Bar Bought With Prayer
To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, August 31.
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driana was adept at planting churches in Colombia. The 35-year-old wife and mother planted six churches over 15 years, and she was ready to help plant church No. 7 in a poor neighborhood in the south of Colombia’s sprawling capital, Bogotá.
But no one seemed to be able to find an affordable building in a prime location.
The seed for the church was planted when Wilinton, a former alcoholic in the neighborhood, gave his heart to Jesus and started a small Bible-study group in his home. The group outgrew his home and moved several times. Now 50 people were worshipping together every Sabbath, and it was time for them to have a church building of their own.
Adriana belonged to another church that wanted to help Wilinton’s congregation plant the church. She looked at five buildings and found nothing.
Then Wilinton suggested a bar that he had frequented before he got baptized. The bar was right in the middle of the neighborhood, and it was up for sale. But the asking price was too high.
Adriana met with the bar owner. She explained that church members wanted to buy the building but didn’t have the funds.
“Could you please wait for a year while we raise the money?” she asked.
The owner didn’t want to wait, and he shook his head.
Adriana begged him to reconsider, but he refused. However, he added, “If your plan is from God, this building will be yours.”
Adriana and other church members prayed to God for help, and they started raising money.
Then a potential buyer came to take a look at the building. He liked what he saw, and he agreed to buy it.
Church members wondered if they would lose the building. They prayed for God’s will to be done.
The potential buyer left and never returned with the money for the building.
The building remained up for sale.
Then another buyer visited the building and offered to buy it. It looked like the sale would go through. Church members again prayed for God’s will to be done, and the buyer didn’t return with the money.
The bar owner couldn’t understand why his building wasn’t selling. He reduced the price. Then he reduced it again. But still, he couldn’t find a buyer.
Adriana was convinced that God had a plan to turn the bar into a church and center of influence. The center of influence would teach life skills to people in the community and help those who were struggling with alcoholism.
Adriana visited the bar owner again.
“You won’t sell this building,” she said, boldly. “You will sell it to us because it will be a place that will help the community and glorify God.”
A year passed, and church members had gathered enough money to buy the building at the lower asking price. A church leader visited the owner to finalize the sale.
The owner expressed relief that he could finally sell the building.
“I haven’t been able to sell this building because those Adventists have been praying to buy it,” he said.
Two weeks later, the building was sold to the Adventist Church. The final, reduced price was half the market value of similar buildings in the neighborhood.
Today, Adriana praises God for the new church and center of influence.
“We all prayed for this place,” she said. “When God has a plan, no one can change it.”
This mission story provides an inside look at life in Colombia and missional challenges there. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open two centers of influence to help children who are at risk of alcohol and drug abuse in Colombia. Thank you for planning a generous offering on September 28.