BY SHEMEKA BRUTON
There I was standing on the curb outside of the airport waiting for my ride. Next to me was an older gentleman apparently doing the same thing. We struck up a friendly conversation. He told me that he had lost his son. He was 9 years old and had been in a car accident and died of complications related to that. This man was broken. You see, he was driving the car when the accident occurred. I couldn't even begin to imagine the grief and the guilt that he was carrying. In the midst of his pain, he shared with me that he had some questions about God related to the death of his son.
As we were standing there, it quickly became apparent to me that this was a divine appointment. But I had to act quickly because my ride would be showing up at any moment. I knew that I didn't have time to go into a deep Bible study with him, and as awful as it sounds, I didn't even really have time to pray with him. Thankfully, though, God helped me. My mind began racing -- what can I share with him? Do I have anything that I can give him? Then the Holy Spirit turned on a light bulb in my brain. Yes! I have two glow tracts in my purse! That was all the sharing materials that I had left from my trip. I quickly rifled through my bag (why do I have so much stuff in there?) and pulled them out. One was in Spanish so that was a no go, but the other was in English! And guess what? It was on the subject of death!!!
I listened as he shared, and then I told him that I wanted to share something with him. Can you guess what happened around that time? Yes, you're correct - my ride showed up and they honked to get my attention! At the airport, vehicles can only be in the loading lane to pick up and drop off someone so they could not remain there long, which meant that I had very limited time. I turned the tract over and wrote www.truthaboutdeath.com on it. I encouraged him to visit that site and gave him the tract. I have full confidence that he did visit the site, and I'm sure that he read the tract too. I can only pray that he received the answers that he needed to his questions.
Thinking about that experience made me all the more thankful for the book ministry. Because of your generous donations, we are able to provide books, tracts, DVDs, magazines, etc. for you to take and share whenever the opportunity arises. we should always be equipped and ready to share with a hungering soul the truths that God has so graciously and abundantly given to us. I want to encourage you to please visit the tables on Book Ministry Sabbath, which is generally the third Sabbath of each month. The materials are free to take. Our motto is: Take what you like, but give what you take. Or at the very least, read it. :) Even if you don't have anyone in particular in mind to share it with, still take something and keep it with you because God will give you a divine appointment if you're willing.
Let every Seventh-day Adventist ask himself, “What can I do to proclaim the third angel's message?” Christ came to this world to give this message to His servant to give to the churches. It is to be proclaimed to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. How are we to give it? The distribution of our literature is one means by which the message is to be proclaimed. Let every believer scatter broadcast tracts and leaflets and books containing the message for this time.
—The Southern Watchman, January 5, 1904
