Faithful at School

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, July 26.

By Andrew McChesney

H

ave you ever started the school year late? If you have, you know it’s uncomfortable to arrive after all the other kids have been together for a while. The other kids already know each other, but you don’t know anyone, and no one knows you.

This is how 12-year-old Sishemo felt when she arrived for eighth grade at her new boarding school in Zambia. Because of a mix-up in paperwork, she started her studies at the all-girls’ school a whole month late.

So, Sishemo didn’t know anyone when she moved into the girls’ dormitory. No one knew her. But all the other girls knew one another because they had been studying together for four weeks.

But not knowing anyone was the least of Sishemo’s problems. She quickly learned that she had to prepare for a very important test.

Sishemo arrived at school on a Friday, and the test was on Monday. The other girls had been preparing for the test for four weeks. The teacher said their last chance to prepare was Friday night.

The school was not Seventh-day Adventist, but Sishemo came from a Seventh-day Adventist family. She didn’t want to study on Friday night.

But at 6 o’clock on Friday evening, the teacher ushered Sishemo and 55 other girls into a classroom and told them to prepare for the test one last time. The girls had three hours to study.

After sitting down, Sishemo looked around at the other girls. They were busy studying for the test. Sishemo took out a book about the Sabbath. She had packed the book so she would have something to read on Sabbath.

Soon the other girls noticed that Sishemo wasn’t preparing for the test, and they asked what she was doing. Sishemo explained that she was a Seventh-day Adventist and was keeping the Sabbath. The girls looked at one another. It turned out that six of those girls also came from Adventist homes, but they were studying for the test. One of those girls said, “But God understands our situation. We need to pass the test.”

Sishemo didn’t agree. God said, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8, NKJV), and she was determined to keep the Sabbath holy no matter what.

Sishemo wasn’t able to prepare for the test, but she passed it without any problem on Monday. She was sure that God had blessed her for keeping the Sabbath.

But that was not the end of the story. Sishemo soon found out that her new school required all the girls to clean the dormitories and other school buildings every Saturday. Sishemo didn’t want to work on Sabbath, and she didn’t want to cause trouble. So, she hid on the sports field during cleaning time for the first few Saturdays. But then a teacher found her on the field and asked why she wasn’t helping. Sishemo explained that she was a Sabbath-keeper. The teacher understood. Sishemo got permission to clean on Sundays.

Then something interesting happened. Girls from other Adventist homes saw that Sishemo was keeping the Sabbath and asked if they also could work on Sunday. They got permission, and a group of Adventist girls began to keep the Sabbath holy.

Sishemo’s faithfulness caught the attention of girls from non-Adventist homes. They asked her many questions about the Sabbath. “We want to understand why you keep the Sabbath,” said one.

“We worship on Sunday because Jesus was resurrected on Sunday. Why do you worship on Sabbath?” said another.

Sishemo spoke about the true meaning of the Sabbath. She said that in the beginning, God blessed the seventh day, and it had nothing to do with Jesus’ resurrection. The Bible says, “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:2, 3).

Many girls were impressed that the seventh day is the true Sabbath. They asked to join Sishemo in keeping the Sabbath and only working on Sunday.

So, through Sishemo’s faithfulness, many girls at the non-Adventist boarding school in Zambia began to keep the Sabbath.

If God could use Sishemo to lead many girls to love the Sabbath in Zambia, imagine what God could do with you.

Part of your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will help children in Sishemo’s country of Zambia learn about the Lord of the Sabbath. The offering will give many children an Adventurer’s Bible. Thank you for planning a generous offering on September 27.