Adventist Education: Watching a Miracle

I believe that the most important function of Adventist schools is to lead children to Christ. We have had the privilege and blessing of watching a miracle unfold in the lives of the family of one of our students.

Mosheh Crist, an eighth-grader this year, has been at Invitation Hill Adventist School since fourth grade. His mom, Danell, is a postal carrier and in the summer of 2016 was delivering mail in the school neighborhood (then in the basement of the church). She noticed a banner on the fence of the church/school yard stating that applications for registration were being accepted. Not having met the teacher or knowing much about Adventism, Danell went into the building and enrolled Mosheh on the spot. He was having a bad experience in public school, and she felt this would be a good place for him.

Mosheh has a curious mind, and shortly after beginning school noticed some interesting magazines in the foyer that talked about the mark of the beast and other topics that piqued his interest. He began attending church with the teacher and her husband each week. His mom worked most Saturdays but came when she could. Over the years, Mosheh’s little brother and sister began attending church weekly as well.

Last summer, Danell began asking questions about the Bible and expressing more interest in things of a spiritual nature. The teacher and her husband studied with the family a few times in their home, and last fall when the church hosted an online evangelistic series, Danell attended almost every meeting. By the end of the series, she had developed a growing desire to commit her life more fully to Christ and was convicted that she should not work on the Sabbath anymore. She spoke to her supervisor, and while he sympathized, he said he couldn’t allow her to have Saturdays off. She worked one more Sabbath, and then said, “I can’t work another Sabbath.” And she hasn’t.

Our class and our church began lifting this matter up in prayer daily. Danell has expected her employment to end, but even though she has been written up a few times for calling in on Sabbaths, her employment continues. It has presented hardships as many weeks she has a paycheck that reflects only four days of work. As a single mom, this takes a lot of faith.

She is inspiring many in our church family, our students, and a wider circle as her story is being shared, and people from many states are praying for her. Her living testimony is shining a light and creating a legacy that will have ripples into eternity.

To all those who support Adventist Christian education with your prayers and pocketbooks: Thank you so much. You are making a difference for eternity—not just in the lives of the students, but in their families’ lives as well.

Please continue to pray for the teachers as leaders of this evangelistic effort, and for the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of our students to make a decision for Christ while they are young.

By Janna Wright, head teacher at Invitation Hill Adventist School in Dickinson, North Dakota