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Fighting with Shadows, Part 1
Abba, a young man living in a village in northern Mongolia, felt powerless to change the downward spiral of his life. Then his friend introduced him to God. Here he shares his personal testimony.
Before I became a Christian I lived a really worldly life. I drank; I smoked; and I stole things from others. I never thought about whether what I did was good or bad; it was just part of me. I did it naturally.
One time my friends and I started drinking. I got drunk long before they did, and I lost consciousness. When I awoke I realized I was alone; my friends were gone. I stumbled out of the house in search of my friends.
I found them in one of my friend’s houses. Why did you leave me? I demanded angrily.
You were asleep! one of them said. We couldn’t awaken you. They gave me another drink. I suddenly felt as if I was falling backwards, and everything turned black.
I awoke in the police station, naked and cold. My arm was bloody, and my back was sore. I did not know what had happened. When the police officer returned, he told me that I had been arrested for disturbing the peace. He said that I had been shouting and threatening people, and that I had broken several people’s windows with my fist. That explained the bloody arm.
A man with the police officer said I had banged on his door and threatened him. I did not remember any of this.
The police officer gave me my clothes, and I dressed. But my shoes were missing. When I asked for my shoes, he told me I had not been wearing shoes when I was arrested.
Another woman came into the police station to file a complaint against me. She said that I had broken windows in her house. I apologized and told her I did not know I had done this. I wanted to see the broken windows for myself, so the police officer took me to her home. Under one broken window lay one of my shoes.
I walked into the other house with broken windows, and there I found my other shoe. I knew that I was guilty. The owner of the house told me that I had threatened to kill everyone in the house. I had chased people outside and thrown stones at them.
Someone else told me that I had knocked on a door and saw my own shadow reflected in the glass. I started fighting with my shadow. When a man came out to investigate the noise, I started fighting with him. He escaped and called the police. When the police officer came, I started fighting with him as well. It seemed I was listening to stories of a man possessed with a devil.
I paid my fine and agreed to replace the broken windows. I even promised that I would never drink again. But three days later I was drunk. It seemed that I could not stop drinking. I realized the difficulties I was making for my mother, with whom I lived. I worked, but instead of giving her money for food, I bought alcohol.
My lifelong friend, Daba, had gone to the capital city to work, and there he became a Christian. When he returned to the village, he tried to talk to me about my drinking. Because we were friends, I listened to his advice and nodded my head, but in my heart I was making fun of what he was saying. I thought his belief in God was foolish.
Fighting with Shadows, Part 2
Daba learned that a group of Christians was meeting in the village, and he invited me to go with him to the meeting. I went out of respect for Daba, but I did not want to go. I was embarrassed to go to a Christian meeting. We talked about God, and I remembered that I had a New Testament at home. After the meeting I found it and began reading it, but it didn’t make sense to me. Byra, the leader of the Christian group, offered to explain the Bible passages to me.
A few weeks later Daba asked me to go with him to the Bible study group on Saturday. I had no idea what the meeting would be about, but I went. Daba was not an Adventist, but the home Bible study group was the only Christian meeting in the village, and he was eager to enjoy Christian fellowship. The morning I attended, the speaker talked about God’s love, and somehow the message got through to me. I saw in my mother’s love for me a reflection of God’s love. Even when I came home drunk and she scolded me, she was there to encourage and help me when I needed it.
I continued attending the Bible study group. As Byra explained different Bible passages, the Bible began to make sense to me. I began reading the Bible because I wanted to, not because I felt I should. Soon I could not stop reading it. I have given my heart to God.
Over the years I had promised myself many times that I would stop drinking, but I had never been able to stop. Daba told me to pray and ask God for strength to stop. When I started praying, all my old drinking friends left town. God took them away so they would not influence me. Then he took away the desire to drink and delivered me from the chains of alcohol. Before, I spent my days drinking with my friends. But thanks to God, I no longer drink alcohol.
My mother and sisters are amazed that I have been able to give up drinking and stealing. They see how God is changing my life, and they ask many questions about my faith in God. My mother and two of my sisters are attending some of the evangelistic meetings, and one of my sisters has even brought several of her friends to the meeting.
Before I met Christ, fighting and drinking and stealing were my life. But when I met Jesus, I realized that nothing in my heart was good. I asked God to give me a clean heart, a clean life, and now I long to spend time with Him. I confess, truly confess, that those times I hurt others by my words or my actions were wrong and bad. I don’t ever want to do those things again. By God’s grace I am a changed man.
________________________
The Seventh-day Adventist church continues to grow in Mongolia as more people come to learn about God through the witness of those who have given their lives to Him. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will go to establish a much-needed library at the Adventist church school in the country’s capitol city of Ulaanbaatar. To read the inspiring stories from the teachers and students of this school, visit www.adventistmission.org, and under the Resources menu, choose Youth and Adult Magazine, or Children’s Magazine. Thank you for your generous support of mission!
Abba, a young man living in a village in northern Mongolia, felt powerless to change the downward spiral of his life. Then his friend introduced him to God. Here he shares his personal testimony.
Before I became a Christian I lived a really worldly life. I drank; I smoked; and I stole things from others. I never thought about whether what I did was good or bad; it was just part of me. I did it naturally.
One time my friends and I started drinking. I got drunk long before they did, and I lost consciousness. When I awoke I realized I was alone; my friends were gone. I stumbled out of the house in search of my friends.
I found them in one of my friend’s houses. Why did you leave me? I demanded angrily.
You were asleep! one of them said. We couldn’t awaken you. They gave me another drink. I suddenly felt as if I was falling backwards, and everything turned black.
I awoke in the police station, naked and cold. My arm was bloody, and my back was sore. I did not know what had happened. When the police officer returned, he told me that I had been arrested for disturbing the peace. He said that I had been shouting and threatening people, and that I had broken several people’s windows with my fist. That explained the bloody arm.
A man with the police officer said I had banged on his door and threatened him. I did not remember any of this.
The police officer gave me my clothes, and I dressed. But my shoes were missing. When I asked for my shoes, he told me I had not been wearing shoes when I was arrested.
Another woman came into the police station to file a complaint against me. She said that I had broken windows in her house. I apologized and told her I did not know I had done this. I wanted to see the broken windows for myself, so the police officer took me to her home. Under one broken window lay one of my shoes.
I walked into the other house with broken windows, and there I found my other shoe. I knew that I was guilty. The owner of the house told me that I had threatened to kill everyone in the house. I had chased people outside and thrown stones at them.
Someone else told me that I had knocked on a door and saw my own shadow reflected in the glass. I started fighting with my shadow. When a man came out to investigate the noise, I started fighting with him. He escaped and called the police. When the police officer came, I started fighting with him as well. It seemed I was listening to stories of a man possessed with a devil.
I paid my fine and agreed to replace the broken windows. I even promised that I would never drink again. But three days later I was drunk. It seemed that I could not stop drinking. I realized the difficulties I was making for my mother, with whom I lived. I worked, but instead of giving her money for food, I bought alcohol.
My lifelong friend, Daba, had gone to the capital city to work, and there he became a Christian. When he returned to the village, he tried to talk to me about my drinking. Because we were friends, I listened to his advice and nodded my head, but in my heart I was making fun of what he was saying. I thought his belief in God was foolish.
Fighting with Shadows, Part 2
Daba learned that a group of Christians was meeting in the village, and he invited me to go with him to the meeting. I went out of respect for Daba, but I did not want to go. I was embarrassed to go to a Christian meeting. We talked about God, and I remembered that I had a New Testament at home. After the meeting I found it and began reading it, but it didn’t make sense to me. Byra, the leader of the Christian group, offered to explain the Bible passages to me.
A few weeks later Daba asked me to go with him to the Bible study group on Saturday. I had no idea what the meeting would be about, but I went. Daba was not an Adventist, but the home Bible study group was the only Christian meeting in the village, and he was eager to enjoy Christian fellowship. The morning I attended, the speaker talked about God’s love, and somehow the message got through to me. I saw in my mother’s love for me a reflection of God’s love. Even when I came home drunk and she scolded me, she was there to encourage and help me when I needed it.
I continued attending the Bible study group. As Byra explained different Bible passages, the Bible began to make sense to me. I began reading the Bible because I wanted to, not because I felt I should. Soon I could not stop reading it. I have given my heart to God.
Over the years I had promised myself many times that I would stop drinking, but I had never been able to stop. Daba told me to pray and ask God for strength to stop. When I started praying, all my old drinking friends left town. God took them away so they would not influence me. Then he took away the desire to drink and delivered me from the chains of alcohol. Before, I spent my days drinking with my friends. But thanks to God, I no longer drink alcohol.
My mother and sisters are amazed that I have been able to give up drinking and stealing. They see how God is changing my life, and they ask many questions about my faith in God. My mother and two of my sisters are attending some of the evangelistic meetings, and one of my sisters has even brought several of her friends to the meeting.
Before I met Christ, fighting and drinking and stealing were my life. But when I met Jesus, I realized that nothing in my heart was good. I asked God to give me a clean heart, a clean life, and now I long to spend time with Him. I confess, truly confess, that those times I hurt others by my words or my actions were wrong and bad. I don’t ever want to do those things again. By God’s grace I am a changed man.
________________________
The Seventh-day Adventist church continues to grow in Mongolia as more people come to learn about God through the witness of those who have given their lives to Him. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will go to establish a much-needed library at the Adventist church school in the country’s capitol city of Ulaanbaatar. To read the inspiring stories from the teachers and students of this school, visit www.adventistmission.org, and under the Resources menu, choose Youth and Adult Magazine, or Children’s Magazine. Thank you for your generous support of mission!