Michael Eckert, assistant director to the Publishing Department, handing out The Great Controversy during Streams of Light International’s mission trip in Detroit, Michigan, April 2023. [Photo credit: Arisha Arvat]
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On dusty outback roads, through dry, monotonous terrain, and under a merciless hot Australian sun, Philip rode his bicycle hundreds of miles selling hope-filled Christian books as a literature evangelist. One day he came to a farm in the middle of nowhere, a place called Eugowra. Here, he saw a farmer plowing a field. The man was strong in physique but broken in spirit. It was Tom Kent.
Unbeknownst to Philip, Tom’s family was heartbroken. His wife, Mary, had succumbed to pneumonia. He was in despair, struggling to care for their 11 children. Just before her death, Mary had asked Tom to promise he would meet her in heaven—and bring the children with him. Tom had promised. Tearfully, he had looked for a Bible to see how he could keep his promise.
That’s when Philip met Tom.
Philip Ainslie Reekie was born in Scotland in 1846. In 1888, widowed and divorced, he migrated from Australia, looking for a new life. A year later, in 1889, he stumbled upon some Christian literature, discovered amazing Bible truths, and encountered the real Jesus of Nazareth. He’d not only found a new country, but also a new reason to live. He wanted to spread hope. He quit working as an engraver so that he could engrave God’s Word upon hearts.
Now listening to Tom’s heartbreaking story, Philip saw pain, and heard of Mary’s dying hope. He decided to share The Great Controversy with Tom. Tom wrestled with the biblical truths he read, but after careful study, accepted the teachings. These new discoveries gave Tom the deep comfort and assurance that he so badly needed. He shared his discoveries with his children and neighbors. His children and five neighboring families became believers and disciples of Jesus. It was then that Tom knew he could keep his promise to his wife.
Today, this remarkable story continues. Tom Kent’s descendants, together with the other five families and others brought into the Adventist Church, add up to more than twenty thousand individuals. Twenty thousand lives were transformed by a faithful literature evangelist on a bicycle and a farmer who shared The Great Controversy with his family and neighbors.
– As told by Michael Eckert, associate director of the GC Publishing Ministries department
Shared with permission. This article originally appeared on the Adventist News Network.