A group of youth and young adults from churches across the Lake Union teamed with their local pastor to preach the everlasting gospel throughout Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean.
The thirteen participants—four pastors and nine of their respective young adult church members—partnered last year with the ministry ShareHim to work with active evangelistic efforts.
Abdiel Lozano and Diana Mora, together with Freddy De los Santos, senior pastor of Milwaukee North Hispanic and three other churches in Wisconsin, journeyed to Santa Clara, Peru, to work with an evangelistic campaign.
Diana, who currently works as a school paraprofessional, admitted some nervousness, though she had preached before; yet she was buoyed by how encouraging and supportive the Santa Clara church members were. She also recalled a day of divine “serendipity.”
“November 1 is celebrated as the Day of the Dead, and by God’s providence, that was the day I preached about the state of the dead,” said Diana. “I could see that many people were hearing this message for the first time, and they were being convinced by what Scripture says. At the end of the meetings, one teenage girl decided to be baptized. It was the first baptism held in that relatively new church, so it was a very special celebration.”
Brothers Daniel and Marcus Toppenberg, Detroit-area natives, ventured to Cúcuta, Colombia with Dan McGrath, pastor of the Metropolitan Church in Plymouth, Michigan. This was a first-time experience for both Daniel, a senior at Southern Adventist University, and Marcus, a freshman at Union College. They each preached a ten-part series in different churches around the city and according to McGrath, the young men shined!
McGrath said group leaders began calling Marcus “pastor” because he did such an excellent job, and Daniel exhibited a unique teaching style that resonated with the guest attendees in a simple yet profound way that deepened their understanding of the Adventist message.
Another pastor who witnessed the impact of his young people preaching the transforming message of Jesus Christ was Darrel le Roux, senior pastor of the Grand Rapids Central and Lowell churches in Michigan. He partnered with Jake McFarland and Trevor Mathison to go to El Salvador, and reported the encounter exceeded their expectations and has even carried over to the home front.
Trevor was grateful for how warm and welcoming the Salvadorian church members were. “I never personally witnessed how powerfully God works in other people’s lives on your behalf when you work for Him,” he added. “It led a young man to tears and ultimately a baptism.”
Actually, it led to multiple baptisms, as Trevor also sealed his decision for Christ earlier this year.
Pastor le Roux says they plan to collaborate and prepare presentations the three will be presenting to the local church. “This was one of my desired outcomes,” he noted, “and I believe the ShareHim experience affirmed Jake and Trevor to want to do this back in our own church.”
Meanwhile, David DeRose, senior pastor of the Fort Wayne First Church in Indiana, traveled with Nathan Zapata and Leonardo Lara to the Dominican Republic in early October. They witnessed the power of God’s Word as they each preached during an evangelistic series.
“The experience not only provided an opportunity for the three of us to bond more closely,” said DeRose, “but it helped us to more tangibly appreciate our connection to the worldwide Adventist Church.” He continued, “We ministered side-by-side with our brothers and sisters from the Dominican Republic,” as well as fellow ShareHim missionaries from Kentucky, Nevada, California, and Massachusetts.
ShareHim, an evangelism initiative based at the Carolina Conference, seeks to establish strong, healthy mentorship bonds between pastors and young adults. These bonds, forged through a memorable team-building excursion to an international or domestic evangelism site, then provide an impetus for young adults to engage in long-term, active soul-winning in their local spheres or perhaps even beyond.
While expressing appreciation for the Lake Union’s participation, the Director of ShareHim Jeremiah Weeks, concisely articulated the essence of this ministry: “By God’s grace, we’re seeing encouraging results, with young adults growing spiritually while building closer mentoring relationships with their pastors. According to the pastors, many of the young people are now more involved in leadership and ministry in their home churches. Also, a number of the young adults involved from the NAD have decided to pursue full-time ministry, which is great news!”
All are invited to visit www.sharehim.org to learn more about how the ministry operates, survey the trip itinerary for 2024, tap into helpful resources and read inspiring testimonies. Pastors are especially invited to contact ShareHim to discuss the prospect of formulating a team of young adults and participating in one of the upcoming trips.
John Simon is a freelance writer.
