Illness

By Bobby Davis

November 1, 2016April 9, 2026

The Second Time Around – John & Ann Roach

By Bobby Davis

If ever a couple could say they’ve watched the Lord at work in their lives, it would be John and Ann Roach, from Beaverton, Oregon. They share their amazing story in hopes that others may see that God never gives up!

Born in Houston, Texas, John grew up helping his father, who managed one of the top flower shops in that city. “I loved spending time with him,” he says, “and although his schedule was very hectic on weekends, we attended the First Methodist church when I was growing up. That’s where I first heard about the Sabbath,” he says. “It was in my father’s Sunday School class, which he sometimes let me attend— if I promised to be quiet. Anyway, I heard them say that Saturday was the real Sabbath, so after church, I asked the pastor why we worshiped on Sunday. He said, ‘The Jewish Sabbath is on Saturday, but the Christian Sabbath is on Sunday,’ and I was too young to question that, so I accepted it.”

Tragedy

At the age of 15, John lost his father, who had suffered a tremendous emotional and financial loss and was deeply depressed. “Most days, Dad would get up and sit on the back steps with a cup of coffee; but that day, Mom found him in the garage after he took his life with rope she had bought to make jump ropes for her Sunday School class. I didn’t know a lot about the Scriptures, and when I asked older Christians about my dad’s death, they told me that suicide was the ultimate sin, and that he’d burn in hell forever! Right there I decided I didn’t want to serve God.”

Ann says that her childhood was not nearly as eventful. “My family attended the Presbyterian church that my grandfather helped build,” she says, “and we were good kids, so I always believed I’d go to Heaven.”

John had become a successful salesman for a large ribbon and floral supplies company, and when he relocated in Beaverton and met Ann, the couple hit it off. She was attending Oregon State University, so they would date each summer; but after her junior year, John didn’t see or hear from her, so he called her up. Soon their relationship developed, and they were married.

The Search Begins

John & Ann Roach — Ann and John shortly after he moved to Beaverton, Oregon, as a salesman for a ribbon and floral supplies company.

John and Ann traveled together for five years, and then they decided to have a baby. However, just before she delivered, Ann landed in the ER, since her unborn baby was showing signs of distress. “I began begging God to save my child,” John says, “and I promised that if He did, I’d go back to church and try to raise her right! Five minutes later, a kind nurse named Sarah came in with reassuring words that calmed Ann, and after checking the monitoring equipment, she exclaimed, ‘I don’t know what happened, but everything is okay with your baby, now!’”

That experience marked the beginning of John’s commitment to find out more about the Lord, and soon they began looking for a church home.

Help Along the Way

A new deck for their home led John to a man named Rodger, who said he could do the job, but wouldn’t work on Saturdays because that’s when he went to church.

John pointed out that his theology must be wrong, but Rodger didn’t argue. Instead, he gave him a Bible, a Strong’s Concordance, and showed him how to use them.

After studying about the Sabbath for several months, John decided to find a Seventh-day Adventist church while on a trip to Boise, Idaho. “I figured that if I didn’t like it, nobody would know, so I prayed, Lord, as far as I can tell, Saturday worship is what You want, but I just need a nudge—and I got it! The sermon that day was, ‘The Sabbath—Holy Day or Holiday?’”

That afternoon, he met Marvin Moore, editor for the Signs of the Times magazine. They studied the Bible for four hours, and another six the next day! Finally, Marvin said, “John, what I’ve shared with you in two days usually takes me 24 lessons!”

However, John had one very important question left. “I asked Marvin, ‘What is your church’s view on suicide?’

“‘Well, John,’ he answered, ‘you can die from a bad liver, from a bad heart, and from bad lungs. So it stands to reason that someone who takes their life might die of a sick brain. The question is, if one is given a perfect brain and a new body, will they serve God throughout eternity? Only Jesus knows that.’ His response gave me great peace, and that night I gave my heart to the Lord.”

Losses

Although John embraced these new truths, he would soon face several severe trials in quick succession. First, his mother became ill with cancer, and in an effort to help, he brought her to his home for about a month. “While she was here, I gave her a Revelation series on tape,” he says, “and before she left, she told me, ‘I’ve learned more about the Bible from those tapes than I have my entire life! Now I know why you’re going to this church, and what you’re doing is right!’ She died shortly after, but the last three weeks of her life she kept God’s Sabbath.”

Six months later, Ann filed for divorce, after hearing from people she trusted that the Seventh-day Adventist Church was a cult, and that her children wouldn’t grow up to be normal because they’d miss out on high school social events, like Friday night football games, and proms.

Although this was a devastating blow, another problem soon came up with work. Right after his baptism, he was told that he would have to work three Saturdays a year. John explained why he could no longer work on Sabbaths, but soon received a letter saying that if he did not show up that weekend, they would take that as his resignation.

He was fired in February, supposedly for not doing his job, but by divine providence, he found a religious liberty leader who helped him file a claim with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). God intervened in a marvelous way when he was handed some mail that contained a crucial piece of evidence he needed to eventually win his case—a company printout showing that his sales had actually increased by 42 percent over the past year. His case dragged on for 18 months, and during that time, John felt increasingly ill. Finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia, he was forced to file for disability and struggled to survive. He could do little for Ann and his children at that time, but after winning his EEOC case, he began helping them with much-needed home repairs and other necessities. Through his persistent and kind efforts and thoughtfulness, his relationship with Ann began to change.

“I prayed that the Lord would restore my relationship for Ann for 26 years,” he says. “Then, I began asking Him to put someone in her path to lead her to Christ, and an understanding of this message, but I never thought He might choose me!”

Accidents

In 2010, John and Ann stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, and were hit from behind by a car traveling 55 mph! “We were both hurt,” Ann says, “but he had diabetes, and had stents put in after a heart attack. So when they asked if I needed an ambulance, I said, ‘Yes—for John!’ As they rolled him away, I blurted out, ‘I love you!’ Then thought, Okay. It’s out there now! That was the beginning of our new relationship.”

Badly injured, John needed special care, so Ann asked if he’d like to stay in the extra bedroom. He agreed, and asked if he could install a satellite dish in his room to pick up the Adventist channels, since she already had Dish Network. One day, she came across 3ABN, and being somewhat familiar with our programming, she began watching Pastor Doug Batchelor. “Doug was easy to understand, and I soon began to look forward to his programs, as well as the vegetarian cooking shows,” she says. “Later, I was talking with John about being a Presbyterian, and he said, ‘Ann, you don’t know it yet, but you’re an Adventist. You’re keeping the Sabbath, and even your eating habits have changed!’ The more I thought about it, the more I knew he was right.”

They were getting along well, and enjoying Sabbaths and Bible study together, but John says that something happened to hurry things along. “As we crossed the street to a restaurant one day, a car hit me, and on the way down, I prayed a short prayer, Lord, please don’t let this car run over me! When I opened my eyes, the car wheel was six inches from my head!”

He spent time in the hospital, and then at a skilled care facility before coming home again, but Ann says, “This accident helped us realize that life can be changed in the blinking of an eye, and that we didn’t want to spend any more time apart. John’s love of Christ, and his kindness to me is how I came to know Jesus.”

John & Ann Baptism — John and Ann were re-married and baptized in the Beaverton Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The Second Time Around

On June 4, 2016, this beautiful couple was remarried during the Sabbath worship service, with their grown daughters, Sarah and Stephanie, by their side. Following their vows, they stepped into the baptismal tank, where Ann was baptized by Pastor Rodney Payne II, of the Beaverton Seventh-day Adventist Church, and John was re-baptized by Pastor Ray Ammon—who baptized him the first time in 1988.

Their testimony makes it clear that despite our difficulties, God delights in putting things together even better the second time around!

Beaverton Seventh-day Adventist Church

Beaverton Seventh-day Adventist Church Website

By Bobby Davis

June 1, 2016April 9, 2026

How Big Is His Hand? – Heidi

By Bobby Davis

Among Danny Shelton’s favorite stories, this one stands out. “Back in the 1970s, an evangelist came to West Frankfort, Illinois, and set up a tent on the south side of town,” he recalls. “There I met a man named John Layer and his wife, who came to tape the services and make cassette copies for those who attended. One day, I asked him what he did for a living, and he said, ‘I’m a contractor from out west,’ and that struck a chord with me, since my brother Kenny and I were contractors, too. I found out he volunteered several times a year, so I asked him how he could afford to come at his own expense. That’s when he told me the most amazing story!

In John’s Own Words

“We had recently bought some property with a small cabin, and when we moved in, our four daughters claimed a bedroom, and our son was happy with the attic above the carport, where the only access was a trapdoor with a ladder.

John and Nancy Layer married recently, after Toni, his wife of sixty-nine years passed away.

Our four-year-old daughter Heidi loved to visit him, and the next morning, her mother reminded her to bring her shoes down with her. But instead of putting them on in the attic, she tried to carry them down, and with only one hand on the ladder, she fell back and hit her head.

“That day, she couldn’t keep anything down, and the doctor’s advice was to keep her quiet. But by the next morning she was back to her vibrant self. Then, ten days later, I was already at work when our little climber missed her footing getting down from the table and hit the back of her head, again. Still in her robe, my wife Toni carried her to our bed, then hurriedly put on clothing. Heidi threw up and choked on her food, but Toni gave her mouth-to-mouth, and she started breathing again.

“Now the devil loves to kick you when you’re down, and the car wouldn’t start; but fortunately, it was a stick shift, and was parked on a slight hill. When they reached the doctor’s office, he called for an ambulance right away to take Heidi to the best neurosurgeon in the Northwest.

“By the time I arrived at the hospital, Heidi’s head had been shaved in preparation for surgery; but at this point, that wasn’t possible, because the pressure inside her skull was nearly four-and-a-half times higher than normal.

“By the next morning, the food in her lungs had begun to decay and her white blood count had more than doubled. She was dehydrating quickly, so we called our church elders to anoint her, asking for God’s healing touch!

“Heidi lay there so still, and after a week of no improvement, they urged us to take her home, saying that our own doctor could keep track of her. They just don’t want to have this child die at their facility, I thought.”

You Must Trust Jesus

“Another week passed with daily checks from our doctor. I went to a payphone so my family wouldn’t hear me ask what her chances were for survival. After a long pause, he said, ‘That’s very difficult to estimate, John, but I’m guessing she has about a fifty percent chance.’

“I called the wonderful Christian doctor who had delivered Heidi. He’d kept track of her deteriorating health, and said, ‘John, you must trust Jesus.’ So I searched my soul, and as far as I knew, there was nothing between Jesus and me.

“It was time to take Heidi back to the neurosurgeon, so I carried her to the car, expecting her to ride in her mother’s arms. But instead, she sat between us, and even bounced a little. I was beside myself, because I knew that often people have a sudden surge of energy just before they die. I kept thinking, I might not even get her to her doctor!

“The receptionist took us immediately into the examining room, and after each test, the specialist was amazed; but my thoughts were that he just wanted to get her out of there before she died.

“Another doctor came in, and used almost the same words. So I asked Toni to take Heidi out and explained that I needed to know the whole truth so I could prepare Toni and my mother. ‘John, this is the truth. We’re amazed at her recovery!’ he said.

“Still in disbelief, I ran into the other surgeon right outside the door and pleaded with him to tell me the truth. I should have believed the Bible when it says that if two witnesses agree, you should believe them, but I didn’t!”

Jesus’ Touch

John says that on their drive home, Heidi suddenly spoke up. “We’d driven only a mile when my daughter said, ‘Jesus touched me, and He made me better all over.’

“I couldn’t believe my ears. ‘What did you say, Heidi?’

“She repeated, ‘Jesus touched me and made me better all over!’

“‘When did this happen, Heidi?’ Toni asked, but I didn’t give her a chance to answer. Instead, I lectured my wife about four-year-olds not knowing the difference between yesterday and tomorrow.

“But when I was done, Heidi said, ‘This morning, while you were asleep.’

“Another block or two, and she said, ‘I’m hungry,’ so I stopped at the first convenience store I could find. Have you ever tried to find healthy food in one? The best I could do was to get her some bananas, and a fudge bar. The little girl who had been unable to hold anything down was now wolfing it down. Fudge bar. Banana. No problem!

“When we got home, Toni asked, ‘Where were you when Jesus touched you, Heidi?’ and she just ran to her crib next to our bed, where Toni could reach over to check if she was still alive.

“Then my mother asked, ‘Where did He touch you, Heidi?’ and she answered, ‘He touched me on the head and the lump went away; then all over.’

“My wife asked the next question. ‘Heidi, how did you know it was Jesus?’

“‘Oh, because of His big hand,’ she responded.”

The Question

Thirteen years later, some missionary friends who had left the country with that testimony came into the vestibule of the Enumclaw, Washington, Seventh-day Adventist Church where John and his family attended.

“When they saw Heidi standing beside us, the lady ran up to her and said, ‘Oh Heidi, I’ve been wanting to ask you how big Jesus’ hand was,’ and Heidi’s response was instant. ‘It covered me,’ she said.

Heidi Today — Heidi, the little girl who was healed by the loving touch of Jesus, lives happily with her husband Luis Monterroso today.

John concludes, “In Exodus 33, when Moses asked God, “Please show me Your glory,” He answered, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live…. I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.’ So whatever your need, those nail-pierced hands are big enough to cover you, too.”

Big Enough

As Danny thinks back, he says, “After John told me that story, it was so clear why he was willing to take time off work to come and help with our evangelistic meetings. He knew very well that God’s hand was big enough to supply his every need while he was working for the Lord.

“There are times when we struggle here, too,” he adds, “and for many years, this story has helped me, personally. When things are tough, I remember that Jesus’ hand is big enough to cover all our financial needs, as well as any other need we may have.”

By Bobby Davis

August 1, 2015April 9, 2026

God Changed Everything – Jim and Yolanda Wojcik

By Bobby Davis

Jim Wojcik was raised in a Catholic home, attended Catholic school, and served as an altar boy in his local parish in Baltimore, Maryland. But although he attended church on Sundays, that was basically it, he says. “My parents were not religious by any stretch, so although I continued going after I finished Catholic school, I never really got involved.

“My father worked as a machinist for Bethlehem Steel, the largest steel mill in the world at the time, and my mother died when I was just seven years old. In a few years, he remarried, but our home life was difficult, and my parents and I were not close. When my father came home from work we would eat, but there was never any conversation over the dinner table. Afterwards he would go to the bar, get drunk, and come back to listen to my lessons. If I didn’t know the material word for word, he would beat me very badly—to the point that sometimes I couldn’t attend school.

“My stepmother performed her duties as a mother, but was very impersonal, too. I was never allowed to use the phone or touch the television or radio, so shortly after high school, I left home and never visited my parents again.”

Good and Bad Times

As a young man, Jim began working for the steel mill as a clerk. He took night courses, and soon was moved to the accounting department where he worked in accounts payable, and later was promoted to supervisor.

“During my early years I was pretty wild, trying to make up for what I thought I’d missed growing up,” Jim admits. “My friends and I liked boating, and drinking was acceptable, but religion was no longer a part of my life.

“Then my company started to go downhill, and they decided to centralized everything. They let almost everyone go, but retained me in management as a cost accountant.

“In 2003 they filed bankruptcy and began selling off all their assets, and when they finally went out of business, I lost everything—company pension, healthcare and life insurances; it was all gone.”

Back to Church

Jim’s wife Yolanda was born to a Catholic family in the Philippines, but had left home to attend school in Manila, where she lived with an Adventist family until she graduated from college. In 1968 she was baptized, largely due to the love she received from that family, and also because of what she’d learned from the Bible. In 1978, she moved to the U.S., and later met Jim through mutual friends.

Jim Gilley with Jim and Yolanda Wojcik — Pastor Jim Gilley, who served for many years as 3ABN’s president, with Jim and Yolanda Wojcik.

When they married in 1989, she continued attending church, and Jim went with her. “I enjoyed church, and learned much from the sermons,” he says. “We had many Adventist friends, and there were so many churches nearby that we basically hopscotched from one to another and never became members anywhere.”

Illness

Then, in 2002, a prostate biopsy caused Jim to become very ill with sepsis (a whole-body inflammation caused by an infection). Even worse, the biopsy revealed cancer, and Jim underwent radical prostate surgery. Then, in 2009, his doctor discovered colon cancer and Jim endured more surgery and was scheduled for chemotherapy.

After inserting a PICC line (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) into a large vein, Jim took his first round of chemo, but was hospitalized a month later when his PICC line developed blood clots. They began infusing his chemo directly into his veins, but when that didn’t work well, they switched him to pills.

“I was very sick the whole time with nausea, and I lost a lot of weight,” Jim recalls. “I dropped from 143 to 117 pounds, and by January 2010, I couldn’t take it anymore. I told my oncologist I was done with chemo, and he tried to talk me into decreasing the amount or making other changes; but I’d made up my mind. His last words to me were, ‘If you quit now, you’ll be dead,’ and I walked out of his office feeling very little hope.

Jim changed his diet and stopped taking all medicines, including vitamins, and has not seen an oncologist since. “That was a very personal decision,” he says, “but I told my wife I’d decided to place my life in the Lord’s hands, since nothing else had worked. I praise God for giving me a loving and wonderful wife, who took care of me and helped me get through that most difficult time!”

Watching 3ABN

While Jim struggled through chemo, his wife placed a lounge chair in the living room so he could watch TV, but still get up quickly when the nausea was too much. “3ABN was on cable, so I began watching,” he says. “I really enjoyed Pastors Doug Batchelor, Kenneth Cox, and Dwight Nelson. I just couldn’t get enough!

“My wife gave me a book on the fundamental beliefs of the church, and I began reading my Bible. Meanwhile, I was so sick that I wondered if I’d make it.

“One day I asked my wife if she would prefer to continue living in Maryland or in Florida, where its warmer, if something should happen to me.

“Yolanda has always been an outdoors person, and we’d grown much of our fruits and vegetables in our backyard. She had a big flower garden, too, and I’d often seen her out there in a poncho, working in the rain. So of course, she picked Florida, and we began to look online.

“We found a house in a small development in New Port Richey, and then realized it was right across from a house we’d toured four years earlier! We made a bid, put our faith in the Lord, and bought it electronically; but it was two months before I could travel, so we saw it for the first time as we did a walk-through before the settlement. That’s when we discovered it was much nicer than what it looked like online!

“During this time, I felt an increasing desire to find a Seventh-day Adventist church to call home and to be baptized,” Jim continues. “So when we moved to New Port Richey, we began attending the local Seventh-day Adventist church. The pastor came to visit and we talked for quite a while as I explained that I’d attended Adventist churches for 20 years, and watched 3ABN for some time. When he returned the next day, he asked me if I wanted to be baptized, and I replied, ‘When can we do it?’ I was baptized the very next Sabbath, July 23, 2011!”

Jim was relieved. “I told the Lord who took care of me that I’d done what He asked me to do. To be baptized was the fulfillment of my commitment to Him, and I felt great joy that I was able to do it. My wife was rebaptized with me, making the occasion even more memorable.”

The Miracle Continues

After joining the church, Jim and Yolanda became very involved in service to their church and their community. “We’ve slowed down a bit, recently,” Jim says, “but the real miracle is that I was healthy enough to do anything at all! From the time I quit chemotherapy, I’ve been getting better; and since we moved to Florida, I’ve gotten progressively healthier and stronger. I don’t know what my medical condition is, but I know I feel so much better.

“I basically attribute this to 3ABN, because when I started to watch, it became the catalyst God used to change everything in my life—where we lived, my health, and even my religious outlook.

“Yolanda never pressured me to become an Adventist because she felt it should be my choice. She knew I was getting more knowledgeable in the faith, but it was my decision to be baptized.”

Jim Wojcik and Pastor Glen Aguirre — Pastor Glenn Aguirre says, “Jim and Yolanda are such a blessing to their church family, and to me, personally.”

Pastor Glenn Aguirre is ecstatic. “Jim and Yolanda are faithful workers, and I love and appreciate them!” he beams. “They have served as Community Service leaders and Fellowship Luncheon Committee leaders. Jim currently serves on our church finance committee and as an associate treasurer, and Yolanda serves as a children’s Sabbath School teacher.

Jim Wojcik in church food pantry — Jim truly enjoyed helping his church as a Community Service leader.

“They are also very hospitable, and love to invite church family members over to their beautiful home. In addition, they are a big brother and big sister for many in the church who don’t have family in the area. They’re such a blessing to the rest of their church family, and they’re also a blessing to me, personally, because they love my three children very much.

“I’m so happy to see what God has done in their lives—and I look forward to what He will continue to do in their lives!”

Visit the New Port Richey Seventh-day Adventist Church

New Port Richey Seventh-day Adventist Church Website

By Bobby Davis

March 1, 2015April 9, 2026

That Annoying Channel – Jack and Charma Shepler

By Bobby Davis

Jack Shepler grew up in the small town of Temperance, Michigan. “We had fruit trees and grew our own vegetables,” he says. “I can even remember when we got our first TV! Then, in 1957, we moved to Port Clinton, Ohio, where my dad worked for the Ford Motor Company.

“I’m the youngest of five kids, and my sister and I went to Sunday School sometimes. We were Lutherans, but I only remember going to church one time with my family.”

As idyllic as life seemed, things turned tragic for Jack at the young age of 14 with the devastating loss of his father. “I missed him greatly, and just couldn’t get used to the fact that he wasn’t there anymore,” he recalls. “I kept dreaming he was coming back, but he never did.”

After high school, Jack had many different jobs. He got married when he was 26 and they had one child. He studied drafting and welding in college, and repaired small engines to support his family. Then he left college and worked as a newspaper circulation manager.

Newspapers

“Sadly, my marriage only lasted five years, and when the company I worked for went out of business, I decided to start a newspaper, myself,” Jack recalls. “It was a great learning tool, but it lasted for less than a year, so I worked as a service manager for tool rental company in Ashland, Ohio. I also got remarried to a woman who had four daughters, and we had twin sons and a daughter together.

“When that company also went out of business, I started yet another newspaper, but my second marriage also ended in divorce. I kept my three children, and desperate for help, I began taking them to the Lutheran church every Sunday and got them involved in every activity possible. I even dedicated my newspaper to Christ and began running a Proverb on the masthead. While I struggled to keep it together, I was injured in three auto accidents in less than 14 months, and that left me pretty much disabled.

“At this point I was producing the whole newspaper by myself, and I was in pain all the time,” he says. “I was so overwhelmed by everything that I sent my children to live with their mother. That was a difficult day.”

More Trouble

Desperately clinging to God, Jack closed his secular business to start a Christian newspaper. “That didn’t work out, either, so I moved to Toledo, to be near my sisters and my mother. Meanwhile, I went through many doctors who couldn’t seem to diagnose me, until they finally discovered I had a cyst growing in my head. It was so big that it was affecting my breathing and eyesight.”

After surgery, Jack says his health improved, but he had been diagnosed with diabetes, fibromyalgia, and a collapsed disc pressing on his spinal cord after the accidents. Overwhelmed by medical problems, he decided to use the money from his accident settlement to buy a small cabin in the Cumberland Mountains of Kentucky.

A Godly Wife

After two failed marriages, Jack left any future plans up to God. “I prayed every day for God to find the right woman for me, but only according to His will and His timing,” he says. That happened in August 2006, when he met Charma online.

Jack and Charma were married in the Philippines, but had to wait over a year before she could get her visa.

“She was born and raised in the small village of Sindangan, in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. We talked to each other a lot by video, and the first time I saw her cry I knew she was the one!” he exclaims. “By the next year, we were ready to marry.”

After a long plane ride, Jack finally met Charma for the first time, and they both realized that their feelings were genuine. “We met on a Friday and were married the following Tuesday,” he says. “We spent three weeks together before I returned, but it was over a year before her visa cleared, and she arrived in the United States.”

Sky Angel and 3ABN

When he moved to Kentucky, Jack bought a Sky Angel dish, which carried a package of Christian channels, including 3ABN. “I watched 3ABN a few times,” he says, “but then I vowed I wouldn’t watch it anymore, since what I saw disagreed with what I’d always believed. They kept saying that we wouldn’t automatically go to Heaven when we die, and I didn’t want to hear that my father wasn’t in Heaven!” he says.

“Then Sky Angel went off the air, and since I couldn’t pick up anything else, I thought I’d be without TV altogether. Oh, there were a couple of foreign channels that would occasionally broadcast on that satellite, but 3ABN was always there, of course. So when boredom eventually overtook my ill feelings, I began watching it, because it was all I could get on my satellite dish.

“Doug Batchelor was the one who really got through to me,” Jack says. “I began to see what the Bible taught, and the Holy Spirit began working on my heart.

“The day came when I decided I wanted to become a Seventh-day Adventist, but now I had a huge problem on my hands. I had to tell my wife that something important had happened, but I was afraid to tell her what, since she had been a lifelong Catholic. I didn’t know how she’d react, so I waited until she arrived. However, I knew I had to be an Adventist, regardless of her decision.”

What Do You Think?

Charma finally arrived, and since 3ABN was the only television channel available, she began watching it, too. “I didn’t really ask her about it much,” Jack admits. “Instead, I let her develop her own opinion.

“Then came the day when we found out the satellite was changing to digital, and I knew we would lose your channel. So I finally asked her, ‘What do you think about all these new ideas?’

“You can’t imagine how shocked I was when I heard her say that she understood the truth she had been hearing, and completely agreed with it!”

A Church Family

Jack and Charma attended three Seventh-day Adventist churches in Kentucky, but as happy as they were together, mountain life didn’t really appeal to Charma. “We were 45 minutes away from anywhere,” Jack says, “so when my brother invited us to move to Pensacola, Florida, we decided to go.

“We attended an Adventist church in Pensacola and were baptized together. That was one of the happiest days of our lives. But after a while, I began to feel uncomfortable, so I decided to go to the pastor with my concerns. He encouraged me to stick it out, and gave me a book by Ty Gibson called, Abandon Ship?

“The book was very good,” Jack says. “We decided to stay. I’m glad we did, because I realize we are very close to the end times, and we needed to be a part of the Remnant Church.”

Seeking God’s Will

But there’s more to this story. “After we became Adventists, I had my biggest realization,” Jack exclaims. “I finally discovered that God has something He wants me to do for Him! I have to take an active part in my church and tell others about Jesus. So I started writing down my testimony.

“Then, when a church friend died, I realized that I didn’t even know he was terminally ill. I felt so bad about that, and the thought struck me, Did anyone pray for his healing?

“I began praying for others more, and shortly after that, our pastor started a series on the Holy Spirit, and how to get involved in church. But it was a series by Pastor Kenneth Cox on 3ABN that drove the point home all the way. God was speaking to me, and He wanted me to do something for Him.

While I was contemplating all this, I remembered a book I had previously read by Mark Finley called, Revive Us Again. I’ve read it so many times the pages are falling out!

“I decided to start a weekly Bible study based on that book and was preparing my first session when my phone rang and 3ABN World asked me if they could print my story!”

Perfect Timing

Isn’t God’s timing perfect? Jack’s testimony underscores Jesus’ call to all who follow Him. We can’t wait to see what God has in store next for Jack and Charma, but we do know that they make every effort to share the good news they have found with all those they meet.

Have you made your decision to follow Jesus? Have you taken the step to look up your local Seventh-day Adventist church? Don’t wait. There are those who desperately need your help, both in and out of the church.

Share your story with us, and share it freely with all those who will hear you. You can help some that others can’t, and the Lord Jesus hopes you’ll use your experience to bring hope and salvation to those around you.

University Parkway Seventh-day Adventist Church – Pensacola, Florida

By Bobby Davis

February 1, 2015April 9, 2026

The Buried Antenna – Robert Jinings

By Bobby Davis

Born in Portland, Oregon, Robert Jinings was the youngest of three children. His father had a cow-calf operation raising beef cattle, and Robert says he enjoyed a good upbringing on the farm.

“However, religion and God were never mentioned in our home,” he says, “and while I had some vague belief in a Higher Power, I had no idea what that was, really.”

Robert says he began getting into drugs when he was a teenager. “It was the hippie era, and because of this, I was exposed to all sorts of Eastern religion ideas,” he says. “But I never understood it all, and honestly, I never gave those things much thought because it was too confusing. The only religious exposure I ever had was from my uncle, who was a Lutheran. He was always called on to say the Lord’s Prayer during holiday meals and family picnics, but we never spoke about God, or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. These topics were never discussed in my family, but they weren’t looked down on, either. We were taught not to look down on people.”

Difficult Years

Robert says he attended a community college for a year and a half before dropping out. “I was getting into alcohol and drugs a lot,” he says. “Alcohol, even excessive drinking, was acceptable in my family, so by the time I was in my late teens I was a daily drinker and continued that way for the next 17 years. I was also using cocaine and amphetamines, so I was pretty confused. But somehow, I never got in trouble with the law.

“In 1978 I married a lady bartender and we drank together, so things stayed about the same. I worked in construction and refurbished sawmill machinery before beginning a career in durable medical equipment, where I eventually wound up building specialized electronic equipment for quadriplegic and pediatric patients.

A Turning Point

Things began to change when Robert’s wife began attending aerobics classes at a local Baptist church. “My wife had given her heart to the Lord when she was young, and now she started coming back to the Jesus” he says. “She stopped drinking and doing all those things, but I kept on. When she invited me, I went to a Sunday service or two, but I couldn’t figure out what was going on because I didn’t know anything about the Bible.

“Later, after completing work on a large church in Portland, I was invited, along with all the workers, to their grand opening. As I listened, I was convicted of my need for God, but I didn’t tell anybody. Two days went by, and I just couldn’t take it anymore, so I prayed, God help me! If You’re real, I need help. I can’t get away from the alcohol and drugs by myself.

“That day I felt the presence of God for the first time,” Robert exclaims. “I didn’t see or hear anything, but I knew He was there for me! Four or five days after telling God I needed help by repeating the Sinner’s Prayer, I accepted Jesus Christ into my life and was relieved of my craving for alcohol and drugs. Of course, Satan didn’t give up easy, and a month or so later I drank again, but it was a one-day deal, and that was the last time.”

Robert studied with his pastor for about six months before he was baptized, “And what a great day that was! My wife and I were baptized together, and I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit bringing about a complete change in me,” he says. “I was in complete obedience, doing what God wanted me to do.”

More Changes

Sadly, though, after 24 years of marriage, and after raising a son and a daughter, Robert’s wife sought a divorce—just as he was grieving his father’s death, and just as he became very ill.

“I had vertigo so badly that I could hardly stand up, and finally I was diagnosed with an immune deficiency where my body thinks I have an inner ear infection and attacks it! All that brought on tremendous anxiety, and unfortunately, there is no cure.

“I felt like everything was falling apart at the seams, so I decided to move my fifth-wheel trailer up to my niece’s farm near Redmond, Oregon. It was a nice place in the middle of nowhere, and I was very grateful to be near my niece, since my illness made it hard for me to take care of myself.

Hal Steenson on Heaven's Point of View program — Hal Steenson on Heaven’s Point of View was one of the programs Robert could pick up in his fifth-wheel trailer near Redmond, Oregon.

“Although I didn’t watch much TV, one day I fixed something to eat and found a channel I’d never seen before called 3ABN. Danny Shelton was interviewing some missionaries, and suddenly I realized it was a Christian station. As I watched I began hearing things I’d never heard before, so I kept watching and eventually found myself glued to the TV 12 hours a day! I couldn’t get enough of Shelley Quinn’s program, Exalting His Word, or Hal Steenson’s Heaven’s Point of View. Then I began watching Doug Batchelor’s Here We Stand series, and other evangelists, like Lyle Albrecht, Kenneth Cox, and David Asscherick. Occasionally I’d watch another Christian network but kept wondering why the preachers were all yelling at me. In contrast, 3ABN’s presenters were sincere, and everyone one of them said, ‘Check it out for yourself from the Bible. If it’s not in the Bible, then don’t believe it!’ That was pretty revolutionary for me, since I was conditioned to believe what the pastor, deacons, and elders said without question.

“Finally, I realized that the message on 3ABN was Seventh-day Adventist. I’d never heard of the seventh-day Sabbath, and it was the most striking new teaching I’d ever heard. When I accepted it, the Lord directed me to prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. These were a complete mystery to me, since I had never even read the book of Daniel, but the Holy Spirit was working hard, and the conviction grew that I needed to join this church.”

Soon Robert visited the Redmond Seventh-day Adventist Church, and joined a small study group. Finally, he asked the leader, “So what do I have to do to join the church?” and was told that he could either be baptized or join the church by profession of faith. “Since I had not left the Lord since being baptized, I decided to join the Adventist Church by profession of faith,” he says. “It was a wonderful day, and I was excited about my new faith.”

However, in a few short weeks, Robert’s illness took a turn for the worse. “I decided to move into town so I could be near their medical facilities,” he says. “Although my church is only a mile away, I can’t drive that far. I also cannot sit for long, since my vertigo makes me so sick. So I attend when I can, and I know the Lord loves me and will continue to be my strength. Several people from church stop by from time to time,” he continues, “and I have a friend who brings me a Sabbath School Quarterly, as well as DVDs, or inspirational books. My friend Donna, who lives about 20 miles away used to visit often, but her eyesight has deteriorated, so she can’t make it to church, either. We talk and text a lot, and I let people know that I’m doing okay.”

Robert tries to share his faith with his neighbors at the mobile home park where he lives, and says he finds it interesting that when he lived 30 miles out of town, he could pick up 3ABN just fine. “But I guess the trees here get in the way of the signal, even though I’m much closer to the tower, so now I only get 3ABN about 45 percent of the time. It’s okay, though,” he adds, “because I’ve recorded lots of programs over the years, so it’s not like I’m without instruction.

“Years ago, when I still lived outside of town, we were going to get a big winter storm with high winds, so I decided to crank down my TV antenna so it wouldn’t get blown over. A day and a half later, I had three feet of snow covering my antenna, and couldn’t get any of our local stations. But 3ABN’s signal was still clear!

“I’ve never heard the message so plainly, clearly, and sincerely. It’s like God is speaking to me through 3ABN all the time. The Bible says in John 8:32, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” As far as I’m concerned, 3ABN proclaims nothing but the truth. It’s hard to find sincere people, so I just praise God that He led me to you!”

By Sveta

February 1, 2012April 9, 2026

The Constant Seeker

Georgie Livingston has always loved the Lord. However, Satan has never been happy about that, and has tried his very best to destroy her chances for happiness and eternal life. But praise God, for “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4. As we talked with her, we quickly realized that her heart has always remained truly in love with Jesus.

“I’ll be 80 years old on February 22,” Georgie begins, “and the only spanking I ever got from my mother was for talking during a sermon at the Church of God when I was four years old!

“Although my mother was a member there, when I was 12, I attended an evangelistic tent meeting, and soon was baptized into the Foursquare Church. They put me to work teaching Sunday School to five-year-olds, but later I became a youth leader, played guitar, and attended church camp. Then, I became very pale from an illness, and the preacher’s wife was concerned that I would scare the children, so she told me I must wear makeup. However, that was a problem, because I was raised not to wear makeup, so I wouldn’t do it! Finally, they told me I couldn’t teach Sunday School anymore, so I left.”

“Georgie is a very warm and gracious lady, and we are delighted to have her as part of our church family here in Amarillo,” says Pastor Richard Dye. (Photo: LaVonne Dye.)

A SHORT-LIVED JOY

After she married her first husband, Georgie attended another evangelistic tent meeting. This one was held by Seventh-day Adventist evangelist M. A. Wyman, in Lindsay, California. She attended the meetings faithfully with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. “What joy I felt as I read Ellen White’s Steps to Christ,” she says. “That book made me decide I wanted to be baptized as a Seventh-day Adventist.

“I remember having lunch with Pastor H. M. S. Richards of The Voice of Prophecy radio ministry, and meeting The King’s Heralds Quartet and Del Delker, who provided music for his programs. Later I attended the Soquel, California, camp meeting, and it was an awesome time!”

But her joy was short-lived because when she arrived home her husband locked her in their apartment and refused to let her go to church anymore. “I even ran away,” she says, “but he found me, so I finally gave up. That was a mistake I paid for dearly, because the rest of my 13-year marriage was a living hell.”

Georgie was only 29 and the mother of little 5-year-old Laurie when her husband died suddenly. Alone and scared, she married her deceased husband’s boss. “He was the first reader in a Christian Science church—the highest position you can have,” she explains, “and I thought he was like a pastor, so I married him and shared some things in confidence that were very painful.” Sadly, instead of keeping her confidence, Georgie says he threatened that if she ever tried to leave, he would share those things with her daughter!

Feeling trapped, she joined his church and even trained as a practitioner. “But after seven years of him abusing my daughter and me, I had enough. So I took that chance and left him,” Georgie adds. “He did follow through with his threat and wrote to my daughter, but his handwriting was so bad she couldn’t read it! God protected us, and the judge ordered him never to see us again.”

ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT HAPPINESS

Georgie says she left that church as well, then was baptized again in the Adventist church, along with her daughter. “My heart was always in the Adventist Church,” she says.

“Soon I was appointed the Sabbath School secretary, even though I was scared to read the reports up front. I would talk all the air out of my lungs and could hardly get any back in! I was constantly going from one class to another, and never had time to sit and learn more about Jesus in Sabbath School. I had just left my second husband, and I was a basket case. I shook all the time, and would lock myself in my house, crying. I thought I’d find help in church, but I didn’t. Instead, after Sabbath School was over I’d just sit in my car and sob. I tried to step down from that job, but they kept telling me I was doing fine. It seemed like no one cared, so I handed in the books and told them they’d never see me again.”

Today Georgie is happy once more, and enjoys spending time with her daughters Laurie Kunert (left) and Nora Richardson (right). (Photo: Gordon Leigh/Photo Reflections.)

“MY JAY”

Georgie finally found some happiness when she married Jay Livingston. “He was a minister’s son, but had never seen the love of God at home,” she explains. He rebelled, and became an alcoholic—just like his father was before he entered the ministry.

“Although Jay was never baptized, he never betrayed my trust,” she says. “We had our wonderful daughter Nora together, and we both put God first as best we knew how. We didn’t go to church, but we prayed, sang, and read the Bible at home. We were not perfect, but we loved each other, and we also loved God.

“My Jay and I had 36 years together that got sweeter every day. But his many years of drinking beer and smoking cigarettes caught up with him. In the end, he came home from the hospital and was given hospice care. He told me he didn’t want Jesus to see his needle-bruised arms from all the medication they’d given him, but I told him that when Jesus comes he will get a new body, that he wouldn’t hurt anymore, and that it was okay to sleep until then. He died at age 78, singing and praising the Lord to his last breath.”

A NEW STATION, AND A NEW CHURCH

After Jay’s death, Georgie’s daughter Laurie, and her husband Richard, brought her to live with them in Amarillo, Texas, and that’s where she discovered 3ABN on channel 17. As she watched, she says she was so blessed by the truths she was learning. “3ABN showed me what the Bible teaches about tithing and offerings,” she says, “and I began looking for a Seventh-day Adventist church. I looked in the phone book and found a telephone number, but I couldn’t find an address. Worse yet, when I called the number, I would get so nervous and confused that I’m not sure I ever managed to successfully leave a message!

“So I saved up my tithes and offerings until I could go. I didn’t know how I could make it financially, but what the Bible says is true! God does supply all my needs. I have enough to pay my bills, and Laurie and Richard feed me, clothe me, give me a home, and take me where I need to go.

“One day, I finally told the Lord, ‘I can’t get through to them at the church,’ and He answered, ‘Today is Sabbath. Call now. They’re there.’

“And they were!” Georgie adds with a laugh.

WARM WELCOME

Her first visit to the Amarillo Seventh-day Adventist Church was wonderful. “They were so warm, and they greeted me with smiles and hugs. It’s been that way ever since, too!”

When she had to have a knee replacement, Georgie says she received an unexpected visit from Pastor Richard Dye. “He came in as I was reading the Bible to a hospital cleaning woman,” she says. “I’d been trying to tell her how to get to my church, but I couldn’t remember. So when Pastor Rick walked in, I knew it was God’s perfect timing!”

3ABN’s Pastoral Ministries Department has been a great help to Georgie, as well. “I’ve gotten to know J. D. Quinn,” she says. “He helped me find peace when my Jay passed away. I remember the first time I talked to him. He told me his name was J. D. and I was so shocked! I said, ‘J. D. Quinn? Shelley’s husband?’ He laughed, and said, ‘Yes!’

“Later, I called 3ABN to ask him whether I should be baptized a fourth time in my new church, and he told me I could join the church by profession of faith.”

“Georgie is a very warm and gracious lady, and we are delighted to have her as part of our church family here in Amarillo,” says Pastor Richard Dye. “Her story is interesting and moving, and I’m glad the Holy Spirit continues to work in spite of what kinds of things take place sometimes!

“A great many of our church members have adopted her and taken her under their wings,” he continues. “We rejoice with her and her walk with God.”

“3ABN is on my prayer list every day, and I thank God for all those who work there,” Georgie concludes. “I know that when I have a question, or need prayer, I can always go there.”

If you’re in the area, stop in and visit the Amarillo Seventh-day Adventist Church at 8425 South Bell Street! Pastor Rick Dye and the entire church family will love to meet you—and be sure to say hello to our friend, Georgie!