Inside Story

Amelia’s Promise to God

by Mwamba Mpundu

Amelia didn’t think that life was worth living. People said and did mean things to her in the past. Their words and actions hurt her deeply. She thought about ending her life.

Then Amelia remembered that a friend told her to pray for the people who hurt her. So, Amelia decided to try. Amelia remembered the Bible verse in Psalm 37:5 📖 that says, “Depend on the Lord. Trust in him, and he will help you” (ERV). Amelia was crying. She asked God to keep that promise to her. She wanted to become everything He wanted her to be. She promised, “Lord, I will work for You. If You help me out of this problem, I will do whatever work You want me to do.”

Amelia’s prayer changed her life for the better. God removed the pain and suffering in her heart. She no longer was angry at the people who hurt her. Now she wanted to share Jesus’ healing love with other people.

Amelia’s friend told her about a job with Global Mission. She could teach at a Seventh-day Adventist school in the mountains. The school was hard to get to. But Amelia put her trust in God.

Amelia’s days at the school were long. After teaching, she visited students and their families. She also led them in worship on Sabbaths. Both Seventh-day Adventists and non-­Seventh-day Adventists in the community came to worship at the church. These non-Seventh-day Adventists worshiped spirits.

Not everyone supported Amelia’s work for God. The village leader ordered the villagers to stay away from her. Then the village leader started coming to Amelia’s Bible meetings. Amelia heard that the man used witchcraft to put curses on people who upset him. So, Amelia started to pray for him all the time.

Amelia held a parent-teacher meeting at the school to talk about the students’ grades and test scores. She also shared her plans for the school. Soon after Amelia started talking, the leader started to shout at her. No one could hear Amelia talk.

Amelia ran to the church next door. She knelt down and prayed, “Please, God, help me. Control our meeting.” Amelia’s heart filled with courage. She went back to the meeting.

The leader continued to cause trouble at the meeting. But Amelia answered his questions with respect. The leader ordered the parents to agree with him. But they supported Amelia.

At the end of the meeting, Amelia chose to keep her promise to God. She continued to stay at the school. She chose to trust God to help her with every problem in the future.

Many church pioneers often serve God in places that are filled with danger. Please pray for Amelia and for the hundreds of pioneers who share God’s love worldwide. To learn more about Global Mission pioneers, visit www.GMsda.org/Give .

Provided by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission, which uses Sabbath School mission offerings to spread the gospel worldwide. Read new stories daily at https://AdventistMission.org .