ON FIRE FOR CHRIST | Marlon Wallace

By Marlon Wallace ON FIRE FOR CHRIST

p Brownsville Seventh-day Adventist Church outreach team.

qAdalberto Mendez, left, chose to be baptized by Marlon Wallace, Brownsville Seventh-day Adventist Church pastor, after hearing about the church from Ivan Guajardo.

Iwas at the door greeting people following the worship service at the Brownsville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Brownsville, Texas, a few months ago when this young man asked, “Are you the pastor?”

After confirming I was, the young man asked per mission to attend the worship service. “Of course!” I replied. What he didn’t know was that the church had been praying for more young people to start attending. Seeing that he was alone, I asked whether someone had invited him. “No, sir,” he re plied. “I was just reading my Bible,

found out about the Sabbath and wanted to start keeping it.” Continuing the conversation, I learned that Ivan Guajardo had been reading his Bible for a cou ple of years on his own, trying to find meaning for his life. He grew up in a loving, traditional Catholic home but had many questions about religion and especially about the Sabbath. We started studying the Bible together. Guajardo was thrilled with everything that he was learning and soon decided to be baptized. Unfortunately, before his bap tism he faced some challenges. His mother, who is a wonderful person, was afraid that her son would lose his salvation if he left the Catholic faith. She tried many times to convince Guajardo to quit his efforts of going to the Sev enth-day Adventist Church. She even set up a meeting between Guajardo and the local priest. They exhausted their arguments

but still could not change Guajardo’s mind to be baptized. As a last resort, they asked Guajardo to bring me to talk with the priest in an attempt to prove that the Catholic theology was the truth. I agreed to the visit, taking my church elder, Skariah Perakathu, with me to meet with the priest. After a few hours of friendly and respectful debate, Guajardo turned to me and said, “Pastor, I’m more confident now that the Seventh-day Adventist Church has the truth.” Without the presence of his par ents, Guajardo was “adopted” by the church family and baptized with a beautiful celebra tion. Since Guajardo’s baptism, he has been on fire for Jesus and invited everyone he knows to learn about the truth that changed the course of his life. One of the managers at his job, Adalberto Men dez, took notice of the change. He was in his early twenties with a very successful career but felt something was missing. After a few Bible studies, Mendez was so in love with Jesus and the truth that he decided to be baptized. Mendez is now active in bringing others to study the Bible. Among them is his best friend, Jonas Ver gara. Now Vergara, who is also on fire, calls me every day to ask to study the Bible. He is scheduled to be baptized at the end of Febru ary 2020. All three young men are very in volved with many activities in our church and have begun a basket ball ministry called “MENistry.” Mendez and Vergara are deter mined to become pastors of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Another friend of theirs is now studying the Bible and is very in trigued with what he is learning. God is working amazing things among His people! He is active ly calling people of all ages and different walks of life to hear His call: “Come out of her, My peo ple,” Revelation 18:4. _________________

Marlon Wallace pastors the Brownsville and San Benito Seventh-day Adventist Churches in southern Texas. He is grateful for God’s answered prayer for young people to join the church.

t Jonas Vergara is now studying to be baptized after learning about the church from his best friend, Adalberto Mendez.

q Ivan Guajardo, left, was baptized by Marlon Wallace, Brownsville Seventhday Adventist Church pastor. Guajardo found the church after learning about the Sabbath through personal Bible studies.