Henrique grew up in a family where no one knew God.

In 11th grade, he met Justinho Babane, a very undisciplined young man who drank, partied, and always got involved in inappropriate situations and places. But one day, Justinho began to change. He spoke differently. He stopped frequenting the negative environments. The boy, who was previously undisciplined, started to display good behavior. This aroused Henrique’s curiosity.

Henrique spent a lot of time wondering what was going on before he had the courage to ask Justino what had happened in his life to cause such a change.
“I learned about Jesus from a young man, and it transformed my life.”

“I want to learn about this Jesus,” Henrique said, and Justinho invited him to visit the Agostinho Neto SDA church that Sabbath.

On Sabbath morning, Justinho and Henrique walked for four hours to get to the church. Henrique liked the service so much that he went the following Sabbath. On the third Sabbath, he invited his brother. They continued going to church, learning about Jesus, and participating in the choir.

Henrique and his brother decided to be baptized, joining many other youth who walk long distances to attend church. But that does not discourage them. They met Jesus, the One who transforms lives.

Henrique now works with other young people, giving Bible studies on Sabbath afternoons. His goal is to fulfill Jesus’ mission to preach the word of God and make disciples.

One of the families with whom Henrique studies the Bible every Sabbath was going through a difficult situation. Their daughter had to leave school and return home because she had started to get sick. They took her to several hospitals, but none could diagnose the illness. She did not improve. She even lost her voice.
When the family told Henrique what was happening, he prayed with them. He presented the situation to the church the following Sabbath, and everyone committed to fervently praying for her.

Two weeks later, news came that the girl could speak again and wanted to visit Henrique’s church and learn more about God. The family is very grateful to Henrique and happy he is teaching them about the Bible.

In turn, Henrique is very grateful to God for allowing him to be an instrument to bless the family and bring the message of salvation to them and the other families with whom he studies the Bible. He also encourages the many youths who walk great distances to attend church, telling them not to give up. As for the future, Henrique dreams of studying medicine next year to continue blessing people’s lives.

• Twitter