The Man with One Leg

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, March 14.

The original version of this story by Don Fehlberg was published in the March 28, 2025, issue of Adventist Record, the official news magazine of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific. Adapted with permission.

Sam lived in a neighborhood where there were a lot of bad things happening, such as people stealing, taking drugs, and fighting. Sam started getting into trouble when he was young. He began drinking alcohol, using drugs, and hanging out on the streets.

When Sam was 15, he joined a gang—a group of kids who did bad things. His new friends taught him to steal and sell what he stole. As the years passed, his family, especially his wife, asked him to attend church—but Sam said church wasn’t for him.

Then, on May 19, 1995, something very bad happened. Sam got hurt. He had broken the law, and the police were chasing him. They shot him in the leg. His leg was so badly hurt that the doctors had to remove it to save his life. He started asking himself, What if I had died? I couldn’t have gone to heaven without giving my heart to God.

Sam wanted to change, but he kept hanging out with friends who used alcohol and drugs. One night, he got drunk at a friend’s house. He was listening to music when he heard a song called “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”

The words touched his heart. Tears came to his eyes. He got up and quietly walked away from the house. He was ready to let God change his life.

The following Friday, a quiet voice in Sam’s heart said, “Go to church tomorrow.” So, on Sabbath morning, he got ready but didn’t want anyone to know where he was going. He left the house in his regular clothes but changed into Sabbath clothes on the way. He went to church and then changed back into his regular clothes before going home. That Sabbath was November 25, 2013.

When his wife found out he had accepted Jesus and started going to church, she was so happy!

On April 19, 2014, Sam was baptized and became a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

His life was completely different. Instead of being in a gang, he became a missionary—someone who tells others about Jesus. In 2024, Sam helped to care for a new Adventist church. In 2025, he became a student at Omaura Adventist School of Ministry to learn even more ways to serve God.

Sam is thankful every day to be alive and free. Many of his old gang friends are now either in prison or have died. But Sam chose a new life through Jesus. And because of his story, many of his old friends have also given their lives to Jesus!

Because people trusted Sam, he was asked to do an important job. He was asked to help keep everyone safe during a big church event called PNG for Christ in his hometown.

At one of the meetings, the speaker, Pastor Don Fehlberg, asked whether anyone wanted to accept Jesus as their Savior. A gang member in the crowd said to his friends, “I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I’m going forward to accept Christ.”
His friends replied, “We’re coming with you!

That night, they all gave their lives to Jesus.

On the last night of the meetings, Pastor Fehlberg met a man named Ronnie. Ronnie told the pastor that he had been baptized during the meetings. He also shared that he had lived a hard and troubled life. Then, he pointed to Sam, saying, “I was with him.” Pastor Fehlberg, who had already heard Sam’s story, told Ronnie he understood.

Now, Sam and Ronnie have teamed up to tell others about Jesus. They are a powerful team for God.

“Looking back,” Sam says, “I’m so thankful for my Adventist family. They were different from everyone else. They lived by the Bible, and I respected them more than anyone in my old gang.”

But even more than that, Sam is thankful to God.

“God taught me the best way to live,” he says. “Even though I walk with crutches and only have one leg, I know God still helps me.”

And God is helping him—in a big way!

Sam is now a church leader and a missionary. He prepared 95 people for baptism during the PNG for Christ meetings! God is using him to change lives—just as He changed Sam’s life.

Sam shared from his heart: “I hope my story helps people like me. If you are struggling, don’t give up. I want you to know that no matter how bad you are, God still loves and cares about you.”

You can help people, like Sam, by giving to the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering, also known as the Quarterly Mission Project Offering. This special offering will help students at the Omaura Adventist School of Ministry learn how to serve Jesus and others in Papua New Guinea. Thank you for your faithful offering