We love to share the stories of those who have come to a new understanding of Bible truth through this ministry. But once in awhile a story comes to us that’s a bit different—like this one. It’s about a 98-year-old lady who has unwittingly become an evangelist…just by watching her beloved 3ABN.
Grace
Dr. Kenneth and Sandy Colburn were delighted when his mother came to live with them in Cookeville, Tennessee. However, she required extra care, and finding someone to help on the weekends was proving to be difficult.
“We had an Adventist taking care of my mother-in-law,” Sandy says, “and we tried several caretakers before we met Sherie. She had a Christian background, and seemed to enjoy caring for Grace. But we soon noticed she didn’t care for what Grace liked to watch on 3ABN!
“We’d given her a satellite dish as a gift, and from then on, all she wanted to do was watch 3ABN and the other Seventh-day Adventist channels,” she explains. “Sherie might listen to a health program, but not those sermons!”
3ABN
Sherie Reintjes was raised Catholic as a child, but says her mother stopped attending church after her divorce. “So from then on, I’d find the closest church I could walk to,” she says. “I never attended Sunday School much, though, so I didn’t understand their doctrines very well.
“Then, when I began helping with Grace on the weekends, I quickly realized she watched some channels I’d never heard of—like 3ABN. She had some favorite preachers too, but I really didn’t care for their preaching. I’d try turning the volume down, but Grace is hard of hearing, so she’d say, ‘Please turn it up, I can’t hear it!’ ”
Sherie laughs. “There wasn’t a single place I could go in her apartment to get away from all that preaching! I spent the first five months in her bedroom, trying not to listen.
“I remember the arguments I had in my head. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about! My loved ones went to Heaven when they died! But after a while, I noticed that the preachers always back up everything with Scripture.
“Finally, I decided I should know what these Adventists believed, so I could back up my arguments with my own Scripture. I grabbed Grace’s Bible and sat down with her to take notes, but it wasn’t long before I was wondering, Why haven’t I ever heard this before? Then I learned that the Second Coming wasn’t going to be a Secret Rapture at all, and that the statement, ‘Once saved always saved’ wasn’t true!
“And then there was the Sabbath….”
Sabbath
By now the Colburns had two Seventh-day Adventist caregivers who got Sabbaths off, but something was stirring inside Sherie. Finally, she asked Sandy if she could have Sundays off to go to church, and she agreed.
“Of course, I know that Saturday is the true Sabbath, and all, but I’m sure I can’t have that day off….” Sherie half mumbled.
Later, Sandy discussed this new development with her husband, and they decided to talk with Sherie.
“When I asked her if she believed that Saturday was the true Sabbath, she told me she did, so I invited her to come to church with us,” Dr. Colburn says.
“I couldn’t believe my ears,” Sherie beams. “I was so excited!”
Soon she was baptized and says she felt a huge difference. “I well remember that feeling of having all my sins forgiven!” she exclaims. “I felt so clean, and I felt so good! God took away all my sins, and I don’t have to live in the past ever again.”
It’s interesting to note that Sherie avoided 3ABN for about five months, but was baptized just six months after she began watching!
However, that’s not the end of this story!
Eva
Sandy was back to square one. Who could she get to sit with Grace on Saturdays?
“Our options were slim, since folks wanted their weekends off,” she recalls, “but Eva Covington was recommended as a truly caring person who might fit our scheduling needs.”
However, within weeks, the Colburns noticed that Eva seemed very interested in Grace’s TV sermons, sitting next to her, Bible open, and taking notes. Then one day they discovered why.
“I was raised by a Seventh-day Adventist grandmother, so all of this was somewhat familiar,” Eva explains. “But I’d married young, and my first husband was a member of another church. Then, after he died, I married a Protestant minister. Although I’d invite them to church on Sabbath, neither one ever saw the importance of keeping that day holy, so I just went along with them on Sundays.”
Before long, Dr. Colburn and Sandy invited her to attend church with them. Eva was delighted to, but wouldn’t hear of going without taking Grace with her.
“We are so grateful for Sherie and Eva’s help,” says Dr. Colburn. “They each have their ministry in our church, and it’s a joy to have my mother with us in church most every week.”
Eva is currently taking Bible studies with Sherie and the Livingston Adventist Fellowship’s Bible worker, John Cook.
“I’m planning on being baptized after we complete our studies,” she says, “and I will never put God on the back burner for a marriage again! I’ve been widowed twice, but feel the Lord holding my hand, saying, ‘Fear not, Eva. Be still and know that I am God.’ ”
An Inspiration
Sandy’s watched all these developments with amazement. “My mother-in-law is 98 years old now and carries all the earmarks of a very old person. She also suffers from dementia,” she continues, “but she’s crystal clear on the fact that she loves her Lord!
“Grace also loves to get up slowly, but not on Sabbath! Eva arrives at 8:30, and by 11:00 they’re pulling up in front of our little church. When Sherie sees them drive up, she runs out to help escort her into the service.
“Sometimes Grace catches a nap for a few minutes here and there, but for the most part, she loves being with fellow believers. It is clear to me that her ministry for the Lord is not done, and she has been the conduit that God used to bring truth to two ladies who weren’t looking for a thing!”
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