Perry and Dagney moved to Bonners Ferry, Idaho about two years before they called the local Adventist church. Their miraculous journey to our church was all a part of God’s true plan, yet they were far from knowing it when they arrived in town.
As Perry was unloading boxes from the car, a long-lost book was dislodged. It caught his eye and jogged his memory. He had picked it out of a burn pile at a construction site more than ten years ago. He had dropped it under the seat in his car and there it sat for a decade.
The book was by George Vandeman and was called Planet in Rebellion. The subject intrigued Perry, and it sparked a year-long search for truth. Perry purchased several of Vandeman’s books online, and then bought the Daniel and Revelation God Cares set. Everything was beginning to make sense to him — the Sabbath, the state of the dead and more.
Through another series of miracles, Perry came across the phone number to Bonners Ferry Adventist Church. He called to ask for Bible studies.
Then, exactly after a year of searching for truth, Perry and Dagney decided to attend the Voice of Prophecy’s Discovering Revelation series at our church.
When God brought Perry and Dagney to us, He awakened an ex-Catholic’s heart, and He began sowing the seeds of truth in anagnostic’s heart.
Our church had spent the previous year and a half prepping for the Discovering Revelation series. We started a Bible School and hosted prophecy, health and gardening events for the community. We started seven new small groups (three of which continued until the meetings began). We cleaned and spiffed up the church. We purchased a professional projector and made updates to our AV equipment to handle the demands of holding an event off-site. We visited members and Bible school students. We started a dozen new personal Bible studies. Our greeters reimagined the connection process.
All of those things were important to do, but it was the Lord that did the real preparations.
There were 110 people attending the first night! Regular attendance fell between 40 and 70. A reliable contingent of church members faithfully attended as well as about a dozen regular visitors and another 20 sporadic visitors.
Three people have already committed to baptism and another family has started Bible studies. Several other relationships are being cultivated that we believe will bear fruit in the coming months.
Whatever we do in evangelism and in outreach is simply making ourselves available to be used by the Holy Spirit in a work that He is already in process with.
