Every Thursday, we have a meeting for the alcoholics in the house of Abilio, an ex-alcoholic turned Seventh-day Adventist. I have struggled to find content for these meetings. I have watched dozens, if not hundreds, of YouTube videos, searching for short sermons and powerful testimonies. I have also invited local Adventists to speak. I still felt like something was lacking.
Last week, as I was planning for the meeting, an idea formed. Wouldn’t it be nice to study the parables of Jesus, one-by-one, as outlined in Christ’s Object Lessons? Parables are short and simple - something that works well for persons who have little Bible knowledge. Despite the simplicity of the stories, the lessons are deep and powerful.
But how would we study the parables? I can’t speak Spanish well enough to lead a discussion, and the attendees wouldn’t be interested enough to simply read through Christ’s Object Lessons. It would be difficult to find a reliable church member who would study and prepare a sermon every week for just a few attendees. I dismissed the idea as impractical and continued planning for that week’s meeting.
A day or so later, another idea popped in my head. What if Yader did it? Yader is a young Adventist who used to live about 45 minutes from Muy Muy. Although he usually attended his local church, he sometimes preached in the Muy Muy church. He appeared to have a deeper understanding of the Adventist message than do many of the members here. About a year ago, he and his wife opened a natural pharmacy in Muy Muy and moved here. I hadn’t had much interaction with them, though, because they still usually attend the Miragua church.
When I told Yader my idea, he agreed immediately. He asked me if I knew the homes of each of the alcoholics. He proposed that we visit some of the homes on Sabbath, which we did. We spent about three hours visiting four homes. Yader is now studying the Bible with Antonia (Jeyson's mother) and her sister. He preached his first sermon for the Thursday meetings this week.
I am looking forward to the rest of this series.
