An urgent message from Fernando, a youth leader in our church, notified us that his neighbor’s house had burned to the ground during the night. Could we help his neighbor with some bed sheets? Of course we wanted to help.

When we arrived at the site of the fire there was nothing left but ashes and a few charred sticks. A group of 35 to 40 people were sitting in the yard giving community support to the elderly lady who had lost everything. The town’s selectman was there giving guidance and making arrangements for a police report against the local power company. Because of faulty wiring, the electric company would need to pay to help with the cost of rebuilding another house. The old lady’s house had been built with sticks, reeds, and metal roofing.

We have been meeting with Fernando twice a week for the past six weeks to give him Bible-study training. He has told us that he wants missionary training. He is the only Seventh-day Adventist in his family and community.

We left the scene of the fire promising to bring back more than sheets. We took Fernando with us to the market, and he picked out foam mattresses, used sheets, pillows, cooking pots, used clothes, used jackets, used towels, a wash tub, laundry soap, and a box of food. The best clothing and the best prices are found not in the big stores but in the local outdoor market, a maze of small shops selling all manner of things.

When we returned with Fernando carrying all these items, there was great joy and many tears in the lady’s family. We truly enjoyed helping Fernando be a good neighbor. And a lesson was learned in being an effective missionary for Jesus.

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