The first thing I noticed when I walked into the classroom was several young ladies who appeared to be Mennonite. We had just arrived in North Carolina, our first furlough destination. We had come to a facility called Equip in order to take an intensive medical-missions course.

I had never rubbed shoulders with Mennonites, and I was curious about them. The way the ladies dressed gave them a pioneer look. Most wore head coverings. As we got acquainted, we found that there were several conservative protestant groups represented. There were Mennonites, Wesleyans, Bible Baptists and Holiness.

I grew very fond of these earnest, Bible-believing workers for Jesus. I have a deep respect for them. Over the course of two weeks, we became close to several of them. Our everyday lives and conversations gave us opportunities to share our faith. They noticed we were vegetarians and asked us about it. This led to more questions about what Adventists believe. Because these people have a deep respect for the Bible, they were impressed with our biblical answers to questions like, “Why do you keep the Sabbath?” and “What do you believe about the old and new covenants?”

One day, a guest teacher who was supposed to be teaching about setting bones ended up going off on a tangent that questioned the authority of the Bible. Afterwards, our friends discussed how ecumenism has started creeping into the churches and how we can’t compromise absolute truths in the Bible for the sake of harmony among the churches.

With every passing day, a desire grew in me to see a church-planting movement among the Mennonites, Amish and Bible Baptists. They have their own cultures, and in many respects these cultures are good. When we plant churches in other countries, we mix with the people, eat their food, invite them over and even dress like them. We are respectful of their values. Why can’t we do the same thing for these groups of people who already love the Bible?

If you spend much time with them, and if you earn their respect, they will begin asking you questions. If they are anything like the young people we met, they will earnestly consider what you say and search their Bibles for truth. These groups have many missionaries around the world. Imagine having their help in spreading the three-angels’ messages! Maybe you live in an area where these people are. Maybe God is calling you to be a cross-cultural missionary right here in the States. Ask Him for opportunities to get to know these people. Plant seeds and pray for the Holy Spirit to water them. He will bring forth a rich harvest for His Kingdom.

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