“I have always tried to keep an open mind about God,” a retired medical research scientist told me. “In fact, I have a beautiful leather-bound copy of the Bible at home, which I have read.” We then went on to talk for several minutes.

These comments were a refreshing change from those I had heard just moments before from a young man who told me, “We don’t need God because we have science.” He proceeded to expound on the idea that religion is nothing more than a method of controlling people. “If someone came to you today and said God had spoken to them out of a burning bush, you would think they were crazy and had a mental health problem.” Obviously he knew at least one Bible story! His words just kept tumbling out. It was almost as if he had rehearsed this speech and didn’t need to stop and think. He did allow me to say one or two things, but it was obvious that his mind was made up. He shook my hand and went on his way.

These were just two of the encounters I had in a busy shopping center one Sabbath afternoon as I was handing out brochures and inviting people to come to a seminar series entitled “Prophecies of Hope.”

“What is prophecy?” asked a teenage girl. It had been a while since I had taken part in outreach of this kind, and it really hit home to me how ignorant so many people are (especially the younger generation) of things I take for granted. England was once considered a Christian country, but that is certainly no longer the case. I felt sad as I reflected on people’s derision of God, their ignorance of His true character and their unwillingness to give Him a chance. However, my sadness was mixed with hope as I thought about those who hadn’t just dismissed God but were willing to discover more about Him.

Graham and I were spending the weekend with PEACE students (the North England Conference’s equivalent of AFCOE and ARISE), helping them distribute invitations to the seminars they would be involved in during October and November. Earlier that morning, we had been truly blessed as we listened to some of the students share testimonies of how God had led them to their Bible study contacts.

Ben, from the Netherlands, was amazed as he listened to the spiritual journey of his Bible study contact and saw a search almost identical to his own. Dean went on to share how this man was just so open and ready for the message of Daniel seven. Tiffany’s contact was reluctant at first to accept the Bible study guide. However, by their third study, he actually came looking for the students in his car as it was raining heavily and he didn’t want them to get wet! During the course of that Sabbath, we heard other testimonies of how God had worked in the lives of the students to bring them to faith in Him.

We were at PEACE to share with the students about AFM and the need for more missionaries to finish the work. With PowerPoint presentations and DVDs, we opened the eyes of the students to the great need for more laborers in the harvest field. Please remember these students in your prayers as they seek God’s will for their futures. Also, please remember their contacts in prayer that God will continue to guide them on their spiritual journeys.

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