I have to tell you about a young man named Patrick, a law student at the University of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who has recently encountered the good news of the gospel in the most profound way.
Patrick is the kind of person who burns hot for justice. That’s why he chose law in the first place: he believes in fairness, in righting wrongs.
It’s also why he didn’t like church.
In Patrick’s view, religion was a racket.
Church people, as he saw them, were just another category of grifter, exploiting spiritual language for their financial gain. And he wasn’t interested.
Until one afternoon, while walking across campus, he passed a little white tent.
Under that tent were a few young men behind a table, handing out Bible study guides titled Truth Link. There was a sign on the table with one word Patrick didn’t expect to see: “Free.”
He was skeptical…
but also curious.
He’d heard of Seventh-day Adventists before. He knew they had a reputation for being passionate about the law, which intrigued him. So, he took home a full set of 27 study guides and read them.
Over the next few months, Patrick—along with nearly 200 other students—completed the entire course. At the end, they were each given a certificate of completion and their own Bible. Still free.
At the graduation ceremony, Patrick asked to speak. This is some of his inspiring speech:
I have been a student here for five years. I have never seen a wonderful opportunity like this to know the truth. All the lessons are professionally written to convince truth seekers at the intellectual level. They are also spiritually powerful—touching hearts.
At the beginning, I could not imagine a church giving free Bibles to so many people. What I knew about church people was that they exploit others, asking for money.
But I saw more than 100 students receiving free Bibles. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has given me proof that salvation is a free gift. I decided to study the law in order to advocate for the truth. Now I have found the spiritual truth for which to advocate.
Praise God!
Patrick didn’t just learn something new. He was reoriented to a new reality. He encountered a new kind of church,
one that gives instead of takes, one that wants to help him flourish, one that teaches salvation as a gift and lives like it’s true.
It was the generosity of people like you that made it possible to print Truth Link Bible studies and place them and a Bible in Patrick’s hands as a declaration that this God is not a taker. He’s a giver.
Now Patrick is inviting other students to study the Bible for themselves. He’s paying it forward freely, just as it was given to him.
That’s the power of the gospel.
I wonder, if you feel moved by God’s selfless, glorious love and you would like to help us reach more people like Patrick with free gospel literature, would you partner with us financially—maybe for the first time or again?
Yes, want to impact more lives with my gift!
Ty Gibson
Ty is a speaker/director of Light Bearers. A passionate communicator with a message that opens minds and moves hearts, Ty teaches on a variety of topics, emphasizing God’s unfailing love as the central theme of the Bible. Ty and his wife Sue have three adult children and two grandsons.
