“Be diligent to come to me quickly” (2 Timothy 4:9).
I was canvassing or colporteuring, and when the door opened, I saw an older man with blood-shot eyes and his shirt unbuttoned. I thought he was drunk, but he spoke to me very clearly and calmly. I did not usually enter houses of men who were alone and I do not recommend doing it, but I felt impressed to go in there.
When I arrived in the living room, I expected to find alcohol and cigarettes, but I found a TV on channel 3ABN (a channel with Christian content that is connected to the Adventist Church), a bookcase filled with our books, and the Sabbath School Lesson Guide on the table. Relieved, I sat down and started to talk. The state of his eyes was due to a recent surgery. He also had spinal problems and it was very difficult for him to walk and move his arms well in order to button his shirts alone. He could not see well, but he wanted to read his Bible.
He had not been to church for many years, although he had been one of the leading members in the area and had collaborated in the construction of the church and in the advancement of the work. Because of the setbacks of life, he had distanced himself a little from his brothers and sisters in the faith, but he continued to study the Bible and felt a very special affection for colporteurs.
I wrote a Bible text in large letters on a piece of paper and sang a song. With tears in his eyes, he thanked me, bought one of the books; we prayed, and I left.
A few days later I visited him and took him a magnifying glass so he could read the Bible. The smile did not fit on his face. I visited him a couple more times and told him it was my turn to preach the following Sabbath.
He smiled at me, reminded me of his problem walking, of the bad terms he had had with some members, and showed me that he could not button his shirt properly or put on a tie, and although I told him that would not be a problem, I figured he would not go. However, that Sabbath, when I was standing behind the pulpit, I saw this good man walk down the aisle with a well-buttoned shirt and a smile on his face. When the sermon ended, I went to greet him, and smiling, he said, «1 surprised you! And it was true.
Many of our brothers and sisters are alone, wounded physically and emotionally. A distant, lonely man decided to return to the fold.
God can use you today to reach someone who also needs to come back.