From a First Door Experience to a Deeper Reliance on God

This year’s Literature Ministry Youth Rush in the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in the United States started off strong with 19 students deciding to dedicate their lives this summer to working in the literature evangelism program.

Youth Rush consists not only of a summer based on faith and powerful door-to-door experiences but of life-changing testimonies as well. This week’s testimonies have helped both students and leaders to see that God is working. Testimonies from two students share their experience about selling books and strengthening their own spiritual lives.

Vanessa, 15, from Quemado, New Mexico, recently had a first door experience. After fervently praying for such an experience, Vanessa’s prayer was answered in a very interesting manner.

Vanessa shared that one afternoon after lunch, “My leader had dropped me off at our new territory. My prayer throughout that day had been to have a first door experience. I had started to approach my very first door that evening and started to pray as I rang the doorbell. I started canvassing a man who opened the door by telling him about the books. I had thought to myself that he wouldn’t be interested and that he would just reject the books.

“But he proceeded to tell me that he would be interested but he didn’t know if his wife was going to be interested too. ‘Honey, are you interested in cookbooks or books to help you go to school?’ His wife responded, ‘Tell her we are not interested, and we have no time for her.’

“Then he tells me, ‘Well, you heard my wife,’ but then asked me where I was from. ‘I am from Quemado, New Mexico,’ I answered. He was surprised and said that he was also from there and had family still living there. After hearing this, his wife came dashing to the door with a check book in her hand and said that she couldn’t believe that I was from Quemado, New Mexico. When she heard where I was from, she immediately felt the need to donate. After looking at various books, the couple decided to donate not only for The Great Controversy, but also donated more.”

Vanessa’s experience shows that when we really believe with our hearts, God will hear us and answer our prayers.

Mallory, 17, comes from California. She shared an experience with a lady who helped her realize that God puts people at other peoples’ doors for a reason.

“I was being dropped off at a new location, and I started making my way to the second house on the street. A lady opened the door, and I gladly started to share with her what I was doing. I showed her Simply Fresh and flipped through the pages. She looked at me and was like, ‘Oh, now I’ve got to get it because you showed me my favorite foods.’ I also showed her our devotional set, which includes Peace Above the Storm and Lessons of Love. She was really interested in the set and asked me if I was a Christian. I told her I’m a Seventh-day Adventist.

“We talked for a little longer, and I mentioned how I had just finished high school and was going to start college in the fall to become a nurse. She smiled and was like, ‘That is amazing! Now when you become a nurse, who will you be healing for?’ I looked at her [in confusion] and smiled, puzzled by the question. I then responded by saying, ‘I’m sorry, what?’ She then said, ‘Will you be healing for the Lord?’

“I smiled and said, ‘Yes, I’ll be healing for the Lord.’ She jumped in excitement and went into the house for US$100 for my school. She was super excited and happy [that] I came to her door. She gave me a hug and told me to keep working for the Lord and to not give up on becoming a nurse because I’ll be able to serve the Lord through it.”

The original version of this story was posted on the Rocky Mountain Conference news site.