Twelve years ago Laurie and I were in the valley of decision wrestling with whether to commit to long-term mission service in a land we had never seen before. The night before our decision was due, I prayed earnestly. My doubts were very strong, and they drove me to seek God with all my heart. “If this is not what You are calling us to do,” I prayed, “please close this door. Otherwise, make Your call clear to us.”
I awoke early the next morning, before sunrise. Not sure what had awakened me, I looked around the dark room. Everything was quiet. Then I realized I had just seen a picture of heaven. Whether it was a dream or vision, I don’t know. But I had seen myself standing in heaven wearing a white robe and surrounded by a dozen dark-skinned men. I knew these men, and they were from Papua New Guinea. They were smiling at me and thanking me for coming to share the gospel with them. They told me that if I had not come, they would not be in heaven. As I glanced a second time at the man I thought was me, I realized it was not really me but Jesus!
Lying there in my dark room, I remembered the prayer I had prayed the night before. I was awestruck to think that God was really calling me! All my doubts were swept away, and I felt assured by His promise that He would be with me, and if I should fall, He would be there to pick me up.
I believe now as I did then that God gave me that picture of heaven for a reason. Through the years it has been a source of strength and comfort during many times of discouragement when our work seemed in vain.
When I share the story of my dream, people often ask me if I recognize anyone who was in that dream. Honestly, I’m not sure. However, something interesting and exciting has been happening lately that makes me wonder if that dream is being fulfilled.
Two years ago we returned from the States with a new focus on a special project to build a training center for the Gogodala people. Miraculously, soon after arriving in Port Moresby we received an unsolicited gift of a brand-new sawmill from a dignitary of a neighboring South Pacific island country. Seven months later we received a generous donation that covered the cost of materials to complete the first phase of the project. While hoping and waiting for volunteer builders to come and help me build the training center, I used the manpower that was available to me at the time—10 young men from the village who volunteered to help. These men range in age from late teens to mid-twenties. A few of them have taken trade courses at the local vocational school in Balimo, but the rest were largely unskilled.
However, as they work and learn faithfully day after day, their skill level grows. At first, their only pay was a free meal each day. But as we got to know the core group better and saw their commitment to the project, we wrote up a contract for each one and started paying them wages. One stipulation in the contract was that the workers not use alcohol or drugs during the contract period. Most of them seemed like clean-cut guys, but we included that provision because many of them had previously been involved with drugs or homemade alcohol.
Since these young men have started working with us, we have noticed changes. They used to be indifferent, but now they clearly enjoy our presence. Over time they have become interested in spiritual matters and desire to know more about the Bible. We started showing a series of evangelistic videos at the end of every workday to those who wanted to stay around and watch. I was amazed that they all stayed and watched night after night. Last April we had a baptism at our mission property, and three of them were baptized! Others showed greater interest and began attending our Sabbath School and church services as well. Two weeks ago, our church conducted another baptism, and four more of our workers were baptized! At the last baptism, the pastor made an appeal at the end for those who would like to be baptized in the near future. One more of our workers was among those who stood up.
God works in mysterious ways. I didn’t see this coming, but He did. Twelve years ago, these boys were just children. Did God have them in mind when He gave me that dream? Was He already preparing them and me for this experience? Can God use these strong young men to carry the gospel message to others?
“With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world! How soon might the end come—the end of suffering and sorrow and sin! How soon, in place of a possession here, with its blight of sin and pain, our children might receive their inheritance where ‘the righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever;’ where ‘the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick,’ and ‘the voice of weeping shall be no more heard.’ (Ps. 37:29; Isa. 33:24; 65:19” (Education, p. 271).
