I Will Go

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, January 31.

As told to Maika Tuima by Morris Veah

My name is Mr. Veah. I grew up on a small island called Paama in the country of Vanuatu. Vanuatu is made up of many beautiful islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The sea sparkles in shades of blue, and colorful fish swim in the coral reefs. It sounds lovely, doesn’t it? But life on our island wasn’t easy.

My father was often sick, so my mother worked hard to care for our family. She opened coconuts to collect the sweet, white fruit inside. She also planted food such as taro and cassava. Then she took her harvest to our school and told the principal, “Please use this to pay for my children’s school fees.” Sometimes, she was two years behind in payments, but she never gave up.

I’m so thankful. Mother gave everything she had so we could learn.

At school, I loved to read. One day, my brother brought home a book by an Adventist leader named Ellen White. Called The Desire of Ages, it was about the life of Jesus.

When I read the book, it made me want to learn even more about Jesus.

Later, I moved to a different town for school and stayed with another family. That’s when I started making bad choices. But even though I did bad things, I still thought about going to church.

One Friday night, I spent time with my friends doing things that made God unhappy. On Sabbath morning, I felt sorry for what I did and wanted to go to church. I took a shower, got dressed, and walked into the local Seventh-day Adventist church. I sat there quietly. The room felt peaceful. I was glad I went.

A friend from church asked me, “Are you spending time with Jesus?” That simple question led to a long talk—until 10 o’clock at night! He invited me to some Bible meetings, and I went to every one of them. I gave my life to Jesus and was baptized. I felt so happy!

After that, my brother and I started praying for our mother. We wanted her to know Jesus, too. My brother asked her to go with us to some church meetings. Mum went and really enjoyed them. She even joined his Bible study group.

Mum couldn’t read, but she listened carefully to the Bible stories. She learned how God loved and cared for His people. Every day, we studied the Bible with her. We made sure she understood everything.

Then one day, Mum said something amazing: “I want to be baptized.”

Did I hear her right? I was so surprised that I asked my wife to ask my mum, “Are you sure?” Mum said, “Yes.”

We all cried happy tears.

We called the pastor, and he planned a special baptism for Mum. That Sabbath morning, our whole family came to church to watch. Mum gave her life to God, and it was one of the happiest days of our lives.

Not long after, Mum’s health began to get worse. Her blood pressure rose, and she started to forget things. Now, we take care of her at home.

Mum still loves to sing and pray. She listens to the Bible and remembers God’s love. She taught us something important—what we say matters, but what we do matters more. Mum’s hard work and quiet strength were like a sermon.

We try to live the same way Mum did—showing love through our actions.

Because actions really do speak louder than words.

Part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering for the first quarter of 2013, helped provide Ellen White books to the South Pacific islands. Thank you for your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter, which will help support children’s health projects in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.