GLOW received a call one morning from a lady named Maria. She had found a GLOW tract in Spanish entitled “What Happens When You Die?” She loved it so much that she called in to GLOW to order a pack of 100 tracts on the State of the Dead so that she can pass them out to her friends from her church. She goes to an Assembly of God church in Madera. –Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send out laborers into His field.
One week there was a day in which we received more calls from non-Adventist churches requesting literature than we did Adventist churches. One of the people who called in for literature was Gloria. Gloria was at the Rose Bowl Parade in Southern California when she saw a bunch of people handing out tons of tracts. They happened to give one to her about Daniel 2. She kept it, put it in her Bible and read it a few days later. When she read it, she loved it so much that she called GLOW, not to get Bible Studies, but to order literature so that she could hand it out! We told her the different types of literature that we had, then she ordered 100 of each kind totaling *800 pieces of literature* which she paid for over the phone! Praise God!
The stones are crying out.
One man found a GLOW tract on the State of the Dead in a barbecue machine in the local Orchard’s store. He read it, and wrote in for bible studies saying that the tract was very informative and he wanted more literature like that.
We just received a hand written letter the other day from a woman in Selma who said,” To Whom it may concern:
I was in the Clovis area looking at some houses for sale and I noticed your pamphlet on the sidewalk. I wanted to write to you and request a Bible study plan. I’ve been wanting to know and get more in depth with God’s word. I would really appreciate it if you could send me a Bible study plan.”
We recently received a call from a woman in Missouri requesting bible studies. When we called her back and talked to her. She said that someone handed her a GLOW tract. she read it and wanted to sign up for bible studies because the tract was interesting. We have no idea how a GLOW tract got out to Marysville, MO. Praise God!
Who is my neighbor?
Krystal, an eighteen year old church member from Ceres California, couldn’t believe her ears. A few minutes earlier she had stood trembling at her next door neighbor’s house not knowing what to expect as she tried canvassing for the first time in her life. Now her neighbor Carolyn, three houses down, not only wanted a book but also was interested in studying the bible as well! But God had more blessings in store and forty five minutes later both Krystal and her friend Sachi had sold eleven magabooks in Krystal’s neighborhood including titles like “The Great Controversy.”
Believe it or not, Krystal wasn’t a student literature evangelist working during the summer. She hadn’t gone to a bible college for evangelistic training. She hadn’t even given much thought to canvassing her neighborhood before. So how did Krystal get involved with successful literature evangelism right in her own neighborhood?
“This year I’ve had some time on my hands because of my schooling schedule so I decided to do something for the Lord by getting involved in GLOW.” said Krystal. GLOW is a conference-wide evangelistic initiative in Central California equipping willing members in every church with the ability and training to participate in literature ministries whether they do it door to door or learn to be a literature evangelist by lifestyle. The sixty three church members from the two initial churches involved are both giving away and/or learning how to sell literature in a variety of ways. Each member is given the choice of getting involved in GLOW’s four levels of participation. The first level teaches church members how to distribute free literature in planned and intentional ways making literature evangelism a lifestyle without knocking on one door. In the second level church members pair up and hand out free literature after taking a quick survey in their own neighborhoods. Level three affords church members the training necessary to start selling magabooks and finally the fourth level is where everyone can learn to sell the hardcover sets of books which have been a blessing to so many families.
Krystal as well as many other church members are finding what a blessing it is to be involved in “the very work the Lord would have his people do at this time.” 6T p.313 and people from the surrounding communities are responding to the church outreach already by calling the local churches and requesting Bible studies from the contact information on the back of the literature. God’s work is moving forward through the written word from the very first publication written on stone at Mount Sinai down to today where it is laying the foundation for the last message of mercy in earth’s history. The call still sounds to us today to be “imitators of God”, the same God who stands at the door and knocks seeking to save the lost.
To GLOW or Not to GLOW
Clovis Bible worker Jeff picked up his ringing phone and the words, “I felt impressed that I should call you” caught his attention. On the other end of the line was a man named Reuben, a local chef, who had been living in a house for quite a while directly across the street from Jeff’s church. Reuben explained that he had been reading a book called Ten Commandments Twice Removed and noticed that there was a phone number on the first page and a handwritten statement saying that he should call to find the answers to his toughest bible questions. As soon as he saw it he felt impressed to call the number which connected him with Jeff.
Reuben had received the book from his father who had received it from the local Clovis church members that had gone door to door for two Sabbath afternoons the previous May handing out free literature. “I’ve been living across the street and could see you guys eating food through the sliding glass door every weekend. I’ve always wondered what happens in there.” Said Reuben later. Reuben explained to Jeff that he was a struggling crack addict and that he wanted the victory over it to which Jeff responded, “Hey that’s no problem. The Lord helped me overcome crack too. Would you like to study the Bible together and come to church next weekend?”
After the phone call to Jeff that day, Reuben came to church with both the Bible and his Ten Commandments book in hand and enjoyed his first Sabbath potluck from the inside of the sliding glass doors of the church. Were it not for a small group of church members who decided to not only feed themselves at potluck but take some time on a Sabbath afternoon and feed those who were spiritually hungry right next door all this would not have been.
GLOW to Jail!
Somewhere deep within the silent recesses of the Central California Conference Office a shrill squeal pierced the tranquil air disturbing the steady ticking of typewriters, pausing the printing of pecuniary publications, and halting the wholesale of healthy holistic hot dogs. From where did this vehement vociferousness vocalize? And what was its curious cause? It came from non-other than the Literature Ministries Department where a GLOWing young woman named Heidi stood poised with excitement as she listened to the man on the other end of the phone.
Ted, the Merced County Jail Chaplain, had been attending a local prayer conference along with a multitude of other pastors from different denominations in Merced California that day on May 1, 2008 when, as he walked by a table, something caught his eye. It was a small tract entitled, “Does God Care that I’m Hurting.” This tract had been placed there by Ashley, a bible worker at the Merced Olive East SDA church. “I didn’t even think that any of the pastors would pick up any of the literature because I placed it on the registration table after almost all of them had registered.” said Ashley. Little did she know that her simple act of literature evangelism would have such a huge impact in her community. Ted picked up the interesting tract and began to read it. As he did, he realized that this was just the kind of literature that he wanted to give to all 900 of his men in jail. As he looked on the back he noticed that it was from a program called GLOW. He also noticed that this GLOW program offered free bible studies for those who were interested. As soon as the meeting was done he got on the phone and called the number on the back of the pamphlet, got a hold of GLOW, and asked about getting literature and bible studies for all 900 of his men in jail.
“The charge given to Timothy was, ‘I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who sall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season , out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine’ This charge is for all who are acting a part in the ministry, [all] who are following the example of Christ. They must snatch the opportunities as they come. Let all be fully prepared to disseminate the light by word and by pamphlet. There should be hundreds of little tracts scattered as the leaves of autumn.”
GLOW Oil Change
During my morning worship I frequently pray that the Lord will lead me that day to someone that doesn’t know Christ or who needs encouragement. That morning I planned to go get an oil change and I prayed for the Lord to use me somehow to witness for Him. On the way to the shop I was reading through the Signs/Glow literature that I kept in my car. I recently purchased an assortment of tracts from GLOW and I hadn’t read through them yet (so yes I was reading and driving at the same time)… I intended to take some into the shop with me and pass out at least one while I waited.
Once I arrived I got out of the car and went into the waiting area. Then it dawned on me that I forgot the literature in one of the open compartments in my car. I was disappointed, especially since one of the mechanics in the waiting area seemed to have an attitude that day. Finally my car was finished and I went out into the service area to pay for the oil change. As I waited for my receipt, the young man who had been working on my vehicle turned around and held up one of the tracts he found in my car about the Second Coming of Jesus. He asked “can I have this?” I calmly said “yeah, no problem”, but inside I was shocked, awed, and overjoyed!
As we finished up the transaction I was impressed just to simply say “God bless you”. I drove off and prayed that I would see him in heaven one day and that God would allow that piece of literature to be a means that He could use to change that young man’s life. I thought about how disappointed I was that I missed a possible Divine Appointment and yet Jesus was using my car and not me to win another soul to the Kingdom. The literature that I forgot in the car ended up right where God wanted them to be. To me this was just another testament to the greatness of God and the cooperation He gives us when we make ourselves available to be used. And the Lord gets all the glory.
David
“When I went to Texas, I took along a good-sized packet of GLOW tracts with me. Within the first couple of days there, I told my daughter and grandchildren some of the stories I’d heard here in Central. Sierra, 7, and Brady, about to turn 6, got all excited and wanted to start glowing people wherever they went. One of their first glowing experiences was during the homeschoolers’ day at the Fort Worth zoo. We were hardly into the zoo when both of them started ‘planting’ GLOW tracts here and there. Later we met up with a friend (with whom I’d also shared GLOW) and her two boys about the same ages, and found them glowing the zoo, too.
After Brady had struggled to put one into the dollar-bill slot in a drink vending machine, I whispered to him that maybe he could also try putting them into where the drink actually comes out down below. He thought that was a great idea. Several hours later, the children saw a young boy go open a vending machine drink-drop area, and he pulled out a GLOW tract. He took it to his mother. At first she told him to go put it back. Then, on second thought, she tucked it into her pocket, saying, ‘No, I’m going to take it home and read it.’
A few days ago, a bank appraiser was coming to my daughter’s house to conduct an appraisal on the small apartment in the newly-built shed. Seven-year-old Sierra saw his visit as a golden opportunity for Glowing. She watched the man intently, following along behind him. As she watched, she saw that his pocket sometimes hung open a bit — and sometimes it opened quite a lot. She continued trailing him until she saw the pocket open quite wide, then she slipped up close enough to tuck a GLOW tract into the pocket. Later she was bursting with excitement as she told me, ‘I Glowed the bank man!’” Keep glowing for God!
Mernie