SAFELY BACK IN THE FOLD

by Priscilla Lynn
While attending college, I, along with my sister, Kaye, and brother-in-law, Noel Johnson, drifted away from our Adventist backgrounds. Kaye and Noel no longer lived the life God asked of them, but they still believed. I, on the other hand, didn’t live it or believe it.
Years later, my husband and I retired in Florida and purchased a home next to Kaye, Noel, and our mother. Every time we drove by Forest Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church in Apopka, my mother—even after senility had set in—would say she wanted to go to church again. I hated to hear her comments because I had no intention of taking her to church.
When God placed several Christian friends in our lives, we noticed a peace we did not previously have. I asked Kaye to go to the Methodist church with me, but her answer was unequivocal, “If I go to church, it will be to ‘my’ church.” So, on a Saturday morning in January 2007, Kaye, Noel, and I found ourselves in Forest Lake Church. After several months, I decided it wasn’t for me, although Kaye and Noel continued to attend every Sabbath.
My opinion of Adventists was still not favorable, so Noel was stepping out on a limb when, almost a year later, he asked if I would be interested in attending a special meeting at Forest Lake Church. I heard myself say, “I don’t have anything better to do, so I will go.” Evangelist Mark Finley was speaking about the Holy Spirit, and I listened—really listened. At the end, he asked everyone to kneel and pray for the Holy Spirit, which I did.
When I got to my feet, I was a different person. I became saturated in my desire to know more. God put a burden on my heart for studying His Word with people, and I was soon involved in giving Bible studies, organizing prayer walks, and eventually teaching a Sabbath School class.
Yes, my life, as well as the lives of Kaye and Noel, changed from what we wanted to what God wants for us. Miraculously, God brought three of His children back into the safety of His fold.