THE WRONG NUMBER

Hello, I got a text from you,” A stranger named Joe called me back on the phone. “Yes, this is Pastor Jonathan,” I responded. “I just sent a text out to my church members letting them know about the online church. There must have been a wrong number that I texted.” “That is alright,” Joe responded. “Are you interested in spiritual things?” “Yes, I enjoy talking with God.” “Would you like to join us for church tomorrow?” “Ok, I will.” I texted Joe back with the link for church. It is amazing when God uses the wrong number to find someone interested in spiritual things.

Joe didn’t show up to the church, so I called him up again, and we started chatting. He lives in Gameti and is interested in spiritual things. “Would you like to start Bible studies?” I asked. “Ok” was his simple and yet faith-filled response. “Would you like to do it now or a little bit later?”

We agreed to meet in about an hour and had our first Bible study. I found out he doesn’t go to church or have a Bible but is interested in the things of God. We studied and prayed together.

Gameti is a small, air-accessible community of fewer than 300 people. A few months every winter, an ice road connects Gameti to Yellowknife.

I am amazed at how a wrong number ends up being a divine appointment and an ongoing Bible study. Please pray for Joe in Gameti.

Three days later, I stood in line, keeping socially distant and waiting for my turn. The person in front of me introduced herself as Jean to the person in the checkout line. The name was familiar for me, so I asked, “Are you Jean that I did Bible studies with about five years ago?” She said yes. We chatted for a while, and then I asked if she and her friend were interested in starting Bible studies again. She said yes, and her friend was starting to pray more these days. I asked where she was living now. Her response? Gameti.

Please pray for the Adventist Church work in Gameti, Northwest Territories. Please pray for each of the 33 communities where God is working to spread the three angels' messages of hope and wholeness.

***Names have been changed in the article.

By Jonathan Geraci Pastor, Yellowknife Adventist Church