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Thank you for your ThirteenthSabbath Offering three years ago toconstruct the first-ever church buildingat the University of the SouthernCaribbean in Chenelle’s homeland,Trinidad and Tobago. Thank you forremembering the university with this Download photos on Facebook(bit.ly/fb-mq). Download mission posts and fast factsfrom the Inter-American Division at:bit.ly/IAD-Facts.Fa s t Fa c t s Inhabited mainly by people of Africanand indigenous descent, Trinidad andTobago has a per-capita income wellabove the average for Latin Americaand the Caribbean because of itslarge reserves of oil and gas. However,dependence on these reserves has leftthe country vulnerable to world crudeprices. The price crash during the 1980sand 1990s resulted in a large foreigndebt and widespread unemployment.A N D TO B AG O Watch Chenelle on YouTube:bit.ly/Chenelle-Spooner.T R I N I DA DStor y Tips Trinidad and Tobago is a major transshipment point for cocaine and, likemany other countries in the area,has been troubled by drug- and gangrelated violence. Although English is the official language,most people speak Trinidad English, acreole language. In 1498, Christopher Columbus visitedthe islands. Legend has it he namedTrinidad after the three peaks at itssouth-east corner and Tobago after alocal type of tobacco pipe.quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering,which will help open a Better Living“center of influence” on the campus totrain students to be missionaries.By Andrew McChesneyAdventistMission.orgAs she thought about the attack, sheremembered a conversation that she hadhad a day earlier. While waiting for an oilchange for her car, she and an attendanthad discussed how people take their carstoo seriously, even putting them beforeGod. During the conversation, Chenelletold him about hearing semi-automaticgunfire on a highway seven monthsearlier. The car involved in the shootinghad crashed into the left side of her car,badly damaging it. After that accident,Chenelle decided that Christ was moreimportant than her car. “I could losemy car tomorrow, but as long as Christspares my life, I will keep serving Him,”Chenelle told the attendant.The next day, on June 12, 2019, thegunfire erupted outside the school.After the school shooting, severalcoworkers advised Chenelle to sell her car.“Sell your car,” said one. “It hasdemonic energy in it.”“Yes, get rid of it,” said another.“Something is wrong with that car.”But Chenelle saw no reason to sell.“It is not about the car,” she said. “Weshould not put our focus on materialthings. We should put our focus on God.”She believes that her car is a witness toGod’s goodness.“It’s really about God protecting us aswe keep our faith and proclaim His namethrough difficult times,” she said. 7

God Makes No MistakesTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO April 17Crystal White, 32Adventist Mission Inter-American DivisionM8any children who live on Caribbeanislands have nicknames.Crystal White has a sister namedCatherine. But everyone calls her Pollybecause she is like a parrot and talks a lot.Crystal has another sister namedRochelle. But everyone calls her Mopsibecause is as skinny as a mop stick.Crystal’s father called her Ugly.He gave her the nickname one daywhile she was sitting on the stairs in theirhouse in Cumuto village in Trinidadand Tobago. As Father passed her on thestairs, he patted her on the leg.“Hi, Ugly,” he said.Crystal felt horrible. Children sometimescalled her names at school, but now herown father was making fun of her at home.“I’m not ugly,” Crystal protested.Father didn’t reconsider his words.“You are the ugliest child that I evermade,” he said.Crystal felt even worse. Father had tenchildren. Now she actually felt ugly.Father’s words changed her life. Shebegan to struggle with depression andconsidered suicide. She starved herselfbecause she thought that she would bepretty if she were thin.Every day after school, she stared intothe mirror in her bedroom and pickedherself apart.“Why did you forehead have to be sobig?” she thought, tears streaming downher cheeks. “Why did your teeth have tobe so big? Why did you have to be so fat?”One day as she stood in front of themirror, picking herself apart and crying,she heard a song come on over the radio.“Always remember that you are sobeautiful,” the musician sang. “Alwaysremember that you are fearfully andwonderfully made by God. You are a childof Jesus Christ the Lord.”The words surprised Crystal. Shethought, “If I am fearfully and wonderfullymade by God and I am picking aparteverything, then I am telling God that Hemade a mistake.”

Thank you for your Thirteenth SabbathOffering three years ago to construct thefirst-ever church building at Crystal’salma mater, University of the SouthernCaribbean, in Trinidad and Tobago. Download photos on Facebook(bit.ly/fb-mq). Download mission posts and fast factsfrom the Inter-American Division at:bit.ly/IAD-Facts.Fa s t Fa c t s From 1802 to 1814, Britain obtained firstTrinidad and then Tobago from Spainand France, respectively and, in 1889,Trinidad and Tobago was combined as asingle British colony. The country becamean independent republic in 1976.A N D TO B AG OWatch Crystal on YouTube:bit.ly/Crystal-White.T R I N I DA DStor y Tips Slavery was abolished in Trinidad andTobago in 1834 and indentured laborerswere then brought in from India towork on the sugar plantations. Today,Hindus make up around a quarter of thepopulation of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago contains thelargest natural deposit of asphalt in theworld. The Pitch Lake of La Brea, in thesouth of Trinidad, covers 100 acres (40hectares), is around 250 feet (76 meters)deep, and is estimated to contain 10million tons. Legend has it that it was“discovered” by Sir Walter Raleigh afterindigenous people showed him the site.There also are natural Sulphur pools thatare reputed to have healing properties.Thank you also for remembering theuniversity with this quarter’s ThirteenthSabbath Offering, which will help opena Better Living “center of influence”on the campus to train students to bemissionaries for Jesus.By Andrew McChesneyAdventistMission.orgShe cried harder and asked God forforgiveness. Her tears of sadness and pitywere transformed into tears of joy. Shedecided to see herself through Christ’seyes rather than the eyes of people.For the first time, at the age of 17, shebegan to see herself through Jesus’ eyes.The words of Psalms 139:14 took on anew meaning, and she read with joy, “Iwill praise You, for I am fearfully andwonderfully made; marvelous are Yourworks, and that my soul knows very well.”She began to eat again. Corn soup withpotatoes, cassava, carrots, pumpkin anddasheen root tasted good!She no longer felt worthless. She had areason to live.Instead of feeling sorry for herself, shelearned to put everything in God’s hands.She began to trust God, not just for dailyneeds but for her joy as well. She realizedthat no one could take away the joy thatcomes from God.Whenever someone called her names,she just ignored it. When Father calledher “Ugly,” she remembered that God hadmade her.“This is the way God made me,” shetold herself. “God makes no mistakes.”Today, Crystal is 33 and a church leaderwho loves telling young people about herGod who makes no mistakes.“I feel like I didn’t have anyone in mycorner when I was young,” she said. “Iwant to be the person who tells othersthat God has a purpose for them, just likeHe has for me.” 9

Gas Canister ExplosionTRINIDAD AND TOBAGO April 24Noelia Southwell, 35Adventist Mission Inter-American DivisionN10oelia was eager to finish cooking theSabbath meal before sundown inChase Village in Trinidad and Tobago.She had worked as the main Bibleworker for an evangelistic series that hadresulted in 25 baptisms. Now a womanfrom the meetings who was thinking aboutbaptism had invited her over for a Fridayevening Bible study.Noelia was cooking a favorite Guyanesedish, Boiled and Fried Provision, on a sixburner gas stove in her rented one-roomapartment. She was waiting for the sweetpotatoes, cassava, eddoes, and plantains tofinish frying.Her cell phone beeped behind her onthe bed, signaling the arrival of a textmessage.She turned her head around to look.Then BOOM!A loud explosion rocked the apartment.The force of the blast threw Noelia acrossthe room, and she landed with her backagainst the wall.As she fell from the wall, an unseen handseemed to set her down on her feet andfirmly push her back across the fire-filledroom and out of the front door.Outside, Noelia screamed for help.Her words were incomprehensible, butneighbors saw the flames coming out ofher apartment door. Someone called for anambulance, and the dispatcher advised tokeep dowsing Noelia with water until theambulance arrived.Someone began throwing water from abucket on Noelia, and two other peopletried to extinguish the fire in the apartment.Noelia was grateful for the cool water. Herhead felt like it would pop off, and her skinhad an unbearable burning sensation. Shewas suffering second-degree burns.The ambulance whisked her to anemergency clinic that was closer to herapartment than the hospital. She neededto be stabilized.The clinic doctor asked the paramedicswhat had happened.“The gas canister exploded as she wascooking in her home,” a paramedic said.“How is she in one piece?” thedoctor asked in disbelief. “She shouldbe dead. No one lives after a gascanister explosion.”

Watch Noelia on YouTube:bit.ly/Noelia-Southwell. Download photos on Facebook(bit.ly/fb-mq). Download mission posts and fast factsfrom the Inter-American Division at:bit.ly/IAD-Facts.Fa s t Fa c t s Some of the best quality cocoa in theworld is said to come from Trinidad andTobago; the famous trinitario varietyis the main ingredient in high-qualitychocolates around the world.A N D TO B AG O Pronounce Noelia as: No-el-ee-a.T R I N I DA DStor y Tips The Moruga Scorpion from southernTrinidad is officially the second-hottestpepper in the world, reaching 2 millionunits on the Scoville heat scale. Incomparison, a bell pepper registers zero100, and a jalapeno can reach 10,000. According to the United Nations,Trinidad and Tobago is the happiestcountry in the Caribbean.“Nothing can keep me from doingGod’s work,” Noelia said. Part of this quarter’s ThirteenthSabbath Offering will help open aBetter Living “center of influence”on the campus to train students to bemissionaries at University of the SouthernCaribbean in Trinidad and Tobago. Thankyou for supporting mission with yourSabbath School mission offering.By Andrei Abramyan, as told to Andrew McChesneyAdventistMission.orgOverhearing the conversation, Noeliasilently thanked God for life.“You must have a purpose for my life,”she prayed. “That’s why You saved me.”After she was stabilized, she was sent tothe hospital. Late that night, a friend fromchurch invited Noelia to her home.Noelia was happy to leave the hospital,but the pain was dreadful. Church memberswere shocked when they heard about theexplosion and saw her on Sabbath. Theyprayed with her and sang songs.By Sabbath sunset, Noelia could nolonger walk. Her legs had swelled up likebig balloons and felt extremely heavy.For the next month, female churchmembers took turns staying with Noeliaduring the day. Pastors visited and prayedwith her. Recovery was unexpectedlyrapid. After a month and a half, she wasable to walk again, and soon she wasback to her old self. The doctor expressedsurprise at how quickly her skin healed.“You are lucky,” she said.“I don’t believe in luck,” Noelia said. “Ibelieve it’s a blessing from God. This is theanswer to the prayers of church members.”After the explosion, Noelia’srelationship changed with God. She hadalways loved Him, but now she trustedHim more. She stopped worrying abouteveryday problems, remembering thatGod had saved her for a purpose and shecould trust in Him.Nine months after the incident, thewoman whom she had planned to meeton the day of the explosion gave herheart to Christ.Today Noelia is serving God with allher heart. She helps manage an urbancenter of influence that reaches out topeople from non-Christian religions inTrinidad and Tobago.11

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO May 1It Is GodShinell Davis, 29Adventist Mission Inter-American Divisiony 10-year-old sister, Shakira, startedMcomplaining of back pains afterslipping on wet stairs outside our home in12Morveant, Trinidad and Tobago.We thought she had pulled a muscleand gave her painkillers. The pain didn’tgo away after a week, so we took her tothe hospital. The doctor gave her morepainkillers. Shakira stopped eating, andher belly swelled up. Back at the hospital,the doctor said, “I think she has cancer.”Despite the operations, Shakira wasa joyful child and tried to be the mostcheerful person in the hospital room. Thedoctors fell in love with her. After a yearshe was declared cancer-free.A few months after she returned home,the cancer returned. I spent many nightswith her in the hospital. I remember hermoaning, “My back, my belly, my back, mybelly.” She was in such pain.The doctor arranged for an operation.“Mommy, I don’t want to do thisoperation,” Shakira said.“But we have to do it so you can live,”Mother replied.Shakira died a month after the surgery. Iwas traveling to the hospital when Mothercalled with the news. I wept.Mother, however, did not cry.“Mommy, is something wrong?” I askedat the funeral. “Why aren’t you crying?”She never answered.Four months later, Mother’s foot startedto swell up. She stayed two weeks in thehospital, and the doctor diagnosed herwith depression from Shakira’s death. Heordered counseling, but Mother refused togo. Six months later, she died.The loss of my mother so soon after mysister’s death devastated me. But thingsgot worse. A cousin, Mark, visited meoften, trying to cheer me up and take mymind off the two tragic deaths. Six monthsafter Mother died, he died in a car accident.The pain inside me seemed too much tobear. My boyfriend had many tattoos onhis arms, chest, back, and mouth. I knewthat tattoos were painful, and I decidedthat a tattoo might ease my pain.I got my nose pierced. But the painwas not enough, so I got my nose piercedagain. Then I pierced my ears and got atattoo on my chest. The pain persisted.Then my boyfriend drowned in aswimming accident. When I got the

Pronounce Shinell as: shin-EL Watch Shinell on YouTube:bit.ly/Shinell-Davis. Download photos on Facebook(bit.ly/fb-mq). Download mission posts and fast factsfrom the Inter-American Division at:bit.ly/IAD-Facts.searching for answers about life.One Sabbath, the preacher appealed forthose who wished to give their hearts toJesus in baptism to stand.I stood immediately. I knew that Iwanted to live for Jesus. Marc also stood.Later I learned that Marc had stoppedattending church five years earlier andhad only returned when I had asked to go.Marc’s parents were thrilled. They hadbeen praying for Marc to return to Jesus.Marc and I were baptized on the sameday and got married eleven months later.Sometime people say to me, “Youdon’t know what I am going through.”Then they hear my story and say, “Youwent through all that? How are youstill alive?” I reply, “It is God.” He hasgiven me a new life. This quarter’s Thirteenth SabbathOffering will help open a Better Living“center of influence” to train students to bemissionaries at University of the SouthernCaribbean in Trinidad and Tobago.By Shinell Davis, as told to Andrew McChesneyA N D TO B AG O Ask a young woman to share this firstperson account.T R I N I DA DStor y TipsAdventistMission.orgphone call, I couldn’t believe it. Iremembered my sister, my mother, andmy cousin. Now my boyfriend was dead. Ibegan to scream.I called my workplace to say that Iwouldn’t be able to make it to a corporateevent that evening because I had toidentify my boyfriend’s body at thehospital. My employer told me to wait forher nephew, Marc.“He will pick you up,” she said.Seeing my boyfriend’s body was like theend for me. I didn’t see any reason to live.Four months later, I had miscarriage.Life seemed dark, but Marc broughtsome light to my life. He visited me everyday and shared verses from the Bible.“Have you heard John 3:16?” he asked.“It says, ‘For God so loved the world thatHe gave His only begotten Son, thatwhoever believes in Him shall not perishbut have everlasting life.’”One day Marc took me to meet hisparents. His father listened to my grief andgave me his phone number.“If you ever need someone to talk to,call me,” he said. “Give yourself time. Godhas a purpose for you.”After that, Marc often took me to hisparents. I liked them, and I was interestedto hear them talk about God. One day aswe were talking, I asked whether I couldgo to church with them.“Yes!” the parents exclaimed.Marc didn’t say anything.The next Sabbath, I went to churchwith Marc and his parents.As we worshiped week after week, Ibegan to feel happy again. The sermonsseemed to be just for me. My pain eased.I read the Bible and the Adult SabbathSchool Bible Study Guide every day,13

Deadly Scorpion StingCOLOMBIA May 8Ca r l o s Re y e s , 3 9 , a n dLuz Murillo, 34Adventist Mission Inter-American DivisionI14t was about 7 p.m., and Pastor Carlosand his wife, Luz, were getting readyfor bed. Some might think that 7 p.m.was early for bed. But Pastor Carlos andhis wife lived in the remote mountainsof Colombia, working as missionaries tothe Embera indigenous people. In themountains, everyone went to bed early.Suddenly the still of the night wasshattered by loud, frantic pounding on thedoor of the house.“Pastor! Pastor!” a woman cried. “Comeout! Come out!”Luz opened the door. Outside stoodCándida, a member of his congregation.“A baby has been stung by a scorpion!”Cándida said, fright showing in her eyes.Pastor Carlos and Luz quickly gotdressed. As Pastor Carlos grabbed aflashlight, Luz, a nurse, ran to the kitchenand grabbed fresh garlic, a jar filled withdrinking water, and a dropper.Cándida led the pastor and his wife tothe baby’s house. The trio walked carefullyin the dark night. Snakes and scorpionscould be lurking in the grass.Arriving at the baby’s house, they foundonly the mother and her year-old babyat home. Father had left to look for thewitchdoctor.Mother was holding the baby in herarms. The baby was turning purple andshaking violently.“I laid him in a hammock and didn’tnotice the scorpion,” Mother explainedtearfully. “Then he screamed and, when Ipicked him up, I saw the scorpion.”She showed the still form of a large,crushed scorpion on the floor. She hadkilled it with a boot.Luz took the baby from Mother’s armsand looked for the sting wound. Herforehead wrinkled with apprehension.The baby was dying.

Part of this quarter’s ThirteenthSabbath Offering will help open a BetterLiving “center of influence” at ColombiaAdventist University to train students tobe missionaries like Carlos. Carlos himselfgraduated from the university. Thankyou for planning a generous ThirteenthSabbath Offering.By Andrew McChesneyStor y Tips Download photos on Facebook(bit.ly/fb-mq). Download mission posts and fast factsfrom the Inter-American Division at:bit.ly/IAD-Facts. In 1894, Frank C. Kelley went fromthe United States to Bogota as a selfsupporting missionary, paying hisexpenses by teaching English and sellingphotographic goods. He went back tothe U.S. for a time, married, and thenreturned to Colombia, but his wife’shealth required their return to theU.S. in 1899. The Kelleys returned toColombia in December 1920, where theyworked fo

children had been excused from school that afternoon so the teachers could have their training session. Her car had suffered heavy damage because the man who had been targeted by the gunman had fled on foot from his own car and had hidden behind her car. That night at home, Chenelle thanked God for His protection.