Recently the Michigan Conference asked me to care for the Stevensville Church as its interim pastor. One day I discovered Pat Toney's name on two interest cards sent to the church from It Is Written. They were filled with the titles of booklets she had requested, indicating a keen interest in Bible study.

As a local representative of the telecast, I contacted Pat and asked if she wanted to study the book of Revelation with Mark Finley as her instructor. Overjoyed, she exclaimed, "Yes, I have been praying for someone to study the Bible with me!"

That longing began 25 years earlier. At 19, Lauretta Mann, Pat's sister, wondered what life would be like after high school. She had questions about a career, God, and life itself. Providentially, God led her into a relationship with Him first, then the other questions found more satisfying answers.

Lauretta met several wonderful people in the Berrien Springs Adventist community who shared Bible knowledge, love, and an occasional meal. After several months of Bible study, she made her commitment to Christ and was baptized into the Adventist Church. She wanted so much to share her new faith with her family, but the gospel seeds she began to plant in their lives took time to germinate and grow.

After her divorce, Pat was feeling very lonely. Her daughter, Melanie, was also experiencing feelings of loneliness as she went through the break-up of a dating relationship. Hoping to help both of their situations, Pat asked Melanie if she would like to start going to church with her. She did not hesitate, and together they started worshiping each Sunday at the Lutheran Church. While attending, Melanie met a wonderful man, Don, and they were married three years later.

Things were different for Pat. Although she was still alone, Pat had begun to sense God's Spirit working in her life. She faithfully watched Mark Finley on It Is Written, requesting and reading each week's telecast booklet.

At her work a new supervisor was hired whose management skills brought real stress into the office and her life. By April 2002, it had reached the point that her doctor ordered her to take a seven-week work leave.

During Pat's leave, her sister Lauretta was at home with a broken ankle and Pat offered to care for her. It was a perfect setting, and Lauretta wisely shared what the Bible meant to her and how the love of Jesus had changed her life.

That time together helped to nurture Pat's faith. She continued to grow while her interest in learning about the Bible increased. That's why I received such an enthusiastic greeting the day I arrived at Pat's door. She was eager to begin right away, and we arranged for her studies using the Revelation of Hope video and the It Is Written Revelation Bible lessons. Pat completed the course, but was not yet ready to join the church through baptism.

One Sabbath afternoon, Pat phoned me and said she had driven by the St Joseph Adventist Church on her way to work that week and had returned to worship there that morning. At church, she met Dottie Davidson. A friendship developed, and Dottie's warm personality and Bible knowledge helped prepare Pat for baptism.

I had the privilege of baptizing Pat on Sabbath afternoon, August 2, 2003, in the Stevensville Church where I had found her interest cards in the daily mail.

Bruce Babienco, Lake Union Herald volunteer correspondent