Claudio Japas, a resident of Alvarado, Texas and a volunteer for the Houston Mission Trip, shared two divine appointments he experienced during the first day of The Great Controversy distribution.
A Central Asia Connection
“I was with Sterling this morning, and we went to a door,” Claudio shared. “A gentleman, Asian, opened the door. He was a little hesitant, but we started talking to him and realized he is a Christian.”
The man told Claudio and Sterling how his wife is about to go on a mission trip to Central Asia.
“Well, that sparked a light in my eyes because I was a missionary with my wife in Central Asia, and not too many people know what Central Asia is or the countries that are there,” Claudio shared. “So I said, ‘Which country?’”
When the man named Kyrgyzstan as the destination city for his wife’s mission trip, Claudio responded with surprise and excitement, sharing that he and his wife had lived in Kyrgyzstan for three years.
“We really connected on that,” Claudio shared. “It was bizarre that somebody else would be going there.”
After exchanging numbers, Claudio told the man that if he or his wife had any questions during the trip, he welcomed them to reach out to him.
“He took the book, he wanted to study it, and was very fascinated with the book,” Claudio said. “I praise God for using that connection to reach him.”
Adventists… Like Desmond Doss
During the second half of the day of knocking on doors, Claudio had partnered with Oleg Lotca, who was on the other side of the street.
“I knocked on a door, and another Asian man, a younger guy, opened the door,” Claudio shared.
In sharing a little bit about THRIVE health magazine, the two connected on the topics of stress, anxiety and depression.
“He’s like, ‘Yeah, who has that?’” Claudio shared. “And we both laugh because we know everybody has somebody they know experiencing these things, right?”
Claudio then watched as the young man then flipped the door hanger bag over to preview the cover of The Great Controversy on the other side.
“He’s like, ‘okay, Great Controversy. What is this about?’” Claudio shared. “Instead of taking the book out, he just rips the plastic open and tears out.”
The man opened the book to the first page and saw the words “Seventh-day Adventist.” Looking up at Claudio, he said, “Wait, Seventh-day Adventist, wasn’t there a guy, Desmond T. Doss, and a movie about Hacksaw Ridge or something?
Claudio confirmed that Desmond Doss was indeed a Seventh-day Adventist.
“I am from China,” the man replies, “And I still have a Chinese mindset. I’m trying to understand Christianity.”
The man continued sharing about his desire to become a Christian.
“I’m taking my family to Christian churches, but I take them back because something’s not right,” the man continued.
Claudio listened as the man pivoted back to the movie about Desmond Doss.
“This guy really stood up for what was right,” the man shared. “I remember he didn’t want to kill and he kept the Sabbath.”
Nodding, Claudio confirmed again that he was part of the same denomination.
“And then we started a nice conversation,” Claudio shared. “He asked, ‘what’s the difference with Seventh-day Adventists? That’s a beautiful question.”
Claudio told the man about how Adventists study the Bible, the word of God. He then told the man how the Sabbath, the state of the dead, and hell are three topics of study where Adventist differ from other churches.
The man quietly listened and appeared in thought. After Claudio finished his brief reply, the man responded, saying, “That makes sense.”
The man then looked at the books.
“I’m a slow reader,” he said, “But I’m going to read this before I read the Bible.”
Claudio encouraged the man to read it with the Bible.
“He promised that he was going to read it,” Claudio said. “I praise God for that encounter.”
This testimony was live streamed to the Streams of Light International YouTube Channel. To watch Claudio’s testimony of sharing The Great Controversy, starting at the 13:55 minute mark, click here. To learn more about upcoming mission trips you can participate in, head to our Mission Trips page!