Miracle Hospital

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, September 6.

By Andrew McChesney

B

ethel enrolled in Rusangu University in Zambia because he wanted to stop drinking. He hoped that being at the Seventh-day Adventist university would change

his life.

Bethel was raised in a Seventh-day Adventist family, but he started drinking when his mother died. He was 15, and he missed her terribly. Friends told him that drinking would make him feel better. Soon he had formed a habit, and he drank every day for two years.

Somehow, he managed to graduate from high school.

Then he saw a television report about Rusangu University. He saw that it was a place without alcohol, and he hoped that his life would improve if he studied there.

But at the university, Bethel just couldn’t seem to shake off his old life.

He found a place on the university farm where he could drink secretly.

He made new friends who also drank.

Sometimes he came to church drunk.

The situation seemed hopeless.

Then, one night, he and three friends needed money to buy alcohol. So, they broke into several men’s dormitories and stole mattresses.

But they were caught.

In jail, Bethel had plenty of time to think about his life. He knew that he was guilty of theft, and he had no hope of being freed for a very long time.

With tears, he humbled his heart before God and repented.

“Dear God,” he prayed. “If this is a lesson from You so I change my ways, I promise that I will become a better person with Your help. Please release me from this place.”

Fifteen days later, the police unexpectedly freed Bethel and his three friends. Bethel didn’t know why.

Rusangu University welcomed the students back. Bethel also didn’t know why. Usually, the university expelled students who committed crimes. Bethel wondered if God had heard his prayers and was giving him another chance.

He remembered his promise to God in jail and prayerfully made changes in his life. He stopped drinking. He studied the Bible. A month after being released from jail, he gave his heart to God in baptism.

Teachers and other students saw the remarkable change in his life. They were astonished. When university leaders held an awards ceremony for the best students, they presented him with an honorary award for the biggest change in behavior.

Bethel beamed with joy as he accepted the award.

Today, Bethel is a student leader and member of the university church’s media team.

He is just a few months away from graduating with a degree in journalism, communication, and peace and conflict resolution.

He is thinking about returning to the university after his graduation to study theology and become a pastor.

Bethel said God changed his life and can change the life of anyone who asks.

“God turned by life around from being a drunk and a very troublesome boy at Rusangu,” he said. ⎭

Bethel is among the many students at Rusangu University who have been blessed by a Thirteenth Sabbath Offering. The offering in second quarter 2009 helped open the university library. Just as that offering is still being felt in Zambia and beyond, this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering can also, with God’s blessing, have a long-lasting impact. Thank you for planning a generous offering on September 27.