Two Brave Girls

Febrina was expelled from school for not going to classes on the Sabbath.

My name is Febrina. I learned about Jesus from my uncle Marcos. I’m proud of him because he’s the one who brought me into the Adventist church. I studied the Bible with him when I was in the fifth grade and then was baptized. I felt happy and enjoyed reading the Bible, because it is true.

In my country, all the children must go to school every day except Sunday. After I was baptized, I no longer went to school on Saturdays, because I had learned that the Sabbath was God’s holy day.

By the time I was in high school, the teachers were watching me carefully. One day I was taken to the school office. The teachers asked, “Why don’t you come to school on Saturdays?”

“Because I go to church every Saturday,” I told them. After I told them more about the Sabbath, the teachers became very angry and said that I would be expelled if I didn’t come on Saturdays.

Afterward I went home and prayed about this problem. I asked the church to pray for my teachers. The next Sabbath I didn’t go to school, and so I was expelled.

The Bible verse that helps me to always be strong in Jesus is Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” This verse really helps me a lot because it reminds me to make God first in everything and He will take care of me.

Going to Work

After being expelled, I stayed at home for a while. The church members kept praying, asking God to strengthen me. Then I was invited to work in a nearby shop that is owned by a Seventh-day Adventist, so every Sabbath we are closed.

In this shop we want to share Jesus with our customers. One way we do this is by not selling cigarettes or alcohol. When the customers ask for these things we explain that we don’t sell them because they’re not good for our bodies, and that our bodies are the temple of God. Almost every day someone asks us about this.

I pray about my future education. Please pray that we will soon have an Adventist school in Timor-Leste. But whatever happens in my life, even if more challenges come, I have decided to always follow Jesus.

Expelled by Family

My name is Helena. I learned about Jesus from Adventist missionaries who came to my village. The missionaries were very kind and did many things such as helping clean the village, the road, and people’s houses. I was interested in what they were doing, so I went and joined them every day.

While we worked together, the missionaries invited me to study the Bible with them. We studied for two months and then I decided to be baptized. I was very happy to study the Bible, because I found new lessons for my life. The verse that encouraged me to study was Matthew 7:7—“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (KJV). It invites us to come to Jesus in prayer. When I have problems, I remember this verse.

Before I studied the Bible with the missionaries, my parents were kind to me, but after I accepted Jesus my parents became very angry and didn’t want to see me anymore. Please pray for them, that someday they will come to know and love Jesus as I have. Also, please pray for an Adventist school here in Timor-Leste. Thank you.