Why I Never Left the Seventh-Day Adventist Church

So often we hear that young people are leaving the church in droves.  I believe this true.Of my entire pathfinder group of ten only three of us are going to church and only two are baptized members. Five of the ten were brothers and their whole family left the church when they went through a serious family crisis. This happened before the oldest was 16. The other two were siblings and I'm not sure what happened I just know they don't come to church anymore. But I'm writing this not to reflect on why they left, though that may be important at some time and place, instead I want to state why I stayed.  I can only say that this is my personal experience and it may or may not be a reflection of anyone else's reasons for staying.

1. The number one reason I stayed in the church is because i have found a personal saving relationship with Jesus christ.  If i did not know jesus there would be little to keep me here because church is empty outside that framework.
2. I believe that the bible is the inspired word of God and because of that i believe that the Seventh-Day Adventist church is the remnant church.
3. If I am really living the Christian life then any wanderlust or thirst for adventure will be satisfied by God.  When I read about Paul he didn't have a feel good fuzzy religion.  He had a dynamic walk with God.  Truly how can I sit around going through the mundane routine of life when there is a world to be warned-i mean Jesus is coming soon and we live in perilous times.  (I'm not really sure how al that relates to the topic at hand except that I believe jesus is coming soon and I need to get out there and tell people- preaching to myself)
4. There are people in the church who showed me jesus when my faith was so weak that I wanted to give up and walk out. Never has God forsaken me.  He has given to me a precious few who have been close friends and loved me despite my flaws and shown me the love of jesus no matter what (they didn't always say what I wanted to heat but weren't afraid to say what I needed to hear).

I guess my list would boil down to relationship with Jesus,  relationship with people,  and a deep belief in the word of God and he had given us a special message for these last days.

I'm still looking for a place to call home but I don't expect the church to be that place (maybe to a degree because it is a foretaste of heaven). This is just a reminder that heaven is our home and this world is temporary.  We are nomads in this world .

Reflections on the Recent Mission Trip

Sunday I returned from a two week mission trip in Elmira, NY. It was a good mission trip. In the end we had over 200 Bible study leads and 17 families are interested in the Adventist School opening up there this September. All of this is very exciting and I know God is working in Elmira and there are souls just waiting to know the truth about God and longing to know Him.

My main focus during the trip was 5 girls. I happened to be assigned the task of girl's dean and I was assured that I wouldn't have many problems at all. In fact I was told that I should be thankful I wasn't the boy's dean. In reality the opposite was true. I never realized how hurtful girl's could be to each other. My main issues were: modesty in both appearance and deportment, complaining, gossip, backbiting, and refusal to do what was asked of them. All in all it could have been worse but those are plants that if watered and allowed to grow only lead down paths that are not very pleasant. So I prayed. Each morning I would pray for the girls and the staff.I prayed for the Holy Spirit to work in the girl's hearts, and that the Holy Spirit would work in our hearts as staff. I prayed God would show me things in my life that was hindering the girls (He was faithful and I saw some things in my own life that I repented of and by God's grace gaining a victory over). I prayed that we as staff would be good examples and that He would give us wisdom to lead the girls. It was a positive experience. Though there were challenges every day I saw God lead. In particular there were two girls that I saw growth and a desire to follow God.

Na Imah came to the trip because her grandmother suggested that she go. Her grandmother was the cook for the mission trip and Na Imah was staying with her grandmother for the summer. Na Imah is not an adventist and her grandmother is. The last day of outreach during the first week we arrived back to the school early. So it ended up that I and Na Imah were sitting on the swings and just chatting and that was the first day that I started to get to know Na Imah. A few days after that I was again talking to Na Imah and she asked me a Bible question. Three times during the trip we had an impromptu Bible study that other people came and joined us. The second one Na Imah proclaimed, "I have to go to an Adventist college because where else would I learn these things!" Her questions were so sincere and she is earnestly desiring to know God!

Brittany I found out came on the trip because she wants to be a Christian. She said her family is Christian and she wants to be one too. Twice she expressed to me a desire to be baptized when she gets home. Brittany was the youngest girl on the trip and very aggressive. I had trouble with Brittany. But I came to adore her because God allowed me to see past her flaws and to see her potential. I saw that she could be bold for God. The first morning of the trip I reminded the girls to do devotions and I could tell she wasn't thrilled by this but one morning I walked in the room and she was reading a little devotional without anyone saying anything to the girls about devotions. I saw her demeanor soften just a bit as she was there. I saw God use her during outreach and to encourage me during the trip with a hug or a word of thanks.

There is nothing more amazing than watching God change a life. When they give their hearts to Christ and begin walking with Him. Brittany got up during the last worship to share a testimony about the trip and she was rambling on about how she was so aggressive. The Bible worker stopped her and said to her that God would use those character traits and polish them and turn them into positive traits to be used for Him.That is true for each one of us. He is taking us and polishing our characters to be more and more like His. It is a day by day, moment by moment process, surrendering our hearts to God and being lead by Him.

Outreach

Mission Trip
Location: Elmira, NY
Objective: To win souls to the kingdom of God
Methods: Bible study cards and surveys
Personnel: Group of 22 adults and teens

So far...
Today was the first day of outreach. Our goal was to get as many door hangers out to the public as possible. We were delayed due to a heavy down pour but God held the rain for the rest of outreacv. The rain returned not one minute after I picked up the team in order to head back to the church. It was as if the clouds had been holding back the rain for 3 and a half hours and released all of it in the next hour. I could barely see the side street names to get back home. God's timing could not have been more perfect!