Whenever one attends a missionary school, he has many expectations about different things--about the school itself, what life will be like, the changes he will go through. These things were passing through the mind of one student from Colombia, Oscar, who was only 17 years old when he entered the missionary school in Albertirsa, Hungary, in early 1997. His desire was and is to be a servant of the Lord, to become a real missionary. From the very beginning of his stay at the school, he asked the Lord for a soul--one soul he might take care of, a real, special experience. He didn't just sit back to wait for a soul to come to him but took advantages of the opportunities the Lord granted him. He told many people about the good news, but he felt that the soul he had been praying for was still out there somewhere.
In the spring of 1998, the time came when the students were to spend a full month canvassing. A group of them stayed for one month at the church in Budapest and worked in the city, the capital of Hungary. It was, of course, necessary to communicate with the people in Hungarian. Oscar knew only a few Hungarian words, such as "hello" and "good-bye." Beyond that, like most of the other students, he had to communicate by handing the person who answered the door a written message. Sometimes it was really difficult, because some of the houses had an intercom. The student would ring the doorbell, and then a voice would answer over the intercom; somehow the people had to be convinced to come to the door and read the written message.
Normally the students were sent out two by two. Some even had the privilege of going with the teacher. Oscar was very disappointed one day when he had to go canvassing alone. That day, before leaving, he read Isaiah 55:12: "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace;..." He thought to himself, Even if I sell nothing, I can still come home with peace in my heart, because I am doing God's work, and He knows why things turn out as they do.
The day was hot, and climbing the hills and knocking on doors was hard work. It didn't seem to be a very hopeful situation. After going from door to door for two hours, Oscar met a lady who spoke his native language, Spanish. Not only that; she came from Cuba, not far from his home country. Now she lived in Hungary, for she had married a Hungarian. She invited Oscar in, and they talked, but not so much about religious matters. She purchased a small book and invited him to come back and visit later. He was able to visit her a few times while he was still in Budapest. Their conversations were friendly, touching religious matters only slightly. She seemed to be a religious person with great confidence and faith in God; she even believed that Oscar's coming to her door the first time was not by chance. She said, "God sent you here. Nothing happens by chance."
Oscar returned to school in Albertirsa and had no further contact with the woman. About six weeks later, she suddenly developed an acute illness and had to go to the hospital. A friend called the school and left a message: "Please tell Oscar that the lady from Cuba needs him to come and see her." Oscar went to the hospital and was able to speak to her about important matters concerning Bible truth. He visited her there several times. It turned out that she had read the Bible on her own for more than three years. The hardest part was that she believed in reincarnation and some other similar things.
After she returned home, he visited her once again; the subject came up about churches. He realized that she had been disappointed by a particular religion. She told Oscar she would like to study about this. "Well, I can give you Bible studies," he said.
She had previously read the Bible in Hungarian. Oscar tried to find a Spanish Bible for her but was unable. A sister at the school decided to give her her own Spanish Bible, and the lady was overjoyed. It was a very good Bible, and she thanked Oscar and the sister over and over again for it.
The third class at Bethel Theological Institute in Albertirsa, Hungary, began with ceremonies on October 25, 1998. Students from the second class sang for the ceremonies. Brother Oscar is third from left.
It is normal to have one Bible study each week, but that was not enough for her. She wanted Oscar to come three times each week, for she was very eager to learn more and more. Because of her personal study, she was familiar with many subjects. For example, when the story of Elijah was mentioned, she said, "Oh yes, that is written in 1 Kings." She would describe things she had learned. How Oscar rejoiced at the way the Holy Spirit had led her!
Her difficulty in understanding what happens when a person dies kept cropping up during the studies. She could even prove her ideas from the Bible (of course, with a wrong understanding). One day Oscar took the teacher from the school with him; and with her help and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the woman came to understand the concepts relating to death.
The truth was very precious to her. She received a lot of opposition from her family, but still she kept on. She asked Oscar how she could pay him for the Bible studies. He said, "Well, don't pay me. You can only pay Jesus and do it by sharing with others what you have learned." So she began to do that eagerly. She is a real missionary already, even though she is still receiving Bible studies herself. She tells everyone who will listen about the truth. Nothing can keep her back. She is even selling books.
Oscar finished his course of study at the missionary school in October 1998. But before he left to return to Colombia, the lady asked him to give her a copy of his written materials so she could use them in sharing with others.
May God continue to bless her and so fill us all with His Spirit that we also will be unable to keep from telling others what we have seen and heard!
--Karola Kraenzmer, Sweden/Germany
