Locked-Up Lucky

Eleven-year-old Lucky
didn't go to church in Zimbabwe.

No one in his family went to church.

One day, though, some friends invited him
to go to church with them on Sabbath.

Lucky went with them
to the Seventh-day Adventist church.

He liked it so much
that he invited his mom to go with him.

Lucky's mom went with him to church.
But she didn't like it very much.

At church, people worship God.

But Lucky's mom worshipped her ancestors,
like many people in Zimbabwe.

Even though they were dead,
she thought she could talk to them.

During the sermon, she whispered to Lucky,

"Do people in this church
disagree with my beliefs?"

"Yes, they do," Lucky whispered back.

His mom didn't say anything more
until they got home.

Then she yelled at Lucky.

She yelled at Lucky every day
for the next few days.

Then she fell silent
and refused to talk to him.

Lucky kept going to church.

After three months,
Lucky's mom broke her silence.

"You're not allowed to leave the house
on Saturday mornings," she said.

Lucky's mom made sure
he didn't go to church.

She locked him in his bedroom

and only opened the door
after church was over.

When Lucky's mom saw
that he still believed in God,

she decided that something
must be wrong with him.

She didn't understand

why he didn't want
to worship ancestors like her.

She asked a traditional healer,
who also worshiped ancestors,

to come to the house
to see what was wrong with Lucky.

But Lucky didn't want to talk
to the traditional healer.

He ran to the bathroom
and locked the door.

Lucky's mom came to the door and yelled,

"Why are you refusing
to talk to the healer

to find out what is wrong with you?"

From behind the door,

Lucky explained that the Bible teaches

that people cannot talk
to their dead ancestors.

"When people die, they cannot hear or talk
because they are sleeping," he said.

"Why do you want to force me

to do something
that I'm not comfortable with?"

Lucky spent the night in the bathroom.

Early in the morning, he opened the door
and crept back to his room.

Crawling under a blanket, he fell asleep.

But when his mom woke up
and saw him in bed,

she yelled, "Why are you in my house,
since you are a Christian?

Go to the Christians, and stay with them!"

The two didn't speak to each other
for the rest of the day.

The next day, Lucky promised
that he would stop going to church.

He was tired of fighting.

Lucky kept his promise for a year.

But friends kept inviting him
to go to church,

and finally, he went.

He didn't tell his mom.

Several years passed,
and Lucky graduated from eighth grade.

One of his friends planned to go
to an Adventist high school,

and he also wanted to go there.

He asked his mom for permission.

Lucky's mom wasn't sure
this was a good idea,

but Lucky convinced her

that the Adventist school
had better teachers.

Only a month into the school year,

Lucky gave his heart to God
and got baptized.

His mom was initially upset,
but after a while, she calmed down.

Then, something amazing happened.

His mom became interested in God.

Lucky brought home a Bible from school,
and they began to read it together.

Then he invited her
to go with him to church again.

Lucky's mom accepted his invitation,

and now she goes to church
with him every Sabbath.

Lucky is praying
that she will give her heart to God.

Lucky shared his love for God with his mom

through a Bible that he borrowed

from an Adventist school
in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Your 13th Sabbath Offering this quarter

may help other children
also share God with their parents.

Part of the offering will be used
to give Adventurer's Bibles

to children in Zimbabwe

and in the other countries
of Southern Africa.

Thank you for planning
a generous offering!