teller: Pastor Jim Manele.
Pr. Manele: The story comes from the Kwaibaita area.
Dr. Tasker: How do you spell that?
Pr. Manele: The letter is spelled KWAIBAITA.
Dr. Tasker: Is it a coastal area or is it inland?
Pr. Manele: Kwaibaita is inland. Kwaibaita in fact means “big river.” This is in Malaita. It’s near our hospital, Atoifi, in the eastern part of Malaita [Solomon Islands]; it’s not really close to Atoifi, but its in the area of Atoifi. We were able to go up the river and had to come to the village where there was a cow, actually it was a bull. Now this village is located on the side of Kwaibaita River and it was an SSEC (South Sea Evangelical Church) village. The pastor of this village was also the paramount chief of the area. So he had quite a lot of respect from his people. He had been a pastor of this church for 20 years. I took a group up to his village and I spoke with him. We went up to dedicate his church because he had converted to the Seventh-day Adventist church from SSEC.
Dr. Tasker: How did that happen?
Pr. Manele: This was back in 1990. Just a bit of a background for you to understand why things happened the way they did.
Every time our nurses and medical workers (from Atoifi Adventist Hospital) went up to this area to provide medical help to those village people, the pastor would advise his people and say; “you can accept their medications but not their teachings. If they tell you anything about the Bible or the church, just ignore it. Accept their medicines but not their teachings.”
Dr. Tasker: And he’s the paramount chief?
Pr. Manele: Yes.
Pr. Tasker: How many people do you think there are in the area?
Pr. Manele: About a thousand people. The boundary is between Kwaio and Kwarai area. It’s quite a populated area because a lot of people live on the river valley. The paramount chief must have had a guilty conscience for sometimes stopping them from accepting the Adventist message, only their medicines. And for some time he battled with it. Some time in September of that year, 1990, he experienced something that happened which drastically changed his life.One Sabbath morning he decided, with his wife and child, to visit his garden a little distance away from the village. To get there, you have to go through a cow padlock, and there were some goats with the cows in the padlock, probably about ten or so. So they had to go through this cow padlock to get to the other side where the garden is.
When they entered through the fence and the cows saw them, something strange happened. All the cows stood up in a straight line facing them, like soldiers on parade. They stood in a very straight line. As the chief approached these cows and bulls, he thought they would move away to let him pass through. But they stood still and did not run away. They stood there and looked at the chief, the wife and the child who were close behind. The chief made his way from the left hand side of this line of cows and bulls.
Right at the end of the line was the bull, big and fat. The chief approached the bull but it didn’t move. Instead it suddenly spoke in the Kwaibaita language. It said; “why did you come to the garden at this time? Don’t you know that today is the seventh day, the Sabbath of the Lord God?” The chief was shocked and looked around to check if it was a mistake. The voice was coming from the bull and as it was talking, the mouth was moving when it spoke.The chief, (his name is Timothy,) was able to work out that it was this bull talking to him, nobody else. Even more surprising, the bull called his name, it said; “Timothy!” Then it called again; “Timothy, I am speaking to you; Timothy!” Timothy was brought to attention. He stood there shaking because he had never seen an animal talking before.
The wife and the child also heard the bull talking and the chief said; there must be a devil in you talking like that, and the bull responded by saying: “I am not the devil. I’m the voice of Jesus talking to you.”
Timothy gave the bull his attention, opened his ears and he was looking very, very curious. The bull said; “Today is the Sabbath of God. Don’t you know that God gave you six days to work and the seventh is the Sabbath? Don’t you know that? You have been a pastor and yet you don’t know these things? How blind can you be? God gave you six days to work; the seventh day is the Sabbath. You must not work today in your garden today. Go home and read Jer 1:5. After you have read it, share it with your people and look for the SDA pastor, whose name is Pr. Bata and when you find the SDA pastor, talk to him and he will further explain things to you.” Then the bull stopped talking.
This man was really horrified, and fell down and cried. He cried because this was a rebuke to him. It challenged him to because he was the pastor of his people and he was teaching them the wrong things. So he dropped down to the ground and cried for a while, and then stood up and told his wife and the child that they would not go any further into the garden now. “We must go back and rest. We must not work.”So they returned to the village and he called the whole village together and told everything that happened that day, and he told them, “today we must not do any work. We must start to rest because the bull spoke to me. It was the voice of Jesus that spoke to me through the bull.” So that day, they did not do any work. They stayed in the village until evening.Early on Sunday morning he took a walk through the bush, through the mountains and arrived at Atoifi hospital; a journey of about four hours. When he arrived at the hospital, he introduced himself; “I am the chief of Kwaibaita, my name is Timothy and I am looking for Pr. Bata.”“Who told you about Pr. Bata?”“I have a story to tell. I have a story to tell Pr. Bata.” So he was taken to Maikoia village where he met up with Pr. Baita. There he told Pr. Baita his story, and everything that the bull said. He told him “I have already kept the Sabbath,” so Pr. Bata studied the Bible with Timothy for three months. He was baptized in his village and many people came around to witness his baptism. He made an appeal and made a public confession and appealed for those who wanted to join him to stand on one side and those who wished to remain as they were on the other side. The majority of the people joined him so later they put up a little church and I was invited to dedicate the church so I went and dedicated the church.
Timothy took me to the padlock and showed me the bull and I saw it for myself. He asked me what should we do with this bull? I advised them to leave the bull and not to kill it, for God had used this bull in a miraculous way.Today, there is a very big church in a nearby village, not in the chief’s village but another village. The building was funded and built by some Australians and that church is now the centre of our work in that area.
Transcription of the tape: “Talking Bull,” recorded
July, 2002.
Jim is enjoying his first-ever Sabbath day with old friends Bill and
Venie, and with us – his new friends. This Fourth of July weekend (2006)
is hot and sunny; fitting symbols for what is happening this Sabbath.
The changes of the last few weeks in Jim’s life, that he has shared with
us, thrill us and we see the “hot” love he has for his Saviour.
Now, after a day by beautiful Lake Roosevelt in Northeastern Washington,
after walking in the quiet, fragrant trees, after communing and
listening to his God, Jim has made a decision. God has shined the Son
into his heart and brought the peace and rest he has been hungry for
during all of the forty-six years since God reached out and touched him.
God has touched him again on this Sabbath day and drawn him into sweet
fellowship that has transcended any experience in his former worship on
Sunday. Jim has just one question: “What do I do now?”
Jim told us that from his earliest memories, his focus and drive has
been to know God. Then at age fourteen, Jim began a journey into a
living hell. Tourette’s syndrome was not really understood or recognized
yet, so Jim and his family suffered and endured three years of his
sometimes violent and anti-social language and behavior. Life is tough
for a teenager under the best of conditions; he had the worst of
conditions.
Jim has had people come into his life that give him God’s counsel – he
calls them his “one-liner angels.” Someone came up to Jim when he was
fourteen and told him he needed to take it to God.
Jim learned that researchers had discovered a possible link through his
mother’s lineage. He started reading the Bible because of this “angel’s”
direction to take it to God, and began to identify himself with much of
the spiritual ritualism of the Old Testament characters. The Bible
seemed to be the one book he could read and understand.
In desperation one day when he was seventeen, Jim followed what he knew
and believed from his reading of the Bible, especially John 3:16-18. He
prostrated himself on the floor and poured out his heart in truth. “I
read Your book, Jesus, and it says if I come to You and ask You to help
me, You will save me. I have a hard time believing You will resurrect me
from the dead, I won’t lie to you. But You told me to come as I am and
You will help me and save me. Please, if you can’t help me with this
condition, then kill me.”
Before he opened his mouth, God had already performed the miracle – he
was no longer blurting out foul language. When he arose, he was not only
healed of all but a remnant of his Tourette’s, he knew he was saved. He
told only his mother that Jesus had healed him.
Though he was angry at his Father God, he didn’t realize why for 46 more
years. Today he understood how angry he had been at God for allowing the
disease that took away his education, his social life – even his parents
who couldn’t deal with him, and propelled him into the underworld on the
streets of San Francisco.
Once healed and delivered from the lifestyle of the outcast, he asked
“What do I do now?” The hungering and thirsting after God continued
through searches in Buddhism, Hinduism, Parapsychology, and many
Christian churches Sunday after Sunday. At one point he began to stray
and came to a place where he knew he was losing any connection with God.
At that moment, God took him back to the moment of his conversion at
seventeen, and Jim yielded his heart again.
Fast forward to meeting Bill and Venie in their bringing the love of
Jesus to the senior building where Jim now lives in Portland, Oregon.
Gradually his skepticism of their motives abated as he watched them
clean, bring food, and unconditional love to the residents.
Friday, Bill and Venie brought Jim to the country home they will soon
move to, for the long holiday weekend. Jim was smoking two packs a day
on Thursday – a 48 year habit he has tried unsuccessfully to break many
times. On Friday he smoked seven cigarettes; Sabbath it was three.
Sunday morning he was standing outside under the towering pines,
beginning to smoke his first cigarette of the day. He hadn’t felt the
cravings for a cigarette in two days; now he said “I’m not getting
anything out of this - I can’t even taste it! Why am I even smoking it?”
He knew he had another choice. So he stubbed it out, brought his pack
into the house, and threw it into the trash. (Praise the Lord!!)
Jim had begun to understand something about the seventh day Sabbath, so
Bill and Venie’s invitation included keeping his first Sabbath with
them. This was challenging, as the churches he had attended made very
clear that Seventh-day Adventists are the enemy. Jim puts God first in
all things, and now listening to the voice of God has led him to study
with Adventists, through his interest in the Sabbath.
Jim had also come to battle through a difficult question with mature
Christians. He had struggled with this teaching over many years. If he
was “once saved, always saved” as his church taught, why did he continue
to question how a person could be saved if he was deliberately sinning?
Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26, 27 were the basis for intense study and prayer.
It definitely said a person could fall away; now he needed to know when
that point of no return would be reached.
Finally, on Sunday morning God showed him in Leviticus 26 His great
long-suffering. Five times in that chapter God warns His people that as
He is turning His face away from them they will suffer seven times
greater affliction, if they continue in rebellion. Finally, He tells
them, if they humble their hearts he will restore them. Jim has learned
that it takes a lot for God to let go of us.
We shared a precious time of fellowship, prayer, and Bible study; and
Jim enjoyed new-to-him vegetarian dishes. In the process of our
discussion, Jim realized God was blessing him in the Sabbath as he had
never before experienced. One Sabbath miracle was that as he thought of
his work challenges, God shut off that thought as quickly as it came.
The remaining touches of his Tourette’s would have had him thinking
about work endlessly, but God is healing his mind.
Now his question to us was “What do I do - now that I understand the
Sabbath? I can’t go back to church on Sunday, and I don’t understand
Seventh-day Adventist theology.
He came to the conclusion that he would go to the church that has its
door open on Saturday – the Seventh-day Adventist church – walk in and
wait for God to send someone to him.
This story isn’t ended, so if you see Jim walk into your church next
Sabbath, will you go up and give him a hug for me? And please pray for
Jim as he continues his listening walk with his Heavenly Father.
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