Thirteenth Sabbath Program: Getting Rohi Out of Bed

Dwight felt bad because his friend was missing Sabbath School and Pathfinders.

By Andrew McChesney

Narrator: Dwight and Rohi are best friends in Goroka, Papua New Guinea. They walk home from school together. They play together. They dislike saying goodbye to each other. But Dwight was sad.

Dwight (speaking to audience): Rohi was missing out on Pathfinders and interesting Sabbath School lessons every Saturday at my church.

Narrator: That night, Dwight decided to pray for Rohi to go with him to church on Sabbath.

Dwight: Dear God, please help Rohi to come. Help us to stay good friends. Help us to all go to heaven together.

Narrator: At school the next day, Dwight spoke with his friend between classes.

Dwight (speaking to Rohi): Come for the Sabbath program, and then we will go to my house for a big lunch.

Rohi (hesitantly): OK, I’ll come.

Narrator: But Rohi was thinking:

Rohi (to audience, shaking his head): No, I’m not going to go.

Narrator: Rohi was shy about going to church. He didn’t have many friends there. On Sabbath, Dwight looked for Rohi at church and didn’t see him. On Monday, he saw Rohi at school and invited him to go the next Sabbath.

Dwight: Come for the Sabbath program, and then we will go for a large lunch together.

Rohi: OK, I’ll come.

Narrator: Rohi felt bad for not keeping his promise, and he didn’t want to disappoint his friend again. He thought:

Rohi: I’ll probably go — if I can wake up early.

Narrator: Dwight prayed for Rohi every night that week.

Dwight: Dear God, please help Rohi to come. Help us to stay good friends. Help us to all go to heaven together.

Narrator: On Sabbath morning, Rohi woke up at 8 a.m. Sabbath School began at 8:30 a.m., so he had only 30 minutes to get ready and run to church. Rohi sprang out of bed, dressed, and rushed to church. But when he arrived, he was too scared to go inside. He stood outside the building, wondering what to do. A school classmate saw him and led him to the Sabbath School class. Dwight was thrilled to see his best friend in the class and jumped up and down with joy! God had answered his prayers. Rohi liked the Sabbath School class. The boys and girls talked about social media.

Teacher: The time spent on Facebook and Instagram could be better spent reading the Bible.

Narrator: Rohi realized that the teacher was right. He thought:

Rohi: Social media takes up most of my time, and I could be doing better things.

Narrator: After Sabbath School, Dwight invited Rohi to sit with him and his family for the sermon. Rohi found the worship service a little confusing. His own church didn’t have a children’s story before the sermon or a Pathfinders club afterward. But he liked them both. He also enjoyed lunch at Dwight’s house.

The next Friday night, Rohi set his alarm clock for 6 a.m. Normally, he didn’t set the alarm for Saturday morning, but he didn’t want to be late for Sabbath School.

When the alarm went off, he promptly jumped out of bed.

His mother was surprised and asked:

Mother: Where are you going?

Rohi: I’m going to church.

Narrator: Rohi was waiting outside the church building when Dwight arrived for Sabbath School. Dwight was so happy to see his friend!

A year has passed. Now Rohi sets the alarm for 6 a.m. every Sabbath. He also is a Pathfinder and takes parts in other church activities. He likes his new life.

Rohi: I didn’t used to be busy on weekends, and I stayed at home. But now I come to church and am very busy. It’s fun!

Narrator: Dwight still prays for Rohi every night.

Dwight: I hope Rohi will be baptized. God answered my first prayer and brought him to church. I’m sure God will answer this prayer, too.

Narrator: Three years ago, part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering helped construct children’s Sabbath School classrooms in Papua New Guinea and other countries in the South Pacific Division so children like Rohi could learn about Jesus. Today we are taking another Thirteenth Sabbath Offering for the South Pacific Division. The money will help “Save 10,000 Toes,” a campaign to prevent toe amputations through health services in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Kiribati, and Tonga. The money also will be used to construct Hope TV and radio studios in Tonga and produce a children’s animated series about Daniel in Australia. Thank you for your generous Thirteenth Sabbath Offering. ⎭

[Offering]

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