NewsNuggets Page 57

Angie LeGrand with Ron Price – Farmington, New Mexico … The idea for the Days of Noah DVD series came to Angie LeGrand after she had viewed the series a year ago. She is a leader of the Tuesday 12:30 Women’s Bible Study at Piñon Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church in Farmington, New Mexico. This Bible study group consists of nearly ten women, meeting weekly for the last seven years.

She explained, “I had expressed to the women of having frequent urges that we should be doing more to share the gospel of Jesus to our community. It was during this conversation that we discovered that all of us had been feeling the same urge but had not acted upon it.

We decided that, through prayer and seeking God’s direction, we would look at different prophetic studies that would fit the needs and questions of our church family and community. A couple of us had seen the Days of Noah series and felt that it was a perfect fit for where God was leading us. It had science, scripture, biblical, and world history all combined into a format that all could understand.”

The group sought out a member of our church, retired Pastor Rick Roy, to teach and answer questions. An adult program was established that would include a children’s program as well. “It was our intention to seek donors to fund the project. We put together a proposal and presented it to our church Board for approval,” Angie explained. Mark Phillips, the church pastor, and the church board approved the project, and, from there, the Noah program was off and running.

“God was with us every step of the way and there was a tremendous amount of prayer as well. The biggest worry we had was time restraints that prohibited us from advertising, but, as women of prayer, we forged ahead with a thought. ‘Yes, we would love to have a packed house, but our mission is to reach that one person that would come that God was urging, that one lost sheep,’ ” Angie continued.

As Pastor Rick Roy commented, “Using the Days of Noah videos, we are doing an evangelistic outreach that has brought us five members from the community, and five former Adventist church members. These videos supply a lot of information. The questions that come during follow-up sessions have to do with issues that were not found in the videos but are general questions that attendees had about the Bible concerning other issues. We are excited to see what the total outcome will be when we have completed all four videos.”

The videos are being presented every Wednesday in the month of April with one of the four DVDs played weekly. Angie LeGrand said that nearly 70 attendees came on the first night two of which were children. The meetings averaged 65 attendees and the children’s program has grown to eight children. “We are thrilled with this attendance and as a church, excited that we are getting the Good News out within our community. This has been a blessing for all that have been involved. As a group we are now looking over ideas to advance our Women’s Ministry to the community. It is our desire to serve our Lord in sharing the gospel in these dark uncertain days,” she said.

—Angie LeGrand with Ron Price, ministry leaders at Piñon Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church in Farmington, New Mexico. Photo supplied.

Jana Thurber – Denver, Colorado … The Lord says: Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: That they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and brings justice and righteousness on earth, and that I delight in these things (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

After receiving a sobering medical diagnosis almost two decades ago, I vividly recall feelings of immense human inadequacy knowing my need at that moment was very great. Urgency required that I turn to the unfailing love, power, and presence of God in my life. So, while relying on the initial advice from medical professionals, I also instinctively knew I must find a promise from God’s word to daily claim to get me through the inevitable journey before me.

Jeremiah 17:14 came to mind: O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone!

Every morning would find me persistently claiming this promise in prayer along with praises to God for being the supreme and sovereign God of power and authority, who alone deserves praise and glory.

However, as the months went by, the negative responses in my body grew due to cumulative treatments, surgeries, wounds, and drugs I was allergic to. This admittedly took a toll on both my physical and emotional health.

About six months into treatment, I headed to my study late one morning determined to write a devotional for our students at the college week of prayer. But in my weakened condition, I was not able to do this.

So, I cried out to God and said, “God, I really need to hear some words of comfort and strength from you this morning. I am not able to get my work done at this point.”

Opening my Bible, my eyes immediately saw another text in Jeremiah 30:17, I will give you back your health and heal your wounds.

I am not proud of the response that suddenly burst forth from my mouth at that moment. “Well Lord, that’s a wonderful text! But was the daily text I have been claiming all along not good enough?”

Here’s how I know that the Great I Am, the only God of Immeasurable Power, is not phased when we ask Him hard questions. I discovered that His delight in us does not diminish one iota whether we’re on a mountaintop or in a dark valley. It’s true. I did not receive immediate healing that day. Nor did my symptoms disappear. I had to be in the fiery furnace a little longer. The difference was that I knew without a shadow of a doubt, He was standing beside me! (Joshua 1:9).

How do I know? Because that very afternoon, God proved to me that Jeremiah 30:17 was His answer to my question. I had posed daily in claiming Jeremiah 17:14! Within the hour, the postman came to my door and delivered one small package that would have easily fit in my mailbox by the road. With a smile on his face, the mail carrier handed me a tiny package and said, “This is for you!”

I thanked him, while wondering why he had never ever delivered a small package to our front door in the many years we had lived in that house. Quickly opening the package, I discovered a beautifully designed and laminated handmade Bible bookmark with colorful flowers surrounding a text that read, I will give you back your health and heal your wounds. This clearly was not a simple coincidence! God answered my plea with His word and confirmed it by the kindness of a friend who sent me the lovely bookmark before I even prayed this powerful Scripture-prayer.

Today, the God of the universe bends down from His high and holy place to search out those willing to surrender their will to their Creator, willing to personally know Him through prayer and His words. Willing to know that His love for us is immeasurable.

He says in Zephaniah 3:17, I take great delight in you. I rejoice over you with singing. We cannot trust Him too much. He is the Almighty Worker, full of divine life and power.

Christ Jesus says, I am the Vine, I will receive you. I will draw you to Myself, I will bless you. I will strengthen you. I will fill you with My Spirit. I, the Vine, have taken you to be My branches; I have given Myself utterly to you children. Give yourselves utterly to Me. I have surrendered Myself as God absolutely to you; I became Man and died for you that I might be entirely yours. Come and surrender yourselves entirely to be Mine.

And in the fitting words of Andrew Murray, “What shall our answer be? Oh, let it be a prayer from the depths of our heart, that the living Christ may take each one of us and link us close to himself. Let our prayer be that He, the living Vine, shall so link each of us to Himself that we shall go on our way with our hearts singing: He is my Vine, and I am His branch; I want nothing more—now I have the everlasting Vine.

Then when you get alone with Him, worship and adore Him, praise and trust Him, love Him and wait for His love. Thou art my Vine, and I am Thy branch. It is enough. My soul is satisfied. Glory to His blessed name!”

—Jana Thurber is the RMC women’s ministries and prayer ministries director as well as pastoral spouse support. Photo by Unsplash.

Adelaide Eno – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … La Vida Mission School is dusty. This was the first thing I noticed when I saw it for the first time. I knew we would be in the desert when I heard it was in New Mexico, but I didn’t expect it to be that sandy. For a place called “the life,” La Vida was pretty devoid of it.

A couple of shabby buildings and a small playground with creaky swings stood at the top of a steep road as we approached the Mission. One of the buildings was larger than the others—the gym/cafeteria/auditorium. No matter how much sweeping you did in that building, there was a permanent layer of dirt on the floor that refused to be relocated.

La Vida provided us with housing set up like dorms. The bunk bed I slept in had been around for a long time and was covered in countless scribbles. The marks seemed more numerous than the stars. That week, they were my own “starry night.”

I did not feel any attachment to La Vida. I was just hoping I would be able to get the dust out from between my toes after the ordeal. On the second day, something changed. My teachers suggested my friend, Daniela, and I help the special needs teacher who had three kids that day.

If I am being perfectly honest, I’m not a fan of kids. They’re cute. However, I don’t know what to do with them. This day, I pounced on the opportunity. Indoor classroom! Lack of invasive dust! AIR CONDITIONING!!! Story time with some kids was a small price to pay.

Daniela and I met the teacher and her kids at the entrance of the building. The teacher was very careful to make sure the door was always locked. I figured it was a school policy. We went to the classroom, and it was cluttered with all kinds of things to keep the kids busy while teaching them at the same time. During the day, Daniela and I quickly realized that the teacher was dedicated to her job. She loved the kids and did everything she could with what she had.

Most of her teaching equipment was castoffs; I had seen many of the items in the deepest corners of Mile High Academy’s storage, unused for years. She taught her students how to write their letters and vocabulary words on a chalkboard. Her letters had an infinite number of squiggles and shakes in them as she was older. Her hands were worn with the work of generations. She could easily have been old enough to retire ten years ago but, still, she taught.

Because of the nature of her classroom, her students moved at very different paces. All of them were behind. One was a third grader while another was still working up to first grade. They worked hard. Daniela and I, honestly, didn’t do much. We helped with some of the lessons, but we were practically students with them again. When we did have story time, only Daniela and I were the ones learning, not the kids.

La Vida is on a Navajo reservation, so alongside English, the kids were learning some Navajo in mostly song. We expressed interest in the language, and, in return, the teacher led us around the small school building to speak to the other teachers. They taught us the National Anthem and gave us the lyrics of songs like Jesus Loves You in Navajo, and the students even sung for us. All the teachers showed their love for the kids, and Daniela and I weren’t to be left out.

Though we had only known the kids for a little while, we were charmed by them. They had wonderful manners and were sweet as honey to us. They showered us with the enthusiasm that only children have. Their innocence and joy touched our hearts, and we were practically ready to stay at the Mission forever. Their smiles were like the sun.

Then came our story time. While our teacher read, we doodled. I’m a little artistic and one of the kids noticed. He watched me draw with wide eyes and scootched a bit closer to me. “It’s so pretty,” he said quietly. Then he took my paper from me and started to draw too. He traced his tiny, chubby hand and made it into a hand turkey. He made a couple of stick figures and accompanied it with his scratchy signature. I had to squint to tell what it said: “I love you.”

Well, shoot, I already loved him too.

How is it that kids can break through every barrier we ever put up? Love is supposedly a special word that we only give to a few people. It’s a treasure that’s held close to our hearts. But when the kid told me he loved me, I believed him. I believed him because of the way concentrated on making his letters perfect. I believed him because of how he laughed when we played tag on the playground and how proud he was when he caught me. I believed him because kids don’t need to save love for certain people. That’s their gift. They haven’t learned not to love everyone.

And, in my opinion, they shouldn’t.

If he had learned not to love, I wouldn’t have understood why La Vida was named just that. Life. It wasn’t about having new buildings or the quality of their stuff. It wasn’t about enrollment. It wasn’t about the location. It was about the kids. The kids gave La Vida life. The kids were La Vida.

I’m going back to La Vida. I hope I get to see the kids again, and I want to see the teachers. Together, they taught me.

Not to mention, now that it’s in hindsight, I don’t really mind the dust. Weird how that works.

* La Vida Mission, located near Farmington, New Mexico, is an independent ministry not affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Conference.

—Adelaide Eno is a sophomore student at Mile High Academy. Photo supplied.

Sandy Hodgson – Denver, Colorado … “Change is the only constant in life.” What Heraclitus is quoted to have said in the 6^th century is still true today. However, we serve a God that changes not (Malachi 3:6).

The Rocky Mountain Conference office of education is amid change at several schools throughout our region. There are openings for head teachers in Alamosa, Grand Junction, and Farmington. Campion Academy, HMS Richards, Mile High Academy, and Vista Ridge Academy are looking to hire new and/or replace teachers and staff that are transitioning out of the Conference.

Don Reeder, principal at Campion Academy shared, “So, yes, it is part of the spring life at a school replacing openings that come up. And, for many years, it would just be discouraging to me. It can be overwhelming at times. How am I going to replace this person? Lately, though, I’ve been watching how God has blessed us with bringing in the right people. And I’m trying to do better at viewing this time of year as more of, ‘Hey, what is God going to do’ moment and ‘who’s he bringing in to be a new part of our team?’, part of the Campion family. And so, from that aspect, it’s quite exciting.”

At the North American Division year-end meetings in October 2022, Adventist education was a focus topic on how to support through some of the challenges our division is experiencing. Many teachers are nearing retirement age, yet our colleges and universities currently graduate a low number of education majors, many less than 10. The current NAD job postings for K-12 positions in North America are more than 250.

The RMC office of education recently presented a strategic plan with RMC departmental leaders. The plan will strengthen the components of the mission of education in the Rocky Mountain Conference to 1) connect students to Jesus and prepare them for His soon return in the learning process; 2) connect students to the purpose God has for them through authentic learning experiences; 3) collaborate with churches, pastors, and RMC ministries to be an active center for evangelism; and 4) actively support the growth of RMC ministries and churches by utilizing the skills and competencies of the Rocky Mountain Conference office of education.

“I am grateful for the community and leadership that support each school. Each and every position is lifted up in prayer as we see seek God’s leading in our schools,” commented Diane Harris, RMC Superintendent of Education.

—Sandy Hodgson is the RMC education assistant director. Photo by Rajmund Dabrowski.

Jacque Davis – Montrose, Colorado … Baptisms are being planned for the evening of March 15 at the Montrose Adventist Church. On that evening, Evangelist Tim Rumsey from Pathway to Paradise Ministries*, will be completing his outreach series entitled Revelation Unfolding. “This 25-part series has been a huge blessing to our church and community,” comments the church’s Pastor Nathan Cranson. The presentations were also live streamed at Montrose Seventh-day Adventist Church on YouTube.

Attendance has averaged around 50 attendees in person and nearly 20 others joining remotely. “It’s an amazing the sense of community that is created when people come together to study the Bible five nights a week for a whole month,” Cranson commented. “It is a good sign when you have to start turning off the lights to get people to head home after every meeting. What sweet fellowship!”

In the words of Ellen G. White, “One soul won to Christ will flash heaven’s light all around him, penetrating the moral darkness, and saving other souls. Thus two, five, ten talents will accumulate and double. This is not an exaggeration. If Christ left the ninety and nine, that he might seek and save the one lost sheep, shall we be justified in doing less?” (Monthly Missionary Reading, May 9, 1908, par. 7)

The Montrose church is planning for three people to be baptized this coming Sabbath. “Having a Revelation series is always an act of faith. You spend so much time planning and praying and [spend] so much money advertising,” reflected Pastor Cranson. “You then wonder if anyone will show up, and, if they do, you wonder if anyone will continue attending the meetings. And then, as the series winds down, you see once again the power of God’s Word in action, and you are reminded why we do what we do. God is faithful!” he added.

*Pathway to Paradise Ministries is a supporting ministry not affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Conference and is a member of Adventist-layman’s Services & Industries (ASI).

—Jacque Davis is communication secretary of Montrose Adventist Church. Photo supplied.