Twenty Years of Prayers
J. H. Zachary

    Julia Rodrigues looked up from the pile of laundry she was washing in the pond near Santa Lucia, Honduras. Tina Swazo had placed a copy of Signs of the Times beside her and indicated it for her. Julia thanked Tina for the magazine, adding, "I cannot read, but I will ask my husband to read it to me." Tina promised to visit her.
    Julia's husband recognized the magazine his wife gave him from the days when he worked at an Adventist hospital. "This is a good magazine," he told his wife. "Yes, I will read it to you."
    Tina visited Julia and her husband and invited them to study the Bible. She took extra time to read each lesson to Julia. When evangelistic meetings were held in Santa Lucia, Julia, her husband, and their daughter took their stand and were baptized. They became the only Adventists in the village.
    Julia memorized the Bible lessons and began visiting door to door searching for people interested in studying. Soon three of her neighbors were baptized. Encouraged, Julia continued to work and pray for the people in Santa Lucia.
    Years passed, and Julia remained the pillar that held the little Adventist group together. She faithfully prayed that God would bring the 30 friends with whom she studied to a decision for baptism. Then, some 20 years after her own baptism, another evangelistic series was held in Santa Lucia. All 30 of Julia's Bible students were baptized. Then, as 1999 drew to a close, believers from North America flew to Honduras to build a chapel for the believers in Santa Lucia. "This is more than I ever dreamed of asking for in my prayers," she said, thrilled. "We now have the finest church in Santa Lucia."
    Julia still hikes up and down the steep mountain trails praying and searching for others who need to hear God's final call. She invites people to follow along in their Bibles as she quotes texts from memory and guides them through the truths that she loves.
    Thus through her persistent prayers and hard work, Julia's church in Santa Lucia, Honduras, continues to grow.

Julia Rita Rodrigues. J. H. Zachary is coordinator of international evangelism for The Quiet Hour and a special consultant for the General Conference Ministerial Association.
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