A Great Work
“My family said, ‘Don’t go there.’ But I saw someone going to church every Saturday, so I went. When my family found out, they threatened to beat me or kill me, but I don’t care. I would rather follow God than men.”
“When my brother found out I had become Adventist, he was angry and would beat me. I told him that I wouldn’t change. I know the truth and must follow it, even if I die.”
These are only two snippets of the many stirring stories that I’ve heard since arriving in Timor-Leste. Pretty much every Adventist that you talk to here has a story including (but not limited to) being expelled from school, having rocks thrown at their churches while they worship, being disowned from their families, and praying quietly while someone is coming at them with a machete. The price for becoming an Adventist here can be quite costly. Often, the sacrifice is great and the challenges are many. With less than 600 Adventists in a country with a population of about 1.2 million, the work that needs to be done here is immense!
One way to help Adventist students with the struggles they face is by starting an SDA school here. The public schools have classes on Saturdays, so when Adventist students repeatedly miss school every Saturday, they sometimes get beaten. Some Adventist parents don’t want their kids to face these difficulties, so they send them to school on Sabbath, rather than bringing them to church. For high school students, when the teachers notice that they are skipping school every Saturday, they will often schedule exams for Sabbath. When students fail too many classes (due to missed exams) or when they have missed to many days of school, they are expelled. Many Adventist high school students have been able to study at the Muslim school in town because they don’t have to face the Sabbath conflict there. But even better would be if we could offer them an Adventist education.
Although we’re not ready to open up a full K-12 Adventist Academy this year, we have long-term plans that – God-willing – will one day see that dream come true. Not only would it provide Adventist students a safe, Christ-centered environment to study, but it would be a tool for building the future leaders of the church here, as well as, a way to reach out to the non-Adventist families that choose to send their children to our school.
So, we’re starting small this year with just 3 classes and plan to expand each year. Starting from scratch, there is SO much to do, but we are gearing up to start on September 28. We have been advertising all around the city, and we have had an overwhelming positive response. (Although the school is primarily for Adventist students, we need the enrolment of non-Adventist students to help make the school sustainable.) For this year, we will be meeting in temporary classrooms, using materials and supplies that have mostly been donated, and doing our best to find the rest of the things that we will need. BUT, with the help of the 13th Sabbath mission offerings this quarter, we have been looking for land and hope to be able to start building an actual school building that – again, God-willing – will be ready for us to use at the beginning of next school year. It is my prayer that one day this school will be just one of the many Adventist schools around this country! Please consider the beautiful children of Timor-Leste and the great work that needs to be accomplished here as the 13th Sabbath mission offering on September 26 approaches. I will be able to personally guarantee that your offerings get put to good use!
[You can donate at your local churches or online here: https://giving.adventistmission.org/page.aspx?pid=298 by choosing “13th Sabbath Offering” as the “Fund”]
“When my brother found out I had become Adventist, he was angry and would beat me. I told him that I wouldn’t change. I know the truth and must follow it, even if I die.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are only two snippets of the many stirring stories that I’ve heard since arriving in Timor-Leste. Pretty much every Adventist that you talk to here has a story including (but not limited to) being expelled from school, having rocks thrown at their churches while they worship, being disowned from their families, and praying quietly while someone is coming at them with a machete. The price for becoming an Adventist here can be quite costly. Often, the sacrifice is great and the challenges are many. With less than 600 Adventists in a country with a population of about 1.2 million, the work that needs to be done here is immense!
One way to help Adventist students with the struggles they face is by starting an SDA school here. The public schools have classes on Saturdays, so when Adventist students repeatedly miss school every Saturday, they sometimes get beaten. Some Adventist parents don’t want their kids to face these difficulties, so they send them to school on Sabbath, rather than bringing them to church. For high school students, when the teachers notice that they are skipping school every Saturday, they will often schedule exams for Sabbath. When students fail too many classes (due to missed exams) or when they have missed to many days of school, they are expelled. Many Adventist high school students have been able to study at the Muslim school in town because they don’t have to face the Sabbath conflict there. But even better would be if we could offer them an Adventist education.
Although we’re not ready to open up a full K-12 Adventist Academy this year, we have long-term plans that – God-willing – will one day see that dream come true. Not only would it provide Adventist students a safe, Christ-centered environment to study, but it would be a tool for building the future leaders of the church here, as well as, a way to reach out to the non-Adventist families that choose to send their children to our school.
So, we’re starting small this year with just 3 classes and plan to expand each year. Starting from scratch, there is SO much to do, but we are gearing up to start on September 28. We have been advertising all around the city, and we have had an overwhelming positive response. (Although the school is primarily for Adventist students, we need the enrolment of non-Adventist students to help make the school sustainable.) For this year, we will be meeting in temporary classrooms, using materials and supplies that have mostly been donated, and doing our best to find the rest of the things that we will need. BUT, with the help of the 13th Sabbath mission offerings this quarter, we have been looking for land and hope to be able to start building an actual school building that – again, God-willing – will be ready for us to use at the beginning of next school year. It is my prayer that one day this school will be just one of the many Adventist schools around this country! Please consider the beautiful children of Timor-Leste and the great work that needs to be accomplished here as the 13th Sabbath mission offering on September 26 approaches. I will be able to personally guarantee that your offerings get put to good use!
An info session about the school for the Adventist parents
[You can donate at your local churches or online here: https://giving.adventistmission.org/page.aspx?pid=298 by choosing “13th Sabbath Offering” as the “Fund”]
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