SDA Youth in the Last Days

“ Let there be light ” God’s thunderous voice booms across a shapeless, dark object. Immediately, you see streams of light flowing across a lump of darkness.    “ Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters ” God’s voice booms and you watch in wonder as clouds rise and form a blanket around a mass of swirling water.    “ Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear ” God says, and you watch in awe as dry land peeks out from beneath the rolling waves.    Then God says, “ Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth ” Immediately, the bare and desolate landscape turns a vivid green. You stare in delight as meadows bloom and forests appear.    “ Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let t...

Last Friday night I was on my knees asking God what He wanted me to do, yielding my will to His. Suddenly I heard God speaking to me. Not audibly, of course, but I seemed to almost hear God calling me to give myself wholly to His plan for me. “Yes, Lord? Here am I.” And then it was really weird. I had this super strong impression. Go to 286 7th Ave S and offer them Bible studies. “No! I don’t want to, Lord!” Wait, didn’t I just say, “Here am I?” I wrestled for a while, unwilling to go. Finally, I hopped in bed and grabbed the magazine beside my bed. Adventist Frontier Missions. I read bit and then came across a section that said, “Will you answer His call to reach the unreached?” (Paraphrased) I lay down, giving myself all the reasons for why not to go. After a few minutes, I hopped out of bed and grabbed my phone. “Hopefully that address doesn’t even exist,” I thought to myself. Ugh, forget that, there it is. I finally fell into a restless sleep. Sabbath morning, I woke up. Guess ...

It’s dark. There’s no moon, and the clouds cover the stars. There is no light whatsoever, and you can’t see anything; not even your hand if you were to put it right in front of your face. You can hear sounds that only the night makes, and you begin to feel a chill creeping in. All you want to be is home! You’re out in the middle of the woods, lost in the darkness. You could find your way home— if only you could see something; anything! But alas, there is no light. All is pitch blackness.  Suddenly, you bump your toe on something. Jumping, you think it’s a wild animal but realize it’s only a rock. Wait a minute, this rock feels funny. You reach down and feel the object carefully, making sure that whatever it is doesn’t decide to bite. Your heart jumps; it’s a flashlight! In your joy you pick it up and fumble around a little. It feels kinda old, but you refuse to let your hopes down. You feel for the switch, and immediately there’s a beam of light stretching in front of you. Hap...

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:11    What's makes the Sabbath extra special?    “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” Exodus 31:13    The Sabbath is a sign of the relationship existing between God and His people—a sign that they are His obedient subjects, that they keep holy His law. The observance of the Sabbath is the means ordained by God of preserving a knowledge of Himself and of distinguishing between His loyal subjects and the transgressors of His law. CH 358.4    All of God’s commandments are important, but the Sabbath is extra special. The Sabbath is a special sign between God and us. It is a way He distinguishes between His faithful followers and the transgressors of His law. It is a test. A test of our loyalty to Him.  ...

“I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Pastor Jason Sliger baptized four young people on that hot summer day at Young Disciple camp. As I watched, I felt a burning inside me to be baptized as well, and throughout the rest of that day I thought about it. That evening, at campfire, I hardly heard half of the testimonies, because I was so deep in thought about baptism. About halfway through, I made the decision to go up, give my testimony, and say that I had decided to be baptized. It was a really solemn moment, and I guess I sort of broke down in gratitude or something. (hard to explain…) This was in July 2016, when I was 14. After YD I went and told my mom of my decision, and she agreed to get me started on Bible studies with our pastor. I could’ve gotten baptized at our church, but I decided that I wanted to get baptized at Young Disciple camp next year, in 2017. Months past, and around May we met with our Pastor. By this time, my sister...