Bringing Father to Church

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, November 4.

By Andrew McChesney

S

abbath was a happy day for 6-year-old Mefouma in the African country of Cameroon. She loved to sing songs about God in church. She loved to listen to Bible stories about God. She especially loved praying to God.

But she noticed sadness in Mother’s face. Mother was sad because Father wasn’t at church. He was at home.

Then Mefouma noticed that Mother wasn’t sleeping well. She was having nightmares.

“What’s wrong?” Father asked Mother. “Why aren’t you sleeping well at night?”

“We are married, but we aren’t united,” Mother said.

Father looked puzzled.

“What do you mean?” he said.

Mefouma also wondered what Mother meant.

“Despite everything that you give me, I’m not happy,” Mother said. “At church, we are told that we should pray together, read the Bible together, and go to church together. Be we don’t go to church together.”

Father frowned. “It isn’t important for us go to church together,” he said.

But Mother really wanted Father to go to church with her and Mefouma. She didn’t know what to do. All she could do was cry.

Mefouma was sad when she saw Mother crying. “Have you spoken to God?” she asked Mother.

The next time she saw Mother crying, she asked again, “Have you spoken to God?”

Mother began to pray — and then she had a big idea.

“Mefouma, on Sabbath, tell Father what you learned at church,” she said. “Maybe he will listen to you.”

The next Sabbath, Mefouma came home from church and told Father about the faith of Abraham.

“Abraham was a man of great faith,” she said. “When God told him to go, he went without asking any questions.”

The following Sabbath, she told Father about how Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River.

Two years passed, and Mefouma kept telling Father what she had learned. But Father still didn’t come to church.

When Mefouma was 8, she was invited to speak at church. All the children would participate in a special children’s Sabbath, and Mefouma would preach. She invited Father — and he came for the first time to church. He arrived late, but he heard the little girl preach.

Mefouma spoke about prayer. She pleaded with fathers and mothers to teach their children to pray. She urged boys and girls to pray for their parents.

That evening, before bedtime, Mefouma came to Father. “Daddy, when you get up in the morning, you put on a suit and rush so you won’t be late for work,” she said. “But when you were invited to church, you came late and didn’t dress as nicely as when you go to work.”

Then she prayed, “Please, God, don’t give up on my Daddy. Save us. Amen.”

When she finished, Father was weeping.

The next Sabbath, Father went to church. The Sabbath after that, he decided to give his heart to Jesus and be baptized.

After that, Sabbath became a very happy day for Mefouma in the African country of Cameroon. Mother was happy, Father was happy, and Mefouma was especially happy.

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open a Seventh-day Adventist school in Mefouma’s home country of Cameroon where children will be able to learn about the God who hears prayers. Thank you for planning a generous offering next month.