Shortly before John Nevins Andrews, the first official Seventh-day Adventist missionary, left with his children from Boston Harbor to reach the Old World with the Gospel of Christ in 1874, Jules Dupertuis left Switzerland with his family to start life in the New World. They headed for South America, settling in Argentina.

Along with adjusting to a new country, culture, and way of life, young Jules had other things on his mind. He was interested in some of the deeper questions that troubled him. Specifically, he was interested in which day of the week God set aside as holy. Why did he and other Christians worship on Sunday when the Bible clearly stated the seventh day was the real day of rest? He didn’t have any answers.

Among those who also left Switzerland with Jules was a Baptist minister. Jules decided to ask the minister if he knew any Christians who worshiped on Saturday. Surprisingly, he did. They were in Switzerland. The pastor told Jules this little group published a magazine called Les Signes des Temps (The Signs of the Times). Jules wasted no time writing a letter to the magazine.

It takes little imagination to guess who received the letter. The ministry of J.N. Andrews and his family had crossed the Atlantic and now touched the lives of Jules and his family. Through Signs of the Times, Jules found the address for the Seventh-day Adventist Church headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan.

On November 12, 1889, the Review and Herald published a letter from Jules. In it, he stated he had kept the Sabbath for four years. He asked for missionaries to be sent to reach the people in his new country, Argentina. “We greatly desire that a laborer may come to take the word from house to house,” he wrote. The missionaries arrived, and so began the work of the Adventist church in Argentina.

Jules was the great-grandfather of Atilio Dupertuis, Institute of Hispanic Ministry director and theology professor at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. Atilio is honored to teach at the institution named after the Adventist pioneer who introduced his family to Adventism and set such a positive example, advancing the worldwide mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “He’s one of my heroes,” said Atilio.

In the Center for Adventist Research, in the James White Library at Andrews University, sits the chest J.N. Andrews and his children used to stow their belongings on their trip from Boston to Europe. Often, when Atilio visits the James White Library, he makes a special point to see the chest to remember J.N. Andrews' sacrifice. “He felt the Lord was calling him,” Atilio said.

The fact that J.N. Andrews was considered the preeminent scholar of the Seventh-day Adventist Church means much to Atilio. He feels the pioneer set the perfect example for Andrews University by fusing quality scholarship and deep spirituality. “It’s a perfect match,” he said, “we study here not just to become intellectuals but to go and share.”

Bjorn Karlman is a University Relations student newswriter.