Indiana—Shirley Nielson has been a church organist for 50 years. She said, "I really enjoy playing the organ for church, but the organ we currently had was giving me a lot of grief lately. I was beginning to dread playing it each week at church."

After thinking long and hard, Nielson decided to go to a piano and organ store to obtain the name of an organ repairman. When she entered the store, two salesmen were sitting there, and one asked if he could help her. Nielson told him she was a church organist, and she was having a lot of trouble with the organ she had been playing for three years. His reply was, "Are you wanting another organ?"

Nielson said, "Well, that would be great except, our church really doesn’t have a lot of money to purchase another organ."

He asked her, "Do you know what tomorrow is?"

She said, "No."

He continued, "This store is closing [tomorrow], and if you came on Thursday, February 1, we would be closed for good. The owner is ill, and they are closing the store. I’m losing my job after eight years."

The salesman offered, "I have an organ in my house. I’ve already decided I’m going to donate it to a church, and I’ll give it to your church."

He didn’t ask Nielson what church she went to, he just said he’d give it to her church. She asked what kind of organ it was, and he told her it was an Allen organ—much newer than the one she played—and she could have it.

Nielson said, "I was so surprised, and knowing me, I’m surprised I didn’t cry."

The salesman gave Nielson his card and wrote his home phone number on the card. She explained that she'd have to contact the organ repairman to move the organ when the salesman interrupted, "Here he comes, right through my store."

She made arrangements to play the organ on Friday. Her pastor, Allen Shepherd, and another friend, Lois Kosowesky, went with Nielson.

The salesman explained that Nielson was an answer to his prayer. He had only possessed the organ four weeks. Two people were interested in purchasing it; however, both men decided for different reasons not to buy it. One said he had too many organs already, and the other man didn’t have the money. So the salesman's wife suggested he donate the organ to a church, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to do that.

The Tuesday Nielson went to the organ store, he had prayed that if God wanted him to donate his organ to a church He would have to bring that person to him. When Nielson walked into the store and told him she was having big problems with her church's organ, he knew it was God’s will that her church should have the organ.

Another incredible part of this story is that when Nielson looked in the organ bench, she discovered an envelope with contents that showed the organ had been "transplanted" from the Georgia-Cumberland Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Nielson said, "It's amazing how God used an organ that wasn't working right to find us a better one. It's also amazing that the new organ is back in another Seventh-day Adventist Church." She later learned the organ was from an Adventist church in Georgia that had put it up for sale on eBay. A man from Indiana had purchased the organ, restored it, and kept it for approximately two years before giving it to his good friend—the salesman Nielson met.

Nielson said, "God is so good. We don’t know what the outcome will be with this story.” She has invited the salesman, his wife, and his family of eight children to visit her church. Although they are Christians of another denomination, she's hopeful they will visit sometime and see how their gift is being used.

More importantly, they are praying that their generous benefactor will find a good job in Chicago, and that God will bless him as he continues to follow God’s leading.

“I’m so excited,” Nielson exclaimed, “I can’t tell you how happy I am.” Nielson visited the salesman later and gave him a copy of the colorful paperback books, The Desire of Ages and The Great Controversy to express appreciation. Her prayer is that God will bless this wonderful Christian family brought into her life by answered prayers.

"This was one of the most exciting things that ever happened to me, and I'm so happy that I listened to the still small voice that said, 'Just go there today!'"

Shirley Nielson, Northwest (Indiana) Church organist, with Diane Thurber, Lake Union Herald managing editor