“In order to reach all classes, we must meet them where they are. They will seldom seek us of their own accord. Not alone from the pulpit are the hearts of men touched by divine truth. There is another field of labor, humbler, it may be, but fully as promising. It is found in the home of the lowly, and in the mansion of the great.”—The Desire of Ages, 152
Hope Knocks on the Door
Brandon felt like he was ready to end his life.
Broken and hurting, he finally cried out to God for help. “For the first time in my life, I prayed to God to forgive me of the sin that saturated my life and to show me the truth.” The next day, a woman knocked at his door and gave him a Final Events DVD. After watching it that night, Brandon sat at his desk in the dark and wept. “I knew then that my Father in heaven had been waiting at the door for me. And almost instantly, the eternal love of God changed my heart.” Today, Brandon is an active member of his church, where he leads a class that studies current events in light of Bible prophecy.
Just As I Am
“You know, I was not going to come to church today, but . . . I read last night in the book that I bought from you that I can come to God just as I am.
That is the only reason why I came. I never thought that I could.” These were the words of Moises Garcia, to Ricardo Camacho, on Sabbath morning at the Salinas Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Just days prior, literature evangelist leader Ricardo Camacho and his student Karen Yanez were knocking on doors in Salinas, California. They knocked on the door of Moises. He purchased four books and they moved on to the next house, not realizing how meaningful those books were to him.
A few days later Moises walked into the church. After the service Ricardo sat with him at potluck and discovered that three years prior someone just like “you guys” (literature evangelists) came and knocked on his door in Yuma, Arizona. He learned about the Sabbath from the book he got from them. He went to his parents and told them about it and they said he was crazy. He asked his pastor about the Sabbath and he said, “You can believe that, but don’t tell others about it.” He chose to believe, despite his family’s criticism. A few years later he moved from Arizona to California where, once again, literature evangelists knocked on his door. It was through the book Steps to Christ that he realized something essential about the character of God: We can come to Him just as we are.
Moises began Bible studies with the pastor of the local church and was baptized. He is still an active member and Moises and Ricardo are still good friends, today. Just recently he told Ricardo this, “Thank you so much for the work you do as a literature evangelist.”
Despite the Rain
One rainy Sunday, Maverick and Amber knocked on Jennifer’s door….
She said that she was an agnostic and just “never felt like God was real.” She had grandparents who were Baptist and they constantly tried to get her to go to church, but Jennifer was the “need to see it to believe it” kind of person. After talking a bit more with Jennifer, Amber offered her free Bible studies. She quickly blew it off, saying “no.” Maverick then invited her to an evangelistic series that was happening in their area of Ceres, California. He told her there would be free food. Jennifer quickly interjected that she was vegan. Maverick responded with a smile, “It’s a vegetarian potluck!” Jennifer was stunned… vegetarian Christians? She said she would think about attending the series. She did. The whole thing. She also took Bible studies with Amber and was baptized.
Just a year after coming to the Lord, Jennifer decided to become a canvasser. She joined Youth Rush in the Central California Conference and began to knock on doors as a literature evangelist with other young people. In speaking of her experience as a canvasser she says, “It is definitely a huge blessing. I have learned so much. It has been very character building. It has shown me how to trust in God more.”
We do not know the full effects of our labor. “Let canvassers go forth with the word of the Lord . . . . One soul truly converted will bring others to Christ. Thus the work will advance into new territory” (Testimonies vol. 6, 315). Our prayer should be that we are that one soul who is truly converted and leading others to Jesus. Let us work together in hastening our Lord’s soon coming one precious person at a time.
The Butler Family
“You probably think we’ve forgotten all about you . . . .
Quite the opposite, however. We are reminded of the beautiful, wholesome young lady that God sent to our doorstep, almost daily as we sit down and have our devotions out of the wonderful Bible story books we purchased from you. Our family was talking about you again this morning after our Bible time. My brother is here visiting from Northern California, and had joined us for devotions. At the end of our reading, we were discussing how absolutely inspiring these books have been and how powerfully descriptive the author is. That led to explaining to Ben (my brother) how we came upon purchasing them. I mentioned how I normally discourage ‘door-to-door’ people, but there was something so different about you that I found very refreshing. Your quiet, gentle spirit spoke volumes and set you apart form the typical ‘sales people’ that often come around. I know others can sense that as well and I can see how God can use you in a powerful way to draw people to Him. How thrilling!”
Daniel 9 DVD: The Ultimate Timeline
“Oh my gosh, I regret procrastinating on watching this…
It was absolutely mind-blowing. One of the most powerful videos I have ever seen. I honestly almost cried at the very end; it was so emotional. I absolutely, absolutely loved it. I’ve been struggling with doubts recently, but now I feel the upsurge to bounce back. Thanks so much for it!”—Eddy