Indiana

Mike Troxell, a pastor and son of Fred Troxell, Irvington Church pastor, conducted a Bible prophecy seminar, titled “Unfolding Revelation,” during April 2005. The community responded with a significant attendance. It seemed they wanted to know if they could really understand Bible prophecy. Amazed, they listened to each presentation, and some confessed they learned more in a few nights than they had known in their whole life. By the conclusion of the lectures, ten people surrendered their life to Jesus and joined the Adventist church by baptism. Here are some of their stories:

Paul Harvey received an advertisement to the prophecy seminar in his mail. He was interested in prophecy and the opportunity to attend an in-depth study of end-time events. The printed schedule was for a two-week series, but it was extended an additional two weeks. By the end of the seminar, Paul wanted to reaffirm his faith and be baptized. He felt he had learned so many truths, and his faith in God had been deepened.

Reneé Hart was invited by a friend to attend church in the mid-eighties. When she learned services were on Saturday, she had reservations. She attended for a while, but never making a commitment, eventually left. When the prophecy flier came in the mail, she decided to attend.

One of her sons, Sean Hopwood, agreed to attend with her. Without realizing it at first, she had come back to the Adventist church. The speaker was so full of energy and life that they stayed for the whole series. She says, "We both learned wonderful truths from the Bible and will always be grateful. God opened a door for us, and we walked through it and were baptized. Today, we have a sense of peace as Sean and I are members of a church family."

Jawana Smith and her children, Brianna Smith and DeVonté Harpoll, always felt they should belong to the Seventh-day Adventist Church because Jawana had been raised an Adventist. However, there were many Bible truths Jawana did not fully understand, and she had a curiosity about their meaning as she sought for a deeper experience with Jesus. A change began in their lives when they started to attend the Irvington Church and requested Bible studies. They were excited to learn what God asked of them and looked forward to each revelation of truth. Now that they have been baptized and joined the Adventist church, they have a sense of belonging to their church family and would not want to be anywhere else. They thank God for leading them there and showing them how to experience His joy.

Edie Hammond was raised in an Adventist church in La Sierra, California, and had a wonderful and dedicated Christian mother. Yet, she drifted away from the Lord. When she met Quent Hammond, her husband-to-be, in 1977, neither attended a church. Quent attended a church in West Virginia where his grandfather was pastor, but decided to leave.

As they dated, Edie told Quent she would probably go back to church some day, and asked him to go with her. He promised he would. After being married five years, Edie attended the Adventist church each week and, by God’s grace, experienced many positive changes in her life. When she learned about an upcoming Revelation seminar, they both came faithfully.

During the pastor’s visit in their home, Quent gave his heart to Christ and asked to be baptized. Edie decided to rededicate her life to the Lord, and they were baptized together. They believe the Lord brought them together to find their way to Him.

Aaron Riley’s spiritual journey began when he was eight years old. His grandmother took him to church on Sunday mornings. He wanted to worship in the sanctuary, but was told he had to stay in Sunday school with children his age. Aaron renewed his journey with Jesus when he was fourteen by attending a church in another denomination. They cared for him there and visited him, but Aaron quit attending.

As a teenager, Aaron became involved with drugs and exhibited aggressive behavior. The most painful day of his life came, when at seventeen, his father died. Shortly afterward, while driving at excessive speed, Aaron rolled his car. In his pride, Aaron lost almost everything he cared about.

One night he prayed for a sign from the Lord. As Aaron drove to work on the highway he saw the answer on a billboard. It read, “Looking for a sign from the Lord? This is it!” Shortly afterward, Aaron asked Jesus to save him and his life began to change.

When he received a mailed invitation to the prophecy seminar, he began to attend. There, Aaron heard many revelations from the Bible. The word of the living God set him free from the painful decisions and experiences from his past.

Today, Aaron's desire is to attend Andrews University and pursue a pastoral ministry degree. If God wills it, Aaron believes it would be an honor to dedicate his life in service to further God's kingdom. "Jesus Christ has changed my life and my outlook on life," he testifies. He adds, "I hope to help Him do the same for others."

Charlotte Dodd, Irvington Church communication correspondent, and Bruce Babienco, Lake Union Herald volunteer correspondent