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The Constant Seeker

The Constant Seeker

Georgie Livingston has always loved the Lord. However, Satan has never been happy about that, and has tried his very best to destroy her chances for happiness and eternal life. But praise God, for “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4. As we talked with her, we quickly realized that her heart has always remained truly in love with Jesus.

“I’ll be 80 years old on February 22,” Georgie begins, “and the only spanking I ever got from my mother was for talking during a sermon at the Church of God when I was four years old!

“Although my mother was a member there, when I was 12, I attended an evangelistic tent meeting, and soon was baptized into the Foursquare Church. They put me to work teaching Sunday School to five-year-olds, but later I became a youth leader, played guitar, and attended church camp. Then, I became very pale from an illness, and the preacher’s wife was concerned that I would scare the children, so she told me I must wear makeup. However, that was a problem, because I was raised not to wear makeup, so I wouldn’t do it! Finally, they told me I couldn’t teach Sunday School anymore, so I left.”

“Georgie is a very warm and gracious lady, and we are delighted to have her as part of our church family here in Amarillo,” says Pastor Richard Dye. (Photo: LaVonne Dye.)

A SHORT-LIVED JOY

After she married her first husband, Georgie attended another evangelistic tent meeting. This one was held by Seventh-day Adventist evangelist M. A. Wyman, in Lindsay, California. She attended the meetings faithfully with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. “What joy I felt as I read Ellen White’s Steps to Christ,” she says. “That book made me decide I wanted to be baptized as a Seventh-day Adventist.

“I remember having lunch with Pastor H. M. S. Richards of The Voice of Prophecy radio ministry, and meeting The King’s Heralds Quartet and Del Delker, who provided music for his programs. Later I attended the Soquel, California, camp meeting, and it was an awesome time!”

But her joy was short-lived because when she arrived home her husband locked her in their apartment and refused to let her go to church anymore. “I even ran away,” she says, “but he found me, so I finally gave up. That was a mistake I paid for dearly, because the rest of my 13-year marriage was a living hell.”

Georgie was only 29 and the mother of little 5-year-old Laurie when her husband died suddenly. Alone and scared, she married her deceased husband’s boss. “He was the first reader in a Christian Science church—the highest position you can have,” she explains, “and I thought he was like a pastor, so I married him and shared some things in confidence that were very painful.” Sadly, instead of keeping her confidence, Georgie says he threatened that if she ever tried to leave, he would share those things with her daughter!

Feeling trapped, she joined his church and even trained as a practitioner. “But after seven years of him abusing my daughter and me, I had enough. So I took that chance and left him,” Georgie adds. “He did follow through with his threat and wrote to my daughter, but his handwriting was so bad she couldn’t read it! God protected us, and the judge ordered him never to see us again.”

ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT HAPPINESS

Georgie says she left that church as well, then was baptized again in the Adventist church, along with her daughter. “My heart was always in the Adventist Church,” she says.

“Soon I was appointed the Sabbath School secretary, even though I was scared to read the reports up front. I would talk all the air out of my lungs and could hardly get any back in! I was constantly going from one class to another, and never had time to sit and learn more about Jesus in Sabbath School. I had just left my second husband, and I was a basket case. I shook all the time, and would lock myself in my house, crying. I thought I’d find help in church, but I didn’t. Instead, after Sabbath School was over I’d just sit in my car and sob. I tried to step down from that job, but they kept telling me I was doing fine. It seemed like no one cared, so I handed in the books and told them they’d never see me again.”

Today Georgie is happy once more, and enjoys spending time with her daughters Laurie Kunert (left) and Nora Richardson (right). (Photo: Gordon Leigh/Photo Reflections.)

“MY JAY”

Georgie finally found some happiness when she married Jay Livingston. “He was a minister’s son, but had never seen the love of God at home,” she explains. He rebelled, and became an alcoholic—just like his father was before he entered the ministry.

“Although Jay was never baptized, he never betrayed my trust,” she says. “We had our wonderful daughter Nora together, and we both put God first as best we knew how. We didn’t go to church, but we prayed, sang, and read the Bible at home. We were not perfect, but we loved each other, and we also loved God.

“My Jay and I had 36 years together that got sweeter every day. But his many years of drinking beer and smoking cigarettes caught up with him. In the end, he came home from the hospital and was given hospice care. He told me he didn’t want Jesus to see his needle-bruised arms from all the medication they’d given him, but I told him that when Jesus comes he will get a new body, that he wouldn’t hurt anymore, and that it was okay to sleep until then. He died at age 78, singing and praising the Lord to his last breath.”

A NEW STATION, AND A NEW CHURCH

After Jay’s death, Georgie’s daughter Laurie, and her husband Richard, brought her to live with them in Amarillo, Texas, and that’s where she discovered 3ABN on channel 17. As she watched, she says she was so blessed by the truths she was learning. “3ABN showed me what the Bible teaches about tithing and offerings,” she says, “and I began looking for a Seventh-day Adventist church. I looked in the phone book and found a telephone number, but I couldn’t find an address. Worse yet, when I called the number, I would get so nervous and confused that I’m not sure I ever managed to successfully leave a message!

“So I saved up my tithes and offerings until I could go. I didn’t know how I could make it financially, but what the Bible says is true! God does supply all my needs. I have enough to pay my bills, and Laurie and Richard feed me, clothe me, give me a home, and take me where I need to go.

“One day, I finally told the Lord, ‘I can’t get through to them at the church,’ and He answered, ‘Today is Sabbath. Call now. They’re there.’

“And they were!” Georgie adds with a laugh.

WARM WELCOME

Her first visit to the Amarillo Seventh-day Adventist Church was wonderful. “They were so warm, and they greeted me with smiles and hugs. It’s been that way ever since, too!”

When she had to have a knee replacement, Georgie says she received an unexpected visit from Pastor Richard Dye. “He came in as I was reading the Bible to a hospital cleaning woman,” she says. “I’d been trying to tell her how to get to my church, but I couldn’t remember. So when Pastor Rick walked in, I knew it was God’s perfect timing!”

3ABN’s Pastoral Ministries Department has been a great help to Georgie, as well. “I’ve gotten to know J. D. Quinn,” she says. “He helped me find peace when my Jay passed away. I remember the first time I talked to him. He told me his name was J. D. and I was so shocked! I said, ‘J. D. Quinn? Shelley’s husband?’ He laughed, and said, ‘Yes!’

“Later, I called 3ABN to ask him whether I should be baptized a fourth time in my new church, and he told me I could join the church by profession of faith.”

“Georgie is a very warm and gracious lady, and we are delighted to have her as part of our church family here in Amarillo,” says Pastor Richard Dye. “Her story is interesting and moving, and I’m glad the Holy Spirit continues to work in spite of what kinds of things take place sometimes!

“A great many of our church members have adopted her and taken her under their wings,” he continues. “We rejoice with her and her walk with God.”

“3ABN is on my prayer list every day, and I thank God for all those who work there,” Georgie concludes. “I know that when I have a question, or need prayer, I can always go there.”

If you’re in the area, stop in and visit the Amarillo Seventh-day Adventist Church at 8425 South Bell Street! Pastor Rick Dye and the entire church family will love to meet you—and be sure to say hello to our friend, Georgie!

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Captive No More

Captive no more

by Grace Yost

Who is a captive? Perhaps you’re thinking of the one who’s behind bars of steel—but that’s not all. Satan holds billions of people captive—and only a fraction of them are in literal prisons.

Such are the lives of a young woman and a young man in this story. They both had a similar background, having grown up in less-than-ideal circumstances, which made them easy targets for the evil one. But the truth is that we’re all targets of his cunning ways.

How can we guard against his relentless attacks when he leads us down a path we didn’t intend to travel, and the dangers are not readily discernible? First, we must daily submit our lives to Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us by humbly leaving His throne in glory, His royal crown, and His robe, to come to this world. Here He ministered through love and humility, stooping down to touch the life of a perishing soul without ever sacrificing His principles.

This young woman had been in multiple foster homes, and when she turned 18 the state declared her an adult and dropped her off at a city park with her meager belongings! Now homeless, and experiencing what she describes as pure hell, she made a disastrous choice by mistaking a man’s attention in a local bar for love. After years of abuse, loneliness, and misery, she paired up with him, and ultimately they were both arrested.

LIFE IN PRISON

Have you ever considered what it might be like to be 21 and facing life in prison with no possibility of parole? Here are a few excerpts from a letter she wrote us after being convicted of murder:

“In the beginning, I didn’t really know what to think of my predicament. I was in shock, but slowly I began to grow bitter. Then one day I just broke down and cried in my bed, and for some reason I began to argue with God—I probably sounded crazy to the other inmates around me. I grew up fighting Him all my life, and you could say I had an enormous chip on my shoulder. Throughout my life I was taught the Scriptures and at 17 I accepted Him into my life and was baptized. I truly believed I was heading in the right direction and felt a touch of happiness. But that feeling was very short-lived, and soon I allowed Satan to take control of me.

“What an argument I had that night with God! When completely exhausted, I began to feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time: peace and comfort. I began to see what people were talking about when they said God knows how much you’re capable of handling.

“At first I fought the reins, believing that life had put me through too much, and this was too much for me to bear. But, I am still alive. I am here and going through this for a reason. And even though I don’t have a clue what that reason is, there is one. We’ll have different trials and tribulations, but it’s what we do with them that matters: who we meet, how we act—it all shows our true strength. I now see this life as a challenge and I want to finish it well. I don’t really understand what happens after I die, but I would really like to learn.

“Thank you again for all you’ve done, and please keep up the good work of ministering to everyone. God bless.”

This young woman’s journey with God has just begun, but let me tell you about a young man who has steadily climbed the spiritual ladder since he began corresponding with us over six years ago. His bad choice of friends led him to become a member of a gang, and after a murder happened he went to trial and was sentenced to life in prison, too. At the time he was first being charged, his girlfriend gave birth to a precious daughter whom he has not been able to see grow up. But look at these excerpts from the letters we’ve received:

“I lost my state court appeal, so prison is looking permanent unless the federal courts (God really) says otherwise. But I’ve come this far, and I’m mature enough to see the reality of the situation; I see more of others’ needs than mine. I’m right where God can use me, and I pray for those I can’t heal (those I’ve hurt), or apologize to.

“I’ve repented of my old sinful ways and genuinely acted out my salvation in spreading the doctrine of the Most High.”

These young inmates have sat at the feet of Jesus, but they’re on different rungs on the spiritual ladder.

NOT AN OPTION

Is Jesus calling you to reach out and touch someone who may be less than desirable in your sight? If so, you may need to sit at His feet and study His character more fully.

Complaints, criticism, and a judgmental spirit are tools of Satan. The tools of Jesus are a meek and quiet spirit. Pride and self-importance must not reside in the heart of a child of God. The Scripture tell us in Psalm 52:2, “Your tongue devises destruction,
like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.”

There have been times in my own spiritual journey when I took the words of Jesus too lightly, but those words have become the stepping stones that today allow me to minister to inmates too numerous to count. In my younger years I would likely have turned down such an opportunity, but God uses life circumstances to change us.

We are called by Jesus in John 13:34 to love one another, as He has loved us. This is not to be taken lightly; this is not an option if we’re seeking eternal life. In Isaiah 61:1 the prophet Isaiah calls on us to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Jesus himself spoke similar words while speaking in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth (see Luke 4:18).

THROUGH THE EYES OF JESUS

As I’ve prayed earnestly to see others through the eyes of Jesus, my eyes have been opened to my own shortcomings, and I earnestly desire to have the mind and character of Jesus. If we could truly discern the circumstances that surround each individual’s life, we would be far less likely to speak hasty, judgmental words, and would be possessed of a much greater love! Jesus, the Redeemer and Mender of broken people, willingly came to free all men and women burdened down by the ravages of sin.

Are we guilty of shunning the captives? Oh yes, it can easily happen when we’re in our comfort zone and see no need to step out of it. Our precious Savior had a marked love for the captives and less fortunate. Can we do any less

P.S. 3ABN’s pastoral ministries department did send this young woman information on what happens when we die. Please join us in prayer for her, and all the others we seek to help.

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Where We Want to Be

Where We Want to Be

We’re so grateful for all those who have volunteered their services to this ministry over the years. But what motivates someone to sell their business, donate the proceeds to 3ABN, and move here to volunteer? We sat down with Don and Grace Yost recently to find out.

“I first heard about 3ABN from my mother,” Don begins. “She discovered it just as they were getting started, and she spoke of it often. My sister bought a satellite dish and I watched whenever we visited. Later we purchased a dish for our home, too.

“When 3ABN held a rally at Forest Lake Academy in Apopka, Florida, we made a point of attending, and that’s when I told my wife that I wanted to meet Danny. You see, I had my own automotive transmission repair business, but I was tired of it, and wanted to retire. Now I felt impressed to sell it and donate the money to 3ABN—but I hadn’t told Grace about it, yet!

“We talked to Danny for a few minutes before I told him what I wanted to do. He urged us to come up and look the place over first. Then he asked, ‘Is your wife in agreement with you?’

“Without hesitation, she said, ‘Yes!’ ”

A DIFFERENT WORLD

Soon Don and Grace were on their way to Illinois with the idea of moving here to volunteer. But while they were impressed by 3ABN, they weren’t so sure about the move. “We’d just built our dream home in Florida,” Grace says, “and it was nicer than I could’ve dreamed for!”

“We were planning to stay there until Jesus came,” Don adds, noting that southern Illinois was just so different from anything they’d ever experienced.

“Then there was the very real fact that we wouldn’t have any family close by!” Grace recalls. “I remember thinking, No Lord, we can’t do this. But the Holy Spirit hadn’t spoken to me; He spoke to Don, and something kept drawing us here.”

THE SALE

While Don and Grace struggled with the idea of moving, over the next year God continued sending them affirmations. Finally they contacted a real estate agent and put their house in Florida up for sale.

“I was retired and I was bored,” Don admits. “I kept thinking, I am sitting here while 3ABN needs so much help! If the Lord wants us there, He’ll sell this house for us! I felt it was the right move and that the Lord would take care of us.”

Then, during their volunteer third trip to 3ABN, they received an offer on their house. “I’d always wanted to work for the Lord,” Grace says, “but my life hadn’t worked out that way. Earlier we’d considered volunteering with another ministry, but we would’ve had to buy a motor home, so we didn’t pursue it. But now we began looking in earnest, and when we found a house, we made an offer—contingent on the sale of our Florida home, of course.”

The sale went through, and Don and Grace began volunteering full-time. However, not long after this they felt they should move closer. After a year and a half they finally found and bought some property, and since their first Illinois house was almost paid for, they used the equity to build their new one.

TOTAL DEPENDENCE

But building a home on a volunteer’s salary while still paying for the first one soon became a financial burden. “We cut our expenses to a bare minimum, but we still struggled,” Don admits. “We got rid of my truck, our satellite dish, our Internet—even our newspaper subscription. For the first time in our marriage we wondered if we were going to make it, but the Lord was faithful, and we were never late on our payments.”

Grace struggled, too. “I’d been taught to work hard, save money, and pay off my home by the time I retired. But our life wasn’t working out that way. One morning I sat and thought, Lord, I don’t understand this journey. But then the Holy Spirit impressed me with the thought, Grace, it doesn’t make any difference. Jesus is coming soon. That message was so clear in my mind!”

Three years later their first home sold. Then, after finishing their new house, Don returned to manage 3ABN’s grounds and maintenance departments.

Their experience left a lasting impression, however. “I have a peace about it all today,” Don says. “Now I know I could walk away from everything I own, while before, I was tied to some of it. I don’t know what would’ve happened if we’d stayed in Florida, but our relationship with the Lord has become a lot stronger since we’ve been here!

THROUGH THE EYES OF JESUS

Grace says she was surprised when 3ABN asked her to assist in pastoral ministries’ correspondence, since her experience was in management and accounting. But when she began working with inmate letters, the correspondence volume increased dramatically.

“I never dreamed I’d have a passion for this, but today I see inmates through very different eyes,” she says. “In fact, I’m trusting that I see them through the eyes of Jesus! They’ve been through so much. Almost all of them have been abused, abandoned, or have grown up in the streets. I really have to depend on the Holy Spirit for my words. People talk about ‘jailhouse conversions,’ but many of our inmates are in for life. They recognize they now have a better life with Jesus, and many of them tell me that prison was the best thing that ever happened to them. I write to tell them what God can do for them. I try to focus on the joy they can have—and my joy increases!”

RETIREMENT?

“A friend was talking about retiring, and I told him it wasn’t biblical!” Don chuckles. “Can you think of any situation in life where you can work for the One who’s taken care of you all of your life? Now that you’re in a position to turn all your time over to Him, can you think of anything better? And if you want to know the Lord, get out of your comfort zone! You’ll find Him!

“I’ve learned to trust Him more than I ever thought I could. Grace has had some very hard blows in the past few years,” he continues. “She suffered three car accidents in two years—and none of them were her fault. Then she had a stroke and was partially paralyzed on one side, but by God’s grace she recovered completely!”

He pauses, then shakes his head. “I have no regrets.”

“Me either,” Grace whispers. “We are where God wants us to be, and that’s where we want to be!”

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No Coincidence

No Coincidence

by John Dinzey

Recently, Pastor Armando Miranda, vice president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, related a remarkable story to us. While traveling in Texas for an event earlier this year, he met a fascinating couple who had told him of an amazing “coincidence.”

Gabriel and Minerva Hernandez live in what they call “The Valley” in south Texas, an area close to the U.S. border with Mexico. They have seven TV sets in their home, but six of them couldn’t receive any TV channels, and the seventh one could only receive two channels: a Mexican sports channel and 3ABN Latino. However, the sports channel came in so poorly that it wasn’t too appealing to watch.

One morning Gabriel watched 3ABN Latino for a couple of hours and was blessed by the programming, but when he turned it on later that evening, his wife asked, “Why are you watching that channel again?”

“Oh this is a Christian channel, and it’s very good,” he told her. Then he added, “You should watch it, too.”

“Oh really?” she asked as she stood there for a moment.

Before long Minerva was sitting down. As she was a much-sought-after speaker, pastor, and evangelist, 3ABN’s programming was very appealing to her. They began watching together whenever there was an opportunity. Having a theological background, Minerva ordered some Bible studies offered in one of the programs and began to dig deeper.

Eventually their interest prompted them to contact Amado Sanchez, a local Seventh-day Adventist pastor,  and he invited them to an evangelistic series scheduled for the next two weeks.

“I would love to be able to come every night,” Minerva said, “but the only night I can come is Monday, since I have to preach all the other nights.”

“What a shame,” Pastor Sanchez said. “I think you would really appreciate these presentations.”

“PLEASE DO SOMETHING”

Gabriel and Minerva came on Monday and they were blessed. Again she expressed her wish to attend every night.

Later that night she prayed, “Lord, I would really like to go to these meetings, but I’m booked every night to preach. If You really want me to go, please do something to make that possible.”

I believe God heard her prayer, because the very next morning she received an apologetic call, explaining that an unforeseen situation had developed and asking her if she was willing to postpone her preaching for two weeks.

“No need to apologize,” she said. “God is in control, I don’t have a problem postponing for two weeks!”

The Lord had worked it out, and they didn’t miss a single night. Soon after, Gabriel and Minerva were baptized, and today they are happy members of the McAllen Spanish Valley Central Seventh-day Adventist Church. What seemed a strange coincidence was really a blessing to them!

Once again, we praise the Lord for using 3ABN Latino to help people “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18.